What does an operations support specialist do?
The duties of an operations support specialist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, and conducting corrective measures, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. They may also evaluate the processes in a company, identifying vulnerabilities, and recommending improvements. Furthermore, an operations support specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, arranging schedules, assessing workforce performance, and maintaining accurate records.
Operations support specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real operations support specialist resumes:
- Manage HTML developers to create and maintain FDIC Internet/Intranet.
- Manage windows active directory, exchange, and file servers for user profiles and access.
- Lead testing for all new store openings to ensure all POS and systems which support the retail team are fully operational.
- Design and manage studies for alternative API qualification for commercial products.
- Cable TV, Ethernet and phone cable runs and outlets
- Load multiple versions of Linux onto multiple computers from scratch simultaneously.
- Service delivery & SQL file transfer complete daily in compliance with PUC regulatory protocol.
- Used SQL to create and maintain reports, research issues, and resolve store issues.
- Install LAN; pull wire, install hubs, and install network cards in workstations.
- Create and develop visual presentations (PowerPoint, charts, tables, graphs, etc . )
- Fast pace Linux shop monitoring all of IB's hardware, software and back office operations.
- Capture and create video clips for PowerPoint presentations and trial academy attorney development / trial use.
- Support RS232, RS422 and ethernet interconnection schemes via wire, fiber optic and short haul modems.
- Train in a classroom format onsite: new software release, machine qualifications, and software job-writing.
- Administrate deposit automation products for business clients such as bill payment, ACH origination, and remote deposit.
Operations support specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Operations Support Specialists are proficient in Operations Support, Customer Service, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Listening skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Operations Support Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Operations Support, 19%
Perform management/supervisory responsibilities upon the absence of the Operations Support Manager and Site Services Manager with full delegation of authority.
- Customer Service, 17%
Performed quantitative analysis of current operating plans, provided district management with cost control, productivity and customer service improvements.
- Data Entry, 5%
Execute operational support tasks such as data entry, transaction processing/re-processing, investigation and administrative tasks.
- PowerPoint, 4%
Handled all correspondence including memos, letters and special assignments using MS Word 6.0, Excel 5.0 and Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Technical Support, 3%
Provided technical support for email marketing company specializing in email delivery and reputation management services to top tier email publishers.
- DOD, 3%
Requested Letters of Authorization through the DoD SPOT system and ensured all data was updated as necessary.
Most operations support specialists use their skills in "operations support," "customer service," and "data entry" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential operations support specialist responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an operations support specialist to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "computer support specialists must be patient and sympathetic." Operations support specialists often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "supported domestic and international sales offices in their use of it systems to increase customer support and new order entry. "
Listening skills. Many operations support specialist duties rely on listening skills. "support workers must be able to understand the problems that their customers are describing and know when to ask questions to clarify the situation.," so an operations support specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways operations support specialist responsibilities rely on listening skills: "communicated effectively with engineering and other technical groups to enhance products and resolve customer issues. "
Problem-solving skills. operations support specialists are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to operations support specialist responsibilities, because "support workers must identify both simple and complex computer problems, analyze them, and solve them." An operations support specialist resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "processed fedline ach and wires; inclearings, rdi's, ira auditing and member dispute resolution. "
Speaking skills. For certain operations support specialist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of an operations support specialist 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 operations support specialists do: "provided customer service for spanish speaking home owners. "
Writing skills. A commonly-found skill in operations support specialist job descriptions, "writing skills" is essential to what operations support specialists do. Operations support specialist responsibilities rely on this skill because "strong writing skills are useful for preparing instructions and email responses for employees and customers, as well as for real-time web chat interactions." You can also see how operations support specialist duties rely on writing skills in this resume example: "interacted with application development teams to guide them for writing efficient sql queries. "
The three companies that hire the most operations support specialists are:
- Guidehouse51 operations support specialists jobs
- Res-Care Premier22 operations support specialists jobs
- Citi18 operations support specialists jobs
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Compare different operations support specialists
Operations support specialist vs. Support lead
A support lead is typically in charge of overseeing the performance of a technical support team, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the performance of the workforce, resolving complex issues, identifying customer needs and sales opportunities, and training new team members. They may also perform calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries, and resolve issues promptly. Furthermore, as a support lead, it is essential to perform clerical tasks such as preparing progress reports, managing schedules, and maintaining records of transactions.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an operations support specialist are more likely to require skills like "operations support," "data entry," "powerpoint," and "dod." On the other hand, a job as a support lead requires skills like "cash management," "sales floor," "infrastructure," and "math." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, support leads reach higher levels of education than operations support specialists. Support leads are 5.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Operations support specialist vs. Technical specialist
The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real operations support specialist resumes. While operations support specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "operations support," "data entry," "dod," and "windows," technical specialists use skills like "project management," "c++," "c #," and "azure."
On average, technical specialists earn a higher salary than operations support specialists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, technical specialists earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $92,419. Whereas operations support specialists have higher pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $48,781.In general, technical specialists achieve higher levels of education than operations support specialists. They're 5.3% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Operations support specialist vs. Staff specialist
The duties of a staff specialist depend on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing support tasks such as preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, arranging appointments and meetings, and maintaining records of all transactions. There are also instances where they must liaise with clients, offer products and services, close sales, participate in the hiring and training procedures, and develop strategies to optimize business performance. Furthermore, as a staff specialist, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with fellow staff, coordinating to ensure an efficient workflow.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from operations support specialist resumes include skills like "operations support," "customer service," "technical support," and "dod," whereas a staff specialist is more likely to list skills in "iso," "financial statements," "duke," and "alumni. "
Staff specialists typically earn higher educational levels compared to operations support specialists. Specifically, they're 5.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Operations support specialist vs. Support analyst
The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users. They mainly detect issues with IT equipment and software and devise solutions to resolve these issues. Also, they are responsible for answering queries from users, preparing service records, and handling escalations. Support analysts also support the company's IT operations and best practices by creating and distributing relevant IT documents.
Types of operations support specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
