What does a help desk representative do?
A help desk representative mainly provides client support services through face-to-face interactions, aiming to resolve issues and concerns to ensure client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include answering inquiries, assisting clients in filling up forms, identifying their needs, providing detailed solutions, and referring them to other services as needed. Aside from face-to-face interactions, there are also instances where a help desk representative may provide services through calls and correspondence, troubleshoot problems, and provide step-by-step instructions according to the clients' needs.
Help desk representative responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real help desk representative resumes:
- Manage and troubleshooting of VOIP systems, setup of new IP phones and configuring PBX.
- Collaborate with appropriate technology/policy department to troubleshoot end user problems.
- Assist showrooms as part of support team with conversion from old POS PC system and registers to new ones.
- Inspect kiosk software to investigate and troubleshoot machine that includes motor, sensors, controller boards, and moving parts.
- Support technical POS terminals remotely.
- Administer Production/Testing mainframe environments and run operational tasks.
- Assist management in a leadership role ensuring that daily operations run efficiently.
- Perform remote diagnostics on server problems using specialize software on a mainframe computer.
- Coordinate and document information systems repairs and run system diagnostics and determine cause of hardware and software failures.
- Evaluate network utilization and redesign the county wide-area network by replacing existing network infrastructure with network switches and installing network cabling.
- Assemble, install, configure and repair client PCs and peripherals.
- Deploy new PCs, printers, copiers, miscellaneous hardware to local and remote users.
- Perform troubleshooting of VPN connections for employees in the field and insurance agents.
- Execute connectivity issues, locating IP or TCP/IP addresses, VPN software, supporting remote users.
- Respond to and diagnose computer/ application/peripheral device/ user account problems/ WLAN LAN connectivity issues, firewall problems, server problems.
Help desk representative skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Help Desk Representatives are proficient in Customer Service, Troubleshoot, and Technical Support. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Listening skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Help Desk Representatives that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 21%
Provide customer service and support within facility, Military Environments, receiving and analyzing trouble reports from external users.
- Troubleshoot, 8%
Review, analyze and troubleshoot technical issues * Identify and implement necessary modifications for residential customers * Complete new service orders
- Technical Support, 7%
Provided technical support to hotel staff regarding use of a Micros-Fidelio thin client reservations software application.
- Phone Calls, 4%
Greeted guest, answered phone calls, handled mail, reply to email, and sometimes work on filing and billing.
- Patients, 4%
Answer approximately 60-100 incoming calls daily regarding insurance claims from insurance companies and patients according to Quality Improvement and departmental guidelines.
- Help Desk, 3%
Assist Help Desk Manager by looking over applications/resumes and interviewing potential job candidates.
Most help desk representatives use their skills in "customer service," "troubleshoot," and "technical support" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential help desk representative responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a help desk representative to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what help desk representatives do because "computer support specialists must be patient and sympathetic." Additionally, a help desk representative resume shows how help desk representatives use customer-service skills: "recognized and escalate difficult technical/business issues within the customer support, and engineering organizations. "
Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling help desk representative 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 help desk representative resume, here's how help desk representatives can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "communicated with customers on incoming phone calls. "
Speaking skills. This is an important skill for help desk representatives to perform their duties. For an example of how help desk representative responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "support workers must describe the solutions to computer problems in a way that a nontechnical person can understand." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a help desk representative: "assigned tickets not addressed by the help desk unit to respective of the respective teams or individuals for action. ".
Writing skills. help desk representative responsibilities often require "writing skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "strong writing skills are useful for preparing instructions and email responses for employees and customers, as well as for real-time web chat interactions." This resume example shows what help desk representatives do with writing skills on a typical day: "assisted with the writing of all technical support documentation. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for help desk representative responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of help desk representatives all the time, as "support workers must identify both simple and complex computer problems, analyze them, and solve them." An excerpt from a real help desk representative resume shows how this skill is central to what a help desk representative does: "resolved pc, copiers, and scanner issues from store associates using pc anywhere and citrix. "
The three companies that hire the most help desk representatives are:
- KPMG LLP23 help desk representatives jobs
- Express Employment Indy South8 help desk representatives jobs
- Flash Technology3 help desk representatives jobs
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Compare different help desk representatives
Help desk representative vs. Information technology/support technician
An information technology (IT) support technician is an individual who is responsible for providing support and troubleshoots software and hardware problems faced by customers. As for larger organizations that have their own IT department, technicians must work together internally with their IT staff members. IT support technicians are involved in inspecting and resolving minor local area network and wireless network issues, which include TCP/IP, DHCP, and VPN. They are also required to obtain an associate's degree in computer science or related field.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between help desk representatives and information technology/support technician. For instance, help desk representative responsibilities require skills such as "technical support," "patients," "help desk," and "customer satisfaction." Whereas a information technology/support technician is skilled in "os," "network printers," "user support," and "database." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Information technology/support technicians tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $53,210. In contrast, help desk representatives make the biggest average salary, $36,685, in the technology industry.On average, information technology/support technicians reach similar levels of education than help desk representatives. Information technology/support technicians are 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Help desk representative vs. Information technology technician
An information technology technician, also known as an IT technician, is responsible for ensuring that all computer systems in a company or organization are running smoothly and efficiently. Their duties primarily revolve around installing and maintaining systems, including software and hardware, and resolving any issues. They also provide technical support such as troubleshooting, navigation, and even system upgrades. Furthermore, an information technology technician can choose whether to work for a company or independently.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that help desk representative responsibilities requires skills like "phone calls," "patients," "help desk," and "customer satisfaction." But an information technology technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "network printers," "switches," "sql," and "linux."
On average, information technology technicians earn a higher salary than help desk representatives. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, information technology technicians earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $66,881. Whereas help desk representatives have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $36,685.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Information technology technicians tend to reach similar levels of education than help desk representatives. In fact, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Help desk representative vs. Information systems technician
An information systems technician is responsible for maintaining the efficiency of various network systems' performance. Information systems technicians provide network troubleshooting, upgrading systems for optimization, maintaining the security of databases, managing the interaction of networks, and inspecting and troubleshooting system inconsistencies. Additional duties include creating network designs based on clients' specifications, configuring software and hardware applications, and creating reports on system issues and resolutions. An information systems technician must have excellent knowledge of information systems procedures, programming languages, detecting malfunctions, and making resolutions promptly.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a help desk representative is likely to be skilled in "patients," "customer satisfaction," "inbound calls," and "customer calls," while a typical information systems technician is skilled in "user support," "os," "network printers," and "tcp ip."
Information systems technicians earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $63,116. Comparatively, help desk representatives have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $36,685.information systems technicians typically earn similar educational levels compared to help desk representatives. Specifically, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Help desk representative 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.
Types of help desk representative
Updated January 8, 2025
