Whether you have recently graduated from university after studying computer science or are exploring options for a potential career change as a whole – An IT support consultant is a great choice to consider given that IT is a fast moving industry offering a whole host of technologies for you to get stuck into.
In most cases, the typical position of an IT support/helpdesk technician is predominantly office based. Working from behind the same computer screen all day – while this “office based” job role may fit the criteria and life style of some, others of a more active lifestyle who like to get out and work in different places on a daily basis could instead explore the option to choose more of a field engineer position.
Working as an IT support field Engineer in the heart of London such as this one allows the outsourced IT company to permanently have one or more field engineer to predominantly spend their time in the City hopping between sites, seeing different, IT setups, people and scenery – this for some people is exactly what they need for better quality of life instead of living the same working day Monday to Friday staring at the same screen.
A field-based IT support consultant would usually be the employee who is dispatched in the event that the IT helpdesk cannot assist the end user with their IT problem remotely and thus further intervention is required onsite. It would be your responsibility to attend the user’s office to troubleshoot and fix the issue once you receive a handover from the helpdesk.
When you arrive onsite you will have physical access to the whole IT infrastructure and therefore have access to work on their entire IT environment which offers a perfect opportunity to expand experience with different types of IT technology and devices versus those providing tech support over the phone in the office. Given these circumstances, it is of no surprise that field engineers are typically more experienced, efficient and proactive than that of a Helpdesk engineer.
When an outsourced IT support firm onboards customers they will typically audit their IT infrastructure and implement/resolve any existing issues as well as applying best practices so to reduce the likelihood of problems occurring in the future, thus lowering call volume to the Helpdesk.
For this reason it’s inevitable that there will be days when the requirement for on-site dispatches are little to none. During these times when escalations for site visits are not required – you will instead be attending customers offices to perform regular maintenance, heath checks, checking event logs on the server(s) and in general, just representing a regular face for the outsourced IT support company so to deliver a personalised level of service for their clients.
The take away point from this article is that IT Support is an excellent and exciting industry to consider whether it be office or field based – While choosing field based, so to be out of the office, on the road in the city is a perfect way to quickly broaden your IT experience and knowledge with a variety of platforms and technologies.
Do you work in IT Support? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Leave a Reply