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How to hire a Technical Support Associate

Technical support associate hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring technical support associates in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a technical support associate is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per technical support associate on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 376,140 technical support associates in the US, and there are currently 150,869 job openings in this field.
  • Lebanon, NH, has the highest demand for technical support associates, with 13 job openings.

How to hire a technical support associate, step by step

To hire a technical support associate, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a technical support associate:

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

What does a Technical Support Associate do?

A technical support associate is responsible for assisting customers and end-users' technology and network issues, configuring system applications and improving network infrastructure. Technical support associates inspect inconsistencies on the network systems, identifying technical support solutions, and repairing defective system components. They also implement strategic techniques to boost the technology's optimal performance, maintain a record of resolution for reference, and process customers' upgrade requests. A technical support associate must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as extensive communication and organizational skills to support operations, especially on high-volume days.

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

    The technical support associate 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?

    A technical support associate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, technical support associates from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    The following list breaks down different types of technical support associates and their corresponding salaries.

    Type Of Technical Support AssociateDescriptionHourly Rate
    Technical Support AssociateComputer 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$12-36
    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
    Software Support TechnicianA software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays... Show More$26-54
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common Skills:
    • Technical Support
    • Printers
    • Troubleshoot
    • Software Applications
    • Customer Satisfaction
    • Phone Calls
    • Customer Service
    • Technical Problems
    • Technical Issues
    • Client Facing
    • CRM
    • Customer Support
    • Mac
    • Computer System
    Check All Skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage customer's tickets through VMWARE ticketing system for opening, closing, and resolving issues.
    • Design, implement, manage and document network security configurations for firewalls.
    • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
    • Respond to queries over VoIP enable phone.
    • Create and modify Iptables for various Linux boxes.
    • Install VMware for training and production in manufacturing and test new configurations and software.
    More Technical Support Associate duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your technical support associate job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A technical support associate 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 associate in Wyoming may be lower than in Delaware, and an entry-level technical support associate usually earns less than a senior-level technical support associate. Additionally, a technical support associate 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 associate salary

    $43,651yearly

    $20.99 hourly rate

    Entry-level technical support associate salary
    $25,000 yearly salary
    Updated February 8, 2025

    Average technical support associate salary by state

    RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
    1Connecticut$72,434$35
    2Virginia$72,174$35
    3New York$66,786$32
    4District of Columbia$62,982$30
    5New Jersey$59,921$29
    6Pennsylvania$55,759$27
    7Massachusetts$55,462$27
    8California$51,802$25
    9North Carolina$48,461$23
    10Ohio$46,187$22
    11Illinois$45,644$22
    12Georgia$45,363$22
    13New Hampshire$42,921$21
    14Missouri$40,642$20
    15Tennessee$39,913$19
    16Oregon$39,784$19
    17Florida$39,464$19
    18Texas$37,989$18
    19Wisconsin$37,638$18
    20Colorado$35,698$17

    Average technical support associate salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
    1Citi$104,239$50.11147
    2SRS Consulting$95,925$46.12
    3Bloomberg$95,188$45.7629
    4Northern Illinois University$89,899$43.221
    5Capital Group$85,491$41.103
    6ServiceNow$84,873$40.8041
    7Accenture$83,845$40.311,275
    8Conga$83,587$40.192
    9Pfizer$83,505$40.159
    10Infosys Public Service$82,992$39.9036
    11Bridgewater Associates$81,387$39.13
    12Pamten Inc$78,245$37.62
    13Brocade Services Corporation$73,986$35.57
    14Salesforce$73,215$35.2029
    15eTeam$67,734$32.561
    16BlackRock$67,630$32.516
    17Save the Children US$64,521$31.02
    18BrightTALK$62,694$30.14
    19Harvard University$61,895$29.7611
    20Nomura Securities$58,077$27.923
  4. Writing a Technical Support Associate Job Description

    A job description for a technical support associate role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a technical support associate job description:

    Technical Support Associate job description example

    Visa Corporate IT (CIT) group has embarked on a major transformation journey. We are transforming ourselves into a true engineering organization where we put customer experience and end user support first. As part of this strategy, we are consolidating several of our Operational functions into a single area focused on providing world-class operational support to our end users. This change is geared towards rethinking how we provide Operational support for the services under our responsibility.

    As a member of the End User Workstation Support team, The Asset Management Analyst is responsible for overseeing the management of inventory into and out of the End User Workstation Support team through its lifecycle. This includes receiving and tracking assets, inventory management of assets and peripherals, asset disposal, invoice reconciliation, quarterly asset audits, RMA process and asset reporting
    Essential Functions

    · Responsible for the daily activities of IT assets which includes placing inventory orders, requesting updates from asset management team, tracking shipments and delivery status, documenting updates within the support tickets, verifying asset data and updating our asset management system.

    · Maintain 100% accuracy/control in the asset database of deployed assets, recording/updating as needed.

    · Maintain an accurate inventory of all End User Workstation equipment by ensuring equipment is checked-in/checked-out and all transactions are tracked in the asset management system

    · Conduct periodic inventory audits to validate accuracy of asset records

    · Coordinate timely Asset Recovery from terminated employees for respective coverage locations.

    · Report unrecovered assets by following our standard process to report missing assets.

    · Coordinate with local shipping department for IT equipment retrieval (sending/receiving of IT boxes).

    · Responsible for restocking of IT vending machine.

    · Ensure that IT remains in compliance with audit guidelines for hardware assets.

    · Creation and follow up of Return Merchandise Authorizations (RMA) machines for break/fix issues.

    · Run Asset Management reports as needed.

    · Work with our Asset Management Team on placing orders for IT equipment, reconciling orders, and forecasting inventory needs.

    · Ensure IT assets are available to reduce delays with deployments, break/fix requests and to meet project implementation timelines.

    · Maintain incident records and resolution detail utilizing ITSM Ticketing tool, Service Now.

    · Other duties and special projects as assigned.

    This is a hybrid position. Hybrid employees can alternate time between both remote and office. Employees in hybrid roles are expected to work from the office two days a week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with a general guidepost of being in the office 50% of the time based on business needs.
  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find technical support associates for your business:

    • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
    To find technical support associate candidates, you can consider the following options:
    • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
    • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
    • Post your job on free job posting websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with technical support associate 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.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

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

    Once you've decided on a perfect technical support associate candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new technical support associate. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

  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 technical support associate?

There are different types of costs for hiring technical support associates. 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 technical support associate employee.

The median annual salary for technical support associates is $43,651 in the US. However, the cost of technical support associate hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a technical support associate for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $12 and $36 an hour.

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