[Request] 1st line support course
- Thread starter PoPcOrN
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Little late here, but when recruiting for first liners I don't care about qualifications. Generally speaking when people apply to work for us in a first line capacity over 70% of who I take on have zero IT qualifications.
Don't get me wrong, the qualifications are a bonus but I don't instantly look at a CV and throw it away because they don't have qualifications. Our inhouse training gives you all you need to know for our first line jobs, as would most jobs you apply for.....everyone does things differently.
The most important thing for me is that people have a troubleshooting mindset and more importantly common sense. We do a short test prior to doing any kind of interviews with people. Usually 3/4 of the people with qualifcations are ruled out at this stage because they only know what's in an exam and don't deviate from that. Any reputable company will give you the opportunity to take qualifications once you're working there.
There's nothing more infuriating for a 2nd/3rd line technician having a support ticket escalated to them, for them to spend half an hour troubleshooting to find out the issue is DNS (One of the first thing's i'd expect a first line support agent to have checked!).
Hope this helps.
Don't get me wrong, the qualifications are a bonus but I don't instantly look at a CV and throw it away because they don't have qualifications. Our inhouse training gives you all you need to know for our first line jobs, as would most jobs you apply for.....everyone does things differently.
The most important thing for me is that people have a troubleshooting mindset and more importantly common sense. We do a short test prior to doing any kind of interviews with people. Usually 3/4 of the people with qualifcations are ruled out at this stage because they only know what's in an exam and don't deviate from that. Any reputable company will give you the opportunity to take qualifications once you're working there.
There's nothing more infuriating for a 2nd/3rd line technician having a support ticket escalated to them, for them to spend half an hour troubleshooting to find out the issue is DNS (One of the first thing's i'd expect a first line support agent to have checked!).
Hope this helps.
But to be honest, don't aspire do support, it is a dead end job, most of the people are skilled towards a particular niche and have 0 exposure in other areas when we need to hand over stuff to support it is the most tedious **** ever, having to provide step by step instructions on everything, a whole bunch of finger pointing, politics and process, and a generally **** job.
For example our database guys we use on projects, are 1000% better than support database guys, because they have a different mindset, support people just want to handle tickets and can't wait to pass the problem off to someone else if they can, will all be from India soon enough as I said before.
1 good developer or solution architect is worth 10 support muppets.
For example our database guys we use on projects, are 1000% better than support database guys, because they have a different mindset, support people just want to handle tickets and can't wait to pass the problem off to someone else if they can, will all be from India soon enough as I said before.
1 good developer or solution architect is worth 10 support muppets.
I don't agree that it is a dead end job. It would depend on the company you are with. If you are talking about 1st line support that sits at a central location taking scripted calls all day, then yes it is probably dead end due to the fact that you are just reading from a script and not engaging your brain.
However there are some companies that have a small 1st line support team that sit in the same office as the developers, server team and DBAs. (Like my company).
We employ 1st line support and get them very involved in our systems as they can be quite bespoke to the business. This allows the 2nd/3rd lines to work on the harder stuff.
We also have career development plans which allows our 1st line support to progress and work towards a higher role.
But like I said it all depends on the company.
It's the mentality of support, it stifles creativity with the exception of third line which in most cases you are engaging with the product team by that point anyway.
It sounds like you have had a bad experience with your support. I do get where you are coming from though. Some people will do bare minimum if they can just slope it off.
If it was my team that was sloping stuff off straight to the devs then I would consider re-training them. You could blame some of that cultural mentality on the management for not nipping it in the bud.
Also you could approach the support staff (if possible, im assuming you are the developer in your team?). If you believe that the support could of handled the call then educate them. If that pisses them off then so be it. They will think twice before sloping calls off again.
- Feb 13, 2014
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I started in an MSP after I just finished my apprenticeship.
I climbed the ranks to a senior 3rd line engineer.
Luckily because we are a smaller outfit, each 'level' of support I had a wide exposure of stuff (that and I had a huge willingness to learn and develop my skill set) and I wasn't pigeonholed.
Where you land in this type of career is down to the company and your mentality; I personally would've left any company that just wanted you in 1st line and no real options to 'climb the ladder'.
I climbed the ranks to a senior 3rd line engineer.
Luckily because we are a smaller outfit, each 'level' of support I had a wide exposure of stuff (that and I had a huge willingness to learn and develop my skill set) and I wasn't pigeonholed.
Where you land in this type of career is down to the company and your mentality; I personally would've left any company that just wanted you in 1st line and no real options to 'climb the ladder'.
If you aspire to be a support person for your career then good on you, maybe you will do well if you have a passion for that type of work, maybe it is different for me, but I see that type of work as a career comfort zone, which bores me to tears!
Maybe 2-3 years and then look to get out of support into solutioning, if you get stuck in support to long you will turn into one of the mole people!
Maybe 2-3 years and then look to get out of support into solutioning, if you get stuck in support to long you will turn into one of the mole people!
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It's where most people in IT start - It's up to the individual to progress.
Some are just happy to collect a wage whilst in a comfortable 9-5 job.
Which is my point, it’s full of mole people! It is the IT equivelant of working at McDonalds! If you start out in support have a 2-3 year exit plan because it will suck the creativity and passion out of you! And sooner or later will get offshored for a fraction of the cost!
Everyday IT support companies aren't going to be "offshoring" 1st line support any time soon
Your customers are stupid then, as they can save so much money and get the same SLA
People in the real world don't wanna talk to Burresh Mumfadi whom they cannot understand. Simple as that really. This isn't Microsoft
People in the real world don't wanna talk to Burresh Mumfadi whom they cannot understand. Simple as that really. This isn't Microsoft
This is a misconception, unless your service desk only provides a phone about 80% of cases are not calls, insteaad email, chat, etc. So unless you call you won't even know it's an indian!
Quite a lot of 1st line support is done by phone, especially where I work. I urge my guys to phone more than email - Gives them that better customer experience.
We all know how frustrating it is calling for support and getting some overseas guy reading from a script.
I can't see MSP's farming their helpdesk out to India anytime soon.
Well now my balloons popped.
If an employee doesn't give a **** about qualifications, how am I supposed to get an entry level job?
Is livelabs an option for wanted experience? I haven't actually looked in to what livelabs is but I know it's for practical stuff.
@Karl could you give me an example of the short test?
Has anybody got the software to do 1001 1002 mock exams?
How do I word my Google search to find IT companies with 1st line support? I want to apply pre qualification if what you're saying is true.
If an employee doesn't give a **** about qualifications, how am I supposed to get an entry level job?
Is livelabs an option for wanted experience? I haven't actually looked in to what livelabs is but I know it's for practical stuff.
@Karl could you give me an example of the short test?
Has anybody got the software to do 1001 1002 mock exams?
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How do I word my Google search to find IT companies with 1st line support? I want to apply pre qualification if what you're saying is true.
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