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What does a field support technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Ming Chow

A field service technician is working on-call to provide emergency services and test equipment devices for safety purposes and quality control. They are responsible for working with clients to prevent, troubleshoot, and repair issues. They help clients on how to install, maintain, and diagnose equipment for repair. They also present to clients how to properly use their equipment. It is also part of their job to provide training to clients in line with safety standards and regulations.

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Field support technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real field support technician resumes:

  • Manage and support all office computers, servers and POS machines and printers and other office equipment as needed.
  • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
  • Debug WLAN / LAN issues between PCs and/ or hand-held devices.
  • Remove and dispose hard drives from decommission PCs.
  • Fix all repairs consisting of all hardware and OS performance repairs.
  • Experience in testing SCCM for migration and imaging new systems and rebuilding existing Desktops/Laptops.
  • Install hardware and software for servers and PC's running on Microsoft OS or UNIX.
  • Assist end users with VPN connectivity issues including the installation and configuration of the VPN client.
  • Configure and install network hardware, PC's, standalone and LAN printers, modems and relate peripherals.
  • Maintain a surplus of old PCs' and asset tag log records for the benefit of a clean inventory.
  • Support POS (point of sale) equipment at the sites as well as the golf management software and server support.
  • Work with network engineers to replace a Cisco 6509 supporting ~200 devices with multiple Cisco 3570 switches configure in a stack.
  • Full desktop support extend to: applications, desktop troubleshooting and maintenance, VPN, roaming and local profiles, etc.
  • Help other technicians resolve installation and troubleshoot technical issues.
  • Dispatch daily to troubleshoot information technology problems with clients.

Field support technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Field Support Technicians are proficient in Customer Service, User Support, and Troubleshoot. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Listening skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Field Support Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 16%

    Demonstrated outstanding customer services skills, consistently receiving high reports given to management on client satisfaction of service provided.

  • User Support, 8%

    Analyzed and made recommendations regarding user support needs or improving customer satisfaction.

  • Troubleshoot, 7%

    Performed domain registration, upgrade hardware and software, connect peripheral equipment, and troubleshoot workstations remotely using Proxy Master Application.

  • Software Problems, 7%

    Interfaced with users and provided technical expertise to solve hardware systems and application software problems.

  • Computer Equipment, 6%

    Maintain knowledge and certification necessary to support computer equipment and peripherals.

  • Microsoft Windows, 6%

    Supported Microsoft Windows 2000 professional and Microsoft Windows XP on DELL desktops and laptops, HP Laptops, and IBM laptops.

Common skills that a field support technician uses to do their job include "customer service," "user support," and "troubleshoot." You can find details on the most important field support technician responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a field support technician to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "computer support specialists must be patient and sympathetic." Additionally, a field support technician resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "provided on-site customer support related to in house diagnostic analyzers, service installation, training and troubleshooting. "

Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling field support technician duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "support workers must be able to understand the problems that their customers are describing and know when to ask questions to clarify the situation." According to a field support technician resume, here's how field support technicians can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "assess customer support needs when they arrive by listening, and provide solutions to customers stated and unstated needs. "

Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of field support technicians is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday field support technician duties, as "support workers must identify both simple and complex computer problems, analyze them, and solve them." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "support help desk as tier 2 role on software applications, account set-up, and problem resolution. "

Speaking skills. For certain field support technician responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a field support technician rely on this skill, as "support workers must describe the solutions to computer problems in a way that a nontechnical person can understand." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what field support technicians do: "addressed connectivity, setup, and configuration issues remotely through customer support calls. "

Writing skills. Another crucial skill for a field support technician to carry out their responsibilities is "writing skills." A big part of what field support technicians relies on this skill, since "strong writing skills are useful for preparing instructions and email responses for employees and customers, as well as for real-time web chat interactions." How this skill relates to field support technician duties can be seen in an example from a field support technician resume snippet: "assisted in writing training materials and problem resolution fixes. "

See the full list of field support technician skills

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Compare different field support technicians

Field support technician vs. Administrative technical support

Administrative technical support maintains every technical set-up used in a company. Their primary responsibility is to inspect a company's systems, evaluate for issues, and repair any problems immediately. Administrative technical support is typically on call at the start of the day and, when they are not responding to calls, they conduct regular check-ups on all company systems. They are also responsible for creating technical reports and offering recommendations for improvements.

If we compare the average field support technician annual salary with that of an administrative technical support, we find that administrative technical supports typically earn a $4,313 higher salary than field support technicians make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between field support technicians and administrative technical supports are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like customer service, user support, and troubleshoot.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a field support technician are more likely to require skills like "software problems," "microsoft windows," "provide technical assistance," and "debugging." On the other hand, a job as an administrative technical support requires skills like "phone calls," "data entry," "sharepoint," and "email accounts." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

On average, administrative technical supports reach similar levels of education than field support technicians. Administrative technical supports are 2.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Field support technician vs. Systems support

A systems support agent is responsible for resolving system applications and network issues, performing technical configuration, and upgrading systems infrastructure. A systems support representative conducts regular maintenance and diagnostic tests on the computer applications to ensure its optimal performance and efficiency to support business operations and avoid delays in deliverables. They also assist the technology team in designing backup systems and improve existing networks according to business requirements and specifications. They write resolution reports for reference to prevent the reoccurrence of system malfunction and inconsistencies.

A career as a systems support brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a field support technician. In fact, systems supports salary is $21,591 higher than the salary of field support technicians per year.A few skills overlap for field support technicians and systems supports. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "customer service," "troubleshoot," and "software problems. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, field support technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "user support," "microsoft windows," "provide technical assistance," and "debugging." Meanwhile, a systems support has duties that require skills in areas such as "pc," "provides technical support," "desktop support," and "end user support." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Systems supports may earn a higher salary than field support technicians, but systems supports earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $72,760. On the other hand, field support technicians receive higher pay in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $54,611.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Systems supports tend to reach similar levels of education than field support technicians. In fact, they're 3.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for field support technicians in the next 3-5 years?

Ming ChowMing Chow LinkedIn profile

Associate Teaching Professor, Tufts University

Infrastructure, including cloud and networking, Security, Machine Learning, and Data Science.

References:
1. cybersecurity
2. cybersecurity

Field support technician vs. Technical support engineer

A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.

On average, technical support engineers earn higher salaries than field support technicians, with a $43,276 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on field support technicians and technical support engineers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "customer service," "troubleshoot," and "software problems.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from field support technician resumes include skills like "user support," "computer equipment," "microsoft windows," and "desk support," whereas a technical support engineer is more likely to list skills in "java," "customer issues," "database," and "tcp ip. "

Technical support engineers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $82,316. Comparatively, field support technicians have the highest earning potential in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $54,611.Most technical support engineers achieve a similar degree level compared to field support technicians. For example, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Field support technician vs. Technician support tier

A technician support tier focuses on providing technical support to clients or employees within a company. Typically working in a team setting, a technician support tier addresses technical problems and troubleshoots to identify the root of the issues and perform necessary corrective measures or repairs. Their responsibilities also revolve around responding to inquiries, answering calls and correspondence, conducting regular maintenance of systems and networks, maintaining records of all transactions, and supporting software and networks. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with all team members while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Technician support tiers tend to earn a higher pay than field support technicians by an average of $12,449 per year.While both field support technicians and technician support tiers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, technical support, and technical assistance, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between field support technicians and technician support tiers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a field support technician might have more use for skills like "user support," "troubleshoot," "software problems," and "computer equipment." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of technician support tiers require skills like "phone calls," "cisco ios," "tier ii," and "lan. "

The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for technician support tiers, with average annual pay of $62,098. Comparatively, the highest field support technician annual salary comes from the pharmaceutical industry.The average resume of technician support tiers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to field support technicians. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.

Types of field support technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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