CHAPTER 6 The Professional PC Technician Suraya Alias

Job Rules and Responsibilities 4 job functions of a PC Technician 1. PC Support Technician ◦Works on site, close interaction with users, responsible for ongoing PC maintenance. Is the one responsible for the pc before problem occurs. Keeps good records and backup. Example: IT Admin, PC Support Specialist. 2. PC Service Technician ◦Goes to customer site if the service is needed. Not responsible for ongoing pc maintenance but do interact with users. Example: Field technician, Field service Technician 3. Bench Technician ◦Works in lab environment, rarely interact with users that has pc problem, does not go on site, they just repair the pc. Example; Depot technician 4. Help-desk Technician ◦Provides telephone or online support. Use different tools and approaches than other types of technician since they are unable to access the pc.

Certification and Professional Organization A PC technician needs a certification and advanced degree even though without any formal training and certification they can become one. This is to prove the achievement and competence, improve job opportunities and create higher level of customer confidence. The most significant certifying organization for PC Technician: ◦Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). ◦Website:  Sponsors A+ Certification programs and exams, which has industry recognition  For entry level PC Technician needs to pass the A+ Essential Exam that covers hardware, software, OS, security and soft skills.  IT Technician have to pass the advanced A exam  Remote Support Technician have to pass A exam Other certification from vendors such as Microsoft, Novell and Cisco. PC Technician also have to stay abreast of new technology, resources from internet, books and training from example CMP Media (

Record Keeping and Information Tools Several types of resources, records and information tools to help PC Technician ◦Specific software or hardware (same with user that has the problem) in order to simulate the problem ◦A copy of the same documentation with the user, and should be familiar with it ◦A Technical Documentation that usually is provided by the company ◦Online help for field technician and help desk technician for a product that includes search engine for specific topics error messages. ◦Expert system software that uses database of known facts and rules to simulate human expert’s reasoning and decision making.  This system works by asking questions to the user or PC Technician and the answers triggers another question that lastly leads to possible solution. ◦Call Tracking system (on paper or online) that tracks 1) the date and time taken to solve the problem 2) causes and solution 3) people in charge 4) how the problem is resolve. This system can escalate if the problem cannot be solved

What customer want: Beyond Technical Know-How Have positive and helpful attitude ◦From voice tone, eye contact Own the problem ◦To built trust and loyalty from the customer Be dependable ◦Keep your promises Be customer focused ◦Listen to them without interrupting Be credible ◦Ask for help if it’s beyond your level of expertise Maintain integrity and honesty ◦Don’t hide your mistakes Know the law with respect to your work ◦Don’t install pirated software Act professionally ◦Dress properly and patience with angry customer Perform your work in professional manner ◦Trouble shoot the problem in a systematic way ◦Document your work

Support Calls: Providing Good Service Complete the work in reasonable time Be prepared for on site call Get the work done RIGHT on the first time The price for the work is reasonable and competitive The technician exhibits good interpersonal skills If the work takes longer, inform the user about the progress

Planning for good service Obtain specific information from the user (call or ) according to company policies An on-site visit is only done when necessary Be familiar with company service policies in terms of warranties, licensing Begin troubleshooting by taking notes from interviewing the user (to identify user’s level of proficiency) Search for answers (online help, expert system) Use troubleshooting skills to isolate problems Ask help from experience technician if fails After solving the problem, ask for customer feedback After every call, document it

Making an on site service call A technician must have technical and interpersonal skills ◦Interacting with the customer  Arrive on time for the appointment, respect the customer by addressing his name. Listen to his problem carefully before starts troubleshooting  Keep your tools tidy, ask for permission for each usage of user’s belonging  Ask critical questions to learn about the problem. Example: When did the computer last work?  Use diplomacy and good manners

Making an on site service call The customer is involved in solving the problem ◦When the customer have to make a choice if the problem relates to software, give them options ◦After the problem is solved:  Give time to them to test before closing the call  Ask them to verify the data (if its being restored)  Test rebooting  Review the service call, summarize the steps taken to solve the problem to the user  Explain preventive maintenance to the customer to make them more self reliant

Making an on site service call Phone Support ◦Identify yourself and organization ◦Ask the callers name, contact information ◦Obtain licensing or warranty number to authenticate the user. ◦Open conversation for the caller to describe the problem Types of caller ◦Customer is not knowledgeable ◦Customer is over confident ◦Customer who complaints ◦Customer who doesn’t want to end the call

Making an on site service call When you can’t solve the problem, escalate! ◦Before escalating, ask knowledgeable worker first for suggestion ◦Know company policies for escalation ◦Document the escalation ◦Use proper channel of escalating (document or phone call, ) ◦Inform the customer the problem is being escalated ◦Double check with the customer the progress of the problem

Protecting Software Copyrights Copyright – the right to copy the work belongs to the creator, the user has only the right to use the software. Federal Copyright Act of 1976 ◦Designed to protect software copyright by requiring that only legally obtained copies of software being used. (1 copy for backup is allowed) ◦Making unauthorized copies of original software is called software piracy or software infringement ◦By purchasing site license, a company can obtain the right to use multiple copies of software

Protecting Software Copyrights Industry Associations 1.Software Information Industry Association (  Non-profit company that educated the public and enforces copyright law 2.Bussiness Software Alliance (BSA,  Promotes software raids on large and small companies ◦Vendors sometimes sell counterfeit software by installing unauthorized software on computer for sale. This practice is called hard-disk loading since they know the fake disk labels and Certification of Authenticity. ◦Pirated software can be detected from;  If there’s no end-user license included  No of product registration card  No documentation included with the software  Documentation included is photocopied and disk has handwritten labels

Our responsibilities under the law As a user - Use only legal software, agree to EULA (end user licensing agreement) As an employee –follow the on site license agreement