Help Desk Support Job Description & Responsibilities

Technical support specialists are the experts who provide technical assistance and support related to IT systems, hardware and software. They are responsible for answering questions and managing system and user problems in a timely and professional manner. Help desk support works with the IT team and often interacts with computer and system users across the enterprise. The help desk team will train users on the basic system and functions of the computer. Proactively understanding and maintaining daily system performance, having the ability to resolve customer issues, and innate follow-up and monitoring capabilities are essential aspects of the help desk daily support function.

Explore our support work for the help desk.

Typical Help Desk Support Responsibilities

The daily activities of a technical support team vary according to the needs of users or systems on a given day. Help desk support staff can schedule updates, upgrades, and maintenance, but there will always be unexpected problems on any given day. That said, many in tech support find themselves acting as the first point of contact when a user faces hardware, software, or system issues. Many teams work within a ticket system, so each help desk team member has a variety of tickets to send and close every day, in addition to their maintenance activities. While the nature of their role is more technical based, it is important that technical support specialists have a tolerant and patient disposition, with strong communication skills to reassure frustrated users. With many supervisory activities, in general, the help desk support will be responsible for:

desktop support roles and responsibilities :

• Monitor and respond quickly to incoming requests related to IT issues.
• Maintain IT systems and act as support in the event of a system crash.
• Responsible for PC, printers, servers and related equipment (monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard disk, etc.).
• Maintain users' PCs, including updates and settings, if necessary.
• Assistance for the incorporation of new users.
• Maintain an inventory of all authorized equipment, software, and users.
• Install, configure and update PC software.
• Skills of a technical support specialist.

Help desk support teams are patient managers who know how to find or create solutions to unexpected problems. They often work with multiple teams and departments and must be able to communicate and take ownership to ensure activities are completed properly and on time. There are some essential skills that everyone in a help desk support role should have:

• General knowledge of IT systems, PC repair and network management
• Ingenuity and prospective nature to solve new and critical technical problems that arise.
• Ability to deploy, configure and support operating systems on desktop computers and mobile devices
• Understanding and appreciation of information security within users' systems and devices.
• Strong drive to provide excellent customer service and expertise, aware of priority of activities, stakeholders, budget, and time.