How To Become A Technical Support Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a technical support manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Matthew Liotine Ph.D.

In an office, most of the equipment use technology. From computers to printers, to photocopiers, to video-conferencing equipment, and to telephones, office equipment is prone to breakdown due to constant usage. This is why a good communication line with the service providers' technical support teams is important. It would even be better if the requestor has built a good rapport with the technical support manager.

Technical Support Managers handle the team in charge of providing the technical support that the clients need. Depending on the organization, technical support teams may be internal hires or from external providers. Technical support managers manage the deployment schedule and ensure that there are team members available at all times. This will prevent being shorthanded should there be multiple challenges happening at the same time. Technical support managers also handle upskilling the team so that everyone is updated with current standards and protocols.

If you have an affinity for fixing things, being in technical support roles would be best. Should you wish to go up the career ladder, you should aim to be a technical support manager. Of course, you should only do so if you know you can lead.

What general advice would you give to a technical support manager?

Matthew Liotine Ph.D.

Clinical Professor and Director of Master of Science in Supply Chain and Operations Management, University of Illinois at Chicago

Most employers tell me that soft skills are equally, if not more important, than technical skills or domain knowledge. This translates into external/internal customer-facing skills, such as communication, team collaboration, writing, presentation, problem-solving, and being resourceful. (Many graduates overlook writing as a vital skill, but they fail to realize that in the course of their jobs, they will likely be required to write lots of memos and tons of emails.) The need to perfect these skills within the confines of a virtual world has become even more challenging and amplified with COVID. I teach in the information systems discipline, and when you view student resumes, many people look the same on paper. The soft skills will make a candidate stand out head and shoulders above the rest. That's why the candidate should pay attention to the screening interviews that they will undergo during the hiring process since employers will use these interviews to vet these skills.

ScoreTechnical Support ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $106,760

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 11.10%

Black or African American 10.63%

Hispanic or Latino 16.77%

Unknown 5.41%

White 55.68%

Gender

female 18.62%

male 81.38%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a technical support manager

Explore technical support manager education requirements

Most common technical support manager degrees

Bachelor's

60.9 %

Associate

20.7 %

Master's

10.0 %

Start to develop specific technical support manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	15.89%
Customer Satisfaction	9.71%
Project Management	7.32%
Customer Support	3.90%
Customer Complaints	3.72%

Complete relevant technical support manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New technical support managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a technical support manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real technical support manager resumes.

Gain additional technical support manager certifications

Technical support manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific technical support manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for technical support managers include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma).

More About Certifications

Research technical support manager duties and responsibilities

Manage Compellent SAN and VMware environment.
Advertise and manage packages and collections in SCCM environment.
Manage fast-pace service desk according to ITIL best practices and standard operating procedures.
Authore and manage training guide updates for department best practices store on the department's SharePoint portal.

Prepare your technical support manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your technical support manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a technical support manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable technical support manager resume templates

Build a professional technical support manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your technical support manager resume.