2 Role and Responsibility

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Teamwork

Teamwork

• Teamwork is an activity that many people try to avoid in the workplace, but why are we so against it?

• There are a number of benefits of working in teams for both you personally and for your organisation. Not only is it a great opportunity for professional development, it is also a means of making your work easier.

• List 5 reasons people do not like working in teams

Increased efficiency

• When working in a team, you are working towards a common goal or set of objectives. The whole process of your work becomes more efficient, for example if there is a problem faced along the way there are more ‘hands on deck’ to help solve the issue.

• Having multiple team members on board allows you to get the work done faster with shared responsibilities.

• From a management perspective, encouraging teamwork in the workplace will allow your company or department to take on additional work, and in turn generate extra revenue without having to hire more staff.

Idea generation

• One of the greatest benefits of working in a team is the inspiration and ideas that can result from team discussions.

• When running ideas by one and other, there is a lot more scope for creativity in comparison to working on a project alone.

• In an effective team environment, staff members feel confident in suggesting their ideas.

• When working autonomously and having a direct responsibility for ideas, people tend to present the safer option to their managers

• However, when in a team brainstorming environment the notion of suggesting creative and unique ideas is welcomed.

• Teams also bring people together from different backgrounds and levels of experience which can help in creating optimal solutions.

A learning experience

• As mentioned above, teamwork is important in the workplace as it brings people together from different backgrounds and levels of experience.

• Consequently, projects which involve teamwork serve also as an opportunity for professional development and learning

• This may be conscious learning during a meeting, or learning which occurs without you even realising whilst listing to others.

• It is quite possible that you can learn from someone else’s knowledge which allows your own skills and capabilities to grow

• ‘Individual team members serve as educational resources to other employees in a team environment

A learning Experience

• It is also important to note that as employees become more knowledgeable, their confidence increases.

• This can help improve their attitude as well as increase their job satisfaction which is a win-win situation for employers.

Enhanced communication

• Communication is key to the success of many projects – so we need to engage in activities that can help us enhance our communication skills

• Teamwork activities such as meeting together to discuss ideas or collaborating information to contribute to a project require both verbal and written communication skills.

• Working regularly in this capacity will allow you develop both your own skills as well as those who are in your team

• Teamwork also facilitates an open discussion which allows each team member to be adequately informed about the project.

• In this respect, if everyone is on the same page it ensures that the project has a better chance of being completed successfully.

Share the workload

• When working in a team towards a common goal, the workload is shared among all team members

• In a perfect scenario, this work should be shared equally and be distributed according to the strengths of each member

• Teamwork also allows for helping another team member when you have finished your workload.

• From a management perspective, when it comes to delegation this should be conducted with the strengths of your employees in mind

• Assigning tasks to the correct people will ensure maximum efficiency and a high quality output.

Support Network

• It is important to remember that support and a sense of belonging in a workplace can contribute greatly to job satisfaction.

• A strong team environment can act as a great support mechanism for staff members

• Group members will help each other, rely on each other and build trust within the group

• During challenging times, support is crucial for the success of the project; when members are able to look to one and other for guidance or support, focus can remain on the overall goal.

• If a challenge is handled individually you are at risk of becoming overwhelmed and making irrational decisions.

Helping develop tacit skills

• Tacit knowledge (as opposed to formal, codified or explicit knowledge) is the kind of knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it.

• In IT Tacit knowledge is omnipresent as knowledge of applications and systems is dependent on experience and a persons interaction with these systems.

• Effective teamwork can reduce the amount of time it takes a person to develop tacit skills. As guidance can help the person learn more effectively.

• For example think of the way you developed your programming skills. Did you learn from a manual or guidebook or from your interactions with your colleagues.

Role and responsibilities of a Front Line Technical Support Agent

Roles and Responsibilities of a Frontline Tech Support Agent

• If you look at any job advertised for a Frontline Technical Support Agent there will be specific responsibilities and generic ones.

  • Later we will investigate more.

• Listed below are a list of roles and responsibilities that fall under the job spec.

  • Monitoring and maintaining the computer systems and networks within an organisation

  • Address any issues or changes required, such as forgotten passwords, viruses or email issues.

  • Installing and configuring computer systems

  • Diagnosing hardware/software faults and solving technical problems, either over the phone or face to face.

• Ongoing operational efficiency of the company.
  • Working with customers/employees to identify computer problems and advising on the solution
  • Logging and keeping records of customer/employee queries
  • Analysing call logs so you can spot common trends and underlying problems
  • Updating self-help documents so customers/employees can try to fix problems themselves
  • Working with field engineers to visit customers/employees if the problem is more serious
  • Testing and fixing faulty equipment

• You will be right at the heart of matters as you need to deal directly with employees and customers who have technical problems such as trouble with their email accounts, forgotten passwords or viruses.

• Typical Technical Support responsibilities include:

  • Installation & configuration of a company’s computer hardware operating systems and applications.

  • Maintenance and monitoring of computer networks and systems.

  • Logging the queries of customers and employees.

  • Analysis of call logs in order to discover any underlying issues or trends.

  • Diagnosing and solving hardware or software faults.

  • Testing and evaluating new technology.

  • Performing electrical safety checks on the company’s computer equipment.

  • Responding to call-outs in a timely fashion.

  • Following instructions, either written or in diagram form, in order to set up a system or fix a fault.

  • You could choose to provide after-sales support for software or equipment suppliers or businesses that specialise in providing customers with support and maintenance.

• Install and configure computer hardware operating systems and applications

• talk staff or clients through a series of actions, either face-to-face or over the phone, to help set up systems or resolve issues

• replace parts as required

• provide support, including procedural documentation and relevant reports

• follow diagrams and written instructions to repair a fault or set up a system

• support the roll-out of new applications

• set up new users' accounts and profiles and deal with password issues

• respond within agreed time limits to call-outs

• work continuously on a task until completion (or referral to third parties, if appropriate)

• prioritise and manage many open cases at one time

• rapidly establish a good working relationship with customers and other professionals, such as software developers

• test and evaluate new technology

• conduct electrical safety checks on computer equipment.

Jobs/ Job Descriptions

• https://www.jobs.ie/job-talk/job-description-technical-support/

• https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/profiles/technical-support-helpdesk

• https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/it-technical-support-officer

• Look at current roles advertised on various job sites.