Support technicians are the backbone of a web host. Almost all web hosts go for outsourced technical support. Every company should have a team of efficient and competent support professionals to become successful and stay one-step ahead, always.

This article covers a few points on developing good support technicians.

• Hiring
• Training
• Skill enhancement.
• Knowledge sharing
• Monitoring

Hiring

It is very important that you hire the right people, with the right technical knowledge and attitude. A few qualities that a support technician must have are:

• Integrity
• Stress tolerance / Presence of mind
• Team Involvement
• Good technical knowledge
• Self learning & Initiative

Training

Once you have picked the right people, you need to train them on all basic technologies. Have a good training system in place and get the best people as trainers. If the initial training is done properly and the technicians are clear about the basic concepts, almost half your work will be done.

Some of the points that should be covered in the initial training are:

• Overview of the Web Hosting industry (very important).
• Exposure to various hosting platforms (linux and windows).
• Exposure to different control panels.
• Troubleshooting tips and tools.

Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge increases by sharing!

Knowledge sharing reduces the time required to work on an issue. If an issue has already been researched upon and a solution found out, there is no need for another person to waste time on that very same issue. Implement a central document or knowledge base, which the support personnel can make use of.

Have your technicians value and build on each other’s ideas by sharing the knowledge they get from their daily work.

Skill Enhancement

Technology is changing day by day and technicians must have up-to-date knowledge about established technologies. You should implement a skill enhancement program to keep your technicians up-to-date with the latest technologies.

Monitoring

The technicians should be closely and constantly monitored and given proper feedback to help them improve themselves. Giving a monthly feedback on their performance in various areas would be good. The major areas that should be monitored are:

• • Technical knowledge
  • Reply Style
  • Customer Focus
  • Speed and Accuracy
  • Personal improvement
  • Troubleshooting skills

These tips will surely help you build good technicians and thus gain customer confidence.