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How to hire a support agent

Support agent hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring support agents in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a support agent is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per support agent on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 40,190 support agents in the US and 106,016 job openings.
  • Falls Church, VA, has the highest demand for support agents, with 10 job openings.
  • Atlanta, GA has the highest concentration of support agents.

How to hire a support agent, step by step

To hire a support agent, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a support agent, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step support agent hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a support agent job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new support agent
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a support agent do?

As the name entails, the job of a customer support agent is to provide excellent support and assistance to both new and existing customers. You will provide customers with information on products or services, oversee and resolve customer complaints, cancellations, errors, and other issues, assist in maintaining customer satisfaction and retention. Additionally, a customer support agent is responsible for encouraging customers to purchase a product or service and educating them about the product. You are also expected to accurately process emails and fax communications with customers.

Learn more about the specifics of what a support agent does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a support agent, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a support agent to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a support agent that fits the bill.

    This list shows salaries for various types of support agents.

    Type of Support AgentDescriptionHourly rate
    Support AgentComputer support specialists provide help and advice to people and organizations using computer software or equipment. Some, called computer network support specialists, support information technology (IT) employees within their organization... Show more$10-28
    Information Technology/Support TechnicianAn information technology (IT) support technician is a professional 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... Show more$14-31
    Technical Support AdvisorA technical support advisor specializes in assisting customers, mainly through diagnosing and solving issues using their product and service expertise. In most companies, they communicate with clients through calls or correspondence... Show more$38-67
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Reservations
    • Customer Service
    • Data Entry
    • Technical Support
    • Troubleshoot
    • CRM
    • Customer Satisfaction
    • Excellent Time Management
    • Inbound Calls
    • Outbound Calls
    • Customer Support
    • Telemarketing
    • Mac
    • Customer Inquiries
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage mental health portion of health insurance policies including Medicaid and Medicare and other commercial insurance plans nationwide.
    • Manage mental health portion of health insurance policies including Medicaid and Medicare and other commercial insurance plans nationwide.
    • Check all documents for proper signatures from loan officers and send to borrowers via FedEx in accordance with mortgaging guidelines.
    • Operate FedEx shipping system efficiently and accurately.
    More support agent duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the support agent job description is a good way to get more applicants. A support agent salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a support agent in Idaho may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level support agent. Additionally, a support agent with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average support agent salary

    $36,045yearly

    $17.33 hourly rate

    Entry-level support agent salary
    $21,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 18, 2025

    Average support agent salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New Jersey$61,612$30
    2Pennsylvania$61,417$30
    3New York$57,696$28
    4Virginia$49,564$24
    5Indiana$46,621$22
    6North Carolina$44,038$21
    7Washington$43,630$21
    8Wisconsin$42,918$21
    9California$42,642$21
    10Illinois$42,502$20
    11Colorado$40,516$19
    12Oregon$39,517$19
    13Alaska$38,103$18
    14Arizona$36,715$18
    15Missouri$36,629$18
    16Kansas$35,304$17
    17Georgia$34,829$17
    18Texas$32,654$16
    19Florida$31,452$15

    Average support agent salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Salesforce$62,326$29.9624
    2Hospice of the Western Reserve$53,697$25.82
    3Boston Scientific$50,052$24.067
    4Formlabs$48,979$23.554
    5Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices$46,525$22.3792
    6Sharp Decisions$46,076$22.151
    7Snap-on Tools$46,063$22.156
    8Waystar$43,458$20.8921
    9Experian$42,044$20.214
    10Inter-Con Security Systems$41,447$19.935
    11General Dynamics$41,348$19.8863
    12Cognosante$41,271$19.84
    13Nes Holdings$40,792$19.61
    14WheelHouse IT$39,002$18.756
    15RevLocal$38,296$18.41
    16MSX International$37,995$18.272
    17Grand Design RV$37,979$18.26
    18Bumped$37,874$18.21
    19Stack Sports$37,874$18.21
    20Delaget$37,673$18.11
  4. Writing a support agent job description

    A support agent job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a support agent job description:

    Support agent job description example

    Guard Enterprise Cyber Operations Support (GECOS) - AESD Agent - Tier 1

    GDIT has an opening for an AESD Agent - Tier 1 position supporting the Army National Guard (ARNG) in Chantilly, VA. This is an IT Service Management contract in support of the operation, modernization, expansion, and further evolution of the ARNG's global Information Technology (IT) services including networking, compute, storage, infrastructure, applications, hosting, and program management services. The GECOS program supports the ARNG enterprise IT infrastructure, its Wide Area Network (WAN), authentication and directory services, cybersecurity, application hosting, and associated services. GECOS uses ITIL best practices framework as the basis for IT Service Management (ITSM) model.

    The AESD Agent - Tier 1 will:

    • Provides Tier 1 AESD-NG Help Desk support using ITSM ticketing system such as BMC Remedy and/or ServiceNow (e.g., Service Desk as a Service [SDaaS], ITSM Software as a Service [SaaS], enterprise end-user support, and overall escalation support).

    • Provides Help Desk ticket escalation support to the Army and DISA for all DODIN-A(NG) and DODIN-A(NG)-S issues above or outside the direct O&M of the RCC-NG, including mobile device support. Independently provides technical interpretation and solutions in the management of networks, software, hardware, configurations, and architectures.

    • Troubleshoots system hardware and software-specific issues.

    • Trains end users on the proper use of hardware and software.

    • Applies practical knowledge of job area typically obtained through advanced education and work experience.

    **THIS ROLE WILL WORK ON THE 0600-1500 SHIFT.**

    QUALIFICATIONS:

    Required Skills and Experience:

    • A minimum of two years of relevant IT experience including hands-on service desk / Tier 2 support

    • Possess the appropriate baseline certifications to achieve DoD 8570.01-M Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Level I. (CompTIA Network+, CompTIA A+, or higher)

    • An active Secret security clearance.

    Desired Skills and Experience:

    • Possess the appropriate computing environment certifications to achieve DoD 8570.01-M Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Level I. (IE Cisco or Microsoft Certification)

    Scheduled Weekly Hours:

    40

    Travel Required:

    Less than 10%

    Telecommuting Options:

    Hybrid

    Work Location:

    USA VA Falls Church

    Additional Work Locations:

    COVID-19 Vaccination: GDIT does not have a vaccination mandate applicable to all employees. To protect the health and safety of its employees and to comply with customer requirements, however, GDIT may require employees in certain positions to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination requirements will depend on the status of the federal contractor mandate and customer site requirements.We are GDIT. The people supporting some of the most complex government, defense, and intelligence projects across the country. We deliver. Bringing the expertise needed to understand and advance critical missions. We transform. Shifting the ways clients invest in, integrate, and innovate technology solutions. We ensure today is safe and tomorrow is smarter. We are there. On the ground, beside our clients, in the lab, and everywhere in between. Offering the technology transformations, strategy, and mission services needed to get the job done.GDIT is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status, or any other protected class.
  5. Post your job

    To find the right support agent for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with support agents they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit support agents who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your support agent job on Zippia to find and recruit support agent candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with support agent candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

    Sometimes, it's not enough to interview support agent candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

    • TestDome
    • CodeSignal
    • Testlify
    • BarRaiser
    • Coderbyte

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new support agent

    Once you've found the support agent candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new support agent. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a support agent?

There are different types of costs for hiring support agents. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new support agent employee.

The median annual salary for support agents is $36,045 in the US. However, the cost of support agent hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a support agent for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $10 and $28 an hour.

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