Levels of IT Support

IT Support

IT Support services provide invaluable assistance for people having issues or questions related to technology. In particular, these can assist with installing, troubleshooting and upgrading computer systems.

IT support companies who excel at proactive management are mindful of your company’s goals and adjust existing systems accordingly to achieve them.

Level 1

IT Support Level 1 is responsible for solving even the simplest customer issues, from password resets and hardware or software requests, non-urgent incidents log-in requests and general inquiries, to providing advice on how to use products as well as answering technical inquiries.

Tier 1 IT support specialists follow standard operating procedures and, if they cannot find an answer to a query, escalate it to Level 2.

IT Support Level 2 personnel have comprehensive knowledge of company products, extensive training, and access to all company data. Their main role is troubleshooting and fixing low level issues relating to product codes or architecture that might arise; working closely with product managers or developers on these solutions; using remote control tools for diagnosing and fixing user computers as necessary. In addition, this tier of IT Support also maintains internal knowledge bases.

Level 2

Tier 2 IT Support typically assists tier 1 technicians with troubleshooting and solving simple problems, and investigate elevated tickets by checking known solutions or rerouting issues if necessary.

Tier three services typically perform software repair, diagnostic testing and use remote control tools to take over users’ computers for troubleshooting and finding solutions. Tier three support teams also work in collaboration with product engineers to identify and resolve low-level hardware or code problems that cannot be solved at levels one or two.

Example: If a customer reports an issue in a software program, level 1 employees will utilize troubleshooting procedures and company documents to attempt a resolution themselves; otherwise they’ll create a ticket and escalate it as needed to level 2 support. This establishes an easy-to-follow chain of command that enables employees to focus on their areas of expertise.

Level 3

Tier 1 IT support staff filter help desk calls, log and prioritize them for escalation and routing, providing basic support such as password resets, printer configuration changes, software installations and other common issues documented over time. They may also fulfill service requests by providing details about products or answering customer inquiries.

Tier 2 tech support specialists perform more in-depth troubleshooting on hardware or software problems escalated from Tier 1 support. They typically offer software repair, diagnostic testing and use remote control tools to take over a user’s computer in order to locate and solve the issue at hand.

Tier 3 IT support technicians are highly experienced product specialists, often the engineers or programmers responsible for creating a company’s product. Using designs, codes, specifications and plans created for said product by said company they use it to identify duplicate problems and define root causes to create new fixes or update documentation for future reference.

Level 4

Tier 3 IT support staff, often known as ‘product specialists,’ specialize in particular software, hardware or network functions. Tickets that fall into their domain come from both Level 1 and 2 support staff; should they not find solutions within themselves they may refer users outward to external specialists for support.

Approachability and effective communication are integral skills when considering a career in IT support. You must keep abreast of emerging technologies and resolve problems quickly, efficiently and effectively while working as part of a team under pressure. Our IT Support Level 5 diploma programme equips you with all of these qualities as well as helping develop an understanding of IT service management and operations concepts; you will learn to plan, monitor and troubleshoot IT systems while also expanding technical knowledge of operating systems and IT troubleshooting techniques.