Jer

I was made redundant a few months ago from my IT job. This job included developing websites, looking after a server and 10 clients and the usual IT guy in a small company type stuff.
I have just been offered a short term contract in IT support. It pay’s about £140 a day and is supporting servers and systems running NT, 2000 and XP.
I don’t want to go in looking like a total novice on Monday so need some advice.

What does IT support staff do all day?
What should I look at over the weekend?
What are the common problems you face?
What’s the difference between first line support, second line etc

Anything else you think I need to know

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

ROFL

The interesting thing about IT support is that it's different from day-day

Your company should tell you what it expects from you on a daily basis. You must have some skills they recognised & no-one will expect you to do everything on the 1st day.

Feet first is always the best way

Good luck

R1916v

depends what line of support, 1st, 2nd, 3rd line??

1st line > Helpdesk
2nd line > Stuff helpdesk can't do on the phone gets passed over for more in depth look at

At my place the support team have about 4 roles:

1st line helpdesk
2nd line faults
Implementation (people request new kit/development work, so not a faults thing)
Project work

I guess you would probably be second line. In that case they should have some sort of call logging software (depends how big they are though). How it works with our place is a call is logged, and if it cannot be closed over the phone it gets passed into a queue, just a bit list of all the outstanding faults. Then whoever is on faults that day/week picks calls out of the queue to fix.

One thing I will say, again might only be my place, but the support team deal with a load of different things, get to experiance pretty much everything from software development to hardware faults

Could go on ranting more random crap but as Puff said, always a different day

Markus

I'm Technical Manager for a Software Development company.

This essentially means I deal with front line support for our product range. 99.5 percent is handled via phone or email, 0.5 percent is via on site visits.
I also provide on-site demos, installation, and training of our products.

When I'm not doing support I liase with the dev team with regards to bug resolution and feature implementation, and slagging them off for crappy code

Other things I do include product testing and documentation maintainance (oh joy!)

I also happen to manage the internal network infrastructure, so if the servers or workstations (Mac or PC) go belly up I have to pull my finger out and fix them.

When I'm not doing all of that, I'm posting on here

boxst

Markus

I thought it was "When I'm not posting on here I ...."

Steve.

Markus

You cheeky chap! But I think you're probably right. I was trying to give the impression that I do actually *work* when in the office

beemerboy

Jer, i have my own support company and as such tend to suck a lot of air in through the teeth, shake my head, rub my eyes, slag of any previous attempts at resolving a problem, then write out a few hefty invoices...

As said above, take it calm, size the place up, and use whats around you wisely (namely people who have been there a while, and good looking chicks)

All the very best mate.

BB

MattW

I'm in IT too. I am officially a developer\consultant and usually turn in for 6 hours for a paid 7 hour day.

1 hour - check mails
3.5 hours - Scoobynet\MLR
1 hour - BBC
1 hour - Skysports
0.5 hour - actual work

darlodge

There are alot of us that work in Support. I've worked in support for about 6 years (since 16) and no one day is the same as the last. Today I'm inthe process of finishing off my Windows update Server and general problems (PC's no booting, Windows errors, e-mail problems, Office questions etc.). Yesterday I was patching servers all day in our Server room, the day before that I was building new workstations for a new project, Friday I was finising off a large rollout project.

Its all fun fun fun.

Darren

Jer

Thanks guys

I will go in on Monady, if I can't sort out a problem I will post it on here. Be quick with your responses.

Thanks

Jer

stevencotton

Can we also post our bank details so we can be paid?

Markus

lol, good point. Current consultancy fee is aprox 800 quid per day, or was the last time I could be bothered to leave the office

stevencotton

I won't even fire up vi for less than a grand a day

David_Wallis

id want more than a grand to use that ****e too

stevencotton

Hah! It's not what you have, it's what you do with it
I've never made a grand a day I might add, yet

R1916v

I spent today auditing a guys pc as it was full of unauthorised stuff, very dull, but he'll probably get the sack the amount of stuff he had, plus he was at one of our dialup sites (so had a nice drive up to the moors to pick it up).

The other day I was in meetings with various people to sort out a deal to provide us with the necessary software for pda management/PIM.

And next week I got to do a day on the helpdesk

Jer

Thanks for the info guys and a quick update. Today was my first day on the job I met the IT manager and after some BSing managed to get the contract. I then spent the first few hours looking at the software they use and getting to know the different departments, it has 400 users at the site. I printed of about 10 different faults and was sent on my merry way. It was all basic stuff TBH installing drivers and software, a couple of monkeys got their bluetooth mouses mixed up and a laptop that would not power up. I managed all but one problem, some software that needed re-installed. There is loads of good looking woman on site and the job so far has been easy. I've not even had to post on Soobynet for advice yet.

Cheers

Jeremy

R1916v

cool, pay well?

Jer

More than I've been paid before. it's just over £700 a week but I have to pay tax and NI. I have also setup a small company that does IT support, web development and hosting I have to do this at night. Most of these clients were picked up from my last job when the company folded but to be honest I'm not making a great deal of money from these. It's all good experience though and when this contract runs out hopefully I will have the confidence to go round local businesses offering IT support.

darlodge

Nice one, glad its going ok.

Darren

R1916v

Very nice, wish I got that

Jer

How much experience do you have? Why not get in touch with some agencies. This job was got through an agency, it was the first and only one I've contacted so far. It's only short term but I've already been offered more work.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

That confidence is something that I lack I have to say - just me personally. BUT a rele is buying a PC through a chap that does this sort of thing & setting up Outlook to collect mail etc. Once we'd (I'd) sorted out the settings, it appears Office wasn't installed correctly but chappy didn't know really where to start. Simple stuff but its obvious this guy has not got much of a clue So I know I could do the job (better) but lack the confidence

R1916v

I'm only a young 'un, bout 18 months exp in a coporate environment. But my team supports just about anything and everything so can easily pull my weight

Doesn't help I live in Devon :/ Not many IT opportunities here.

darlodge

I'd love to be able to command £700 a day

Darren

Jer

LOL me to. It takes me a week to earn that

darlodge

Doh,

Slight mishap with the keyboard. I meant I'd love to be able to command £140 a day.

Darren