Post job

How to hire a technical support agent

Technical support agent hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring technical 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 technical support agent is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per technical support agent on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 89,073 technical support agents in the US and 177,918 job openings.
  • Lexington, KY, has the highest demand for technical support agents, with 6 job openings.
  • Dallas, TX has the highest concentration of technical support agents.

How to hire a technical support agent, step by step

To hire a technical support agent, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a technical support agent:

Here's a step-by-step technical 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 technical support agent job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new technical support agent
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a technical support agent do?

A technical support agent specializes in providing computer and system support through calls and correspondence, ensuring optimal customer satisfaction. They are primarily responsible for assisting customers in troubleshooting and evaluating systems to figure out the cause of technical issues and talk them through its corresponding solution. Moreover, an agent must make follow-up calls to ensure that the problem no longer persists or forward them to higher authority personnel when necessary.

Learn more about the specifics of what a technical support agent does
jobs
Post a technical support agent job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The technical support agent hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

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

    Hiring the perfect technical support agent also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    This list shows salaries for various types of technical support agents.

    Type of Technical Support AgentDescriptionHourly rate
    Technical 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$11-19
    Systems SupportA 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... Show more$21-42
    Customer Support TechnicianA customer support technician is responsible for resolving customer complaints with their network issues through remote communication, providing the customers with a step-by-step procedure to fix their systems. Customer support technicians assist the customers in setting up their programs and applications, guiding them with the instructional manuals, and responding to the inquiries and concerns they have... Show more$11-26
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Service
    • Email Clients
    • Technical Support Issues
    • Inbound Calls
    • Internet Connectivity
    • Mac
    • Remote Connection
    • Customer Issues
    • Technical Troubleshooting
    • Customer Care
    • Technical Problems
    • Software Issues
    • Customer Calls
    • Customer Inquiries
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Answer eligibility and coverage questions from insurance agents pertaining to Medicare advantage plans and prescription drug plans.
    • Assist in trouble shooting for client's website and cellphone app (using the apple and android devices )
    • Provide quality customer service while demonstrating the ability to effectively troubleshoot and resolve advance technical inquires.
    • Assist customers with troubleshooting android and iPhone devices.
    • Perform troubleshooting of technology-base issues with windows, Linux, Macintosh, android devices.
    • Configure customer's OS systems and browser settings, when they are not able to get online.
    More technical support agent duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your technical support agent job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A technical support agent salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a technical support agent in Wyoming may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level technical support agent usually earns less than a senior-level technical support agent. Additionally, a technical support agent with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average technical support agent salary

    $14.61hourly

    $30,389 yearly

    Entry-level technical support agent salary
    $23,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average technical support agent salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$36,623$18
    2Wisconsin$36,475$18
    3Minnesota$36,192$17
    4Maryland$34,950$17
    5Massachusetts$34,883$17
    6New Jersey$33,336$16
    7Tennessee$32,355$16
    8North Carolina$32,069$15
    9Ohio$32,020$15
    10Washington$31,459$15
    11Utah$31,044$15
    12New Hampshire$31,020$15
    13Arizona$30,999$15
    14Illinois$30,774$15
    15Texas$30,460$15
    16New Mexico$30,315$15
    17Oklahoma$29,843$14
    18Missouri$29,689$14
    19Florida$29,616$14
    20Georgia$29,261$14

    Average technical support agent salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1HP$67,004$32.2111
    2Saint Xavier University$49,425$23.761
    3NTT Data International L.L.C.$46,606$22.41127
    4Formlabs$36,439$17.5212
    5Onshore Outsourcing$35,743$17.18
    6Zoe$34,382$16.53
    7VIVA USA$34,153$16.42
    8WheelHouse IT$33,964$16.336
    9A. O. Smith$33,806$16.25
    10Coupa Software$33,762$16.231
    11Rapid Micro Biosystems$33,533$16.122
    12Johnson Health Center$33,394$16.059
    13Anton Paar$33,236$15.982
    14TEKsystems$33,038$15.88171
    15Amazon$32,998$15.86671
    16U.S. Bank$32,890$15.8126
    17Ericsson$32,710$15.73
    18Minerva$32,637$15.69
    19System One$32,366$15.5618
    20Eastridge Workforce Solutions$32,313$15.54
  4. Writing a technical support agent job description

    A good technical support agent job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a technical support agent job description:

    Technical support agent job description example

    Job DescriptionWe're looking for team members who possess a high value on customer service, relationship building, and have a sense of urgency with helping clients. If you are interested in being able to work with the great people of the hospitality industry, but in a more technical role, please continue reading...

    Do you enjoy helping others and working in fast paced environment? We're looking for team members that possess positive attitudes, are technical minded, and willing to grow personally & professionally to join our growing team. If this sounds interesting, keep reading...

    Technical Support Agent will be required to assist end users of Point-of-Sale/IT Solutions for hospitality establishments by providing exceptional technical support which requires technical skills, excellent communications, troubleshooting methodology, and superior customer service skills.
    *Other duties may apply as requested by management.
    Job Responsibilities Provide technical support for Point of Sale/IT Solutions to end user Take inbound technical support requests via phone, email, or directly from co-workers Open and maintain Service Orders through to completion Use troubleshooting skill-set to provide effective and efficient technical support to customers Offer technical support assistance to fellow agents Train end users as questions arise Maintain ongoing/daily communication with the customer until issue is resolved Communicate resolutions to primary point of contact at customer's site or management team Properly close Service Order completing with all necessary information Keep current with all company email communications Seek out and/or accept ongoing learning opportunities Adapt to changing technologies, solutions, and duties at any time. *The company reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.
    Job Qualifications Experience
    1-2 years of technical support operations (and/or), 1-2 years of restaurant management operations (and/or), 1-2 years of IT troubleshooting Requirements Availability to work 1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd shift Availability to work Weekend Call Rotations Ability to work with End User and Co-workers Ability to achieve a thorough knowledge of Point of Sale
    Skills Align with the company's core values Service, Urgency and Relationships Motivated to serve co-workers, customers, vendors, and community Act with a true sense of urgency in all situations Responsible for cultivating lasting relationships, positively impact others Dependable Strong interpersonal skills Ability to multitask Ability to collaborate with coworkers of all levels Active listening Active learning Technical troubleshooting skill sets Excellent customer service skill sets High attention to detail Ability to use knowledge-base & other software tools/applications to provide technical support Ability to clearly communicate via phone Ability to clearly communicate via written response Ability to work well in a team atmosphere Ability to take direction from management General knowledge of Point of Sale Systems General knowledge of firewalls, switches, and routers
    Desired Skills HDI Certification ITIL Certification Restaurant Management
    Career Paths include, but not limited to. TSA II Customer Account Manager Installation Technician Menu Maintenance Technician IT Security Analyst & More
  5. Post your job

    To find technical support agents for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any technical support agents they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level technical support agents with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your technical support agent job on Zippia to find and recruit technical 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

    During your first interview to recruit technical support agents, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    Sometimes, it's not enough to interview technical 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 technical support agent

    Once you've selected the best technical support agent candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new technical 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.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a technical support agent?

Before you start to hire technical support agents, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire technical support agents pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $30,389 per year for a technical support agent, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for technical support agents in the US typically range between $11 and $19 an hour.

Find better technical support agents in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring technical support agents FAQs

Search for technical support agent jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse computer and mathematical jobs