Anyone out there do Helpdesk/Remote support?

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robertwj

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Hi Guys,

I am currently a field engineer. For about 3 years I have been driving around all day, getting my hands dirty and doing work for clients onsite.

I have been offered a position where I will be based at the office - Assisting users over the phone and helping via RDP/Teamviewer.

I wanted to find out from anyone who does Remote or helpdesk support how they find their job? Is it more relaxed?
 
I know a few people that do remote support.Most of the time the hours suck so If the pay is better and the times are right, go for it.
I am currently a field tech myself. I would switch to remote support anyday if only they could match my salary.
 
It is more relaxed here in JHB as you don't have to deal with the angry drivers on the road. Just get yourself a decent headset for your phone as your neck can take strain.

If you are managing a list of clients where your company has some sort of service agreement it might be a good idea for you looked into getting a good RMM tool.
 
It's a tough call.

I went from also being on the road every day to being stationed at a client permanently to now doing mostly remote support, not in the same sense as physically logging in and such but just providing support to clients from the office without physical interaction with them most days of the week.

Sometimes I miss the mobile office and not being under the watchful eye of others all day. It's much easier to be based on performance alone if you are on the road all day and looking after yourself.

But at the end of the day money is what really matters. If the money makes sense, go for it.
 
I get what you guys are saying here.
Salary will be slightly better which is nice.
Only thing is working hours as I currently work from 8:00-4:30. New position will be from 8:00-5:00 and telephonic standby from 5:00-19:00.

I think it could be more relaxed and less stressful
 
Last edited:
robertwj said:
I get what you guys are saying here.
Salary will be slightly better which is nice.
Only thing is working hours as I currently work from 8:00-4:30. New position will be from 8:00-5:00 and telephonic standby from 5:00-19:00.

I think it could be more relaxed and less stressful
Click to expand...

depends on a lot of factors, depends where its located, what kind of support it is(user account simple things,vs hardware and software support).
also what kind of traffic it is, and how easily you get along with the people in your team/managers.

id say go for it, you never know till you try, youll either love it, or loath it.........
but seeing as you in PE, I take it traffic isn't such an issue that it is here in JHB:p
 
It depends on the call load and the amount of people you will support, you seem to be stressed in your current role, a switch may be for the better.

Also if there is not many others in your team and there is a large amount of people to support, this could be just as stressful.

The two important things are you must be happy and the money must be to your satisfaction.
 
I'm not in IT for the money.

I do a few IT related tasks, from my role as a Manager of a team of Techs to System/Network Administration, being a Techie and of course doing Remote Control & Support.
Remote Control & Support is by far my favourite role in my list of duties. It's fun, enjoyable. Yes, it can be stressful if you have a deadline. It can be infuriating and frustrating if there are connectivity issues and all around it can either drive you up the wall, or give you complete job satisfaction.

Hearing someone 1000km away say thanks for what you just did for them, really brings joy to me. They appreciate it so much more IMHO than those you see physically, why, I have no clue, probably my husky voice :p ;) :D

Go for it...
 
I've worked both positions - Helpdesk then field. I can tell you without a doubt that being in the field is much better. Having a phone on your desk that rings non stop is enough to drive anyone nuts! Also trying to get users to perform simple tasks for you(e.g switch printer off, remove power cable for 10 seconds and then plug back in) can be quite infuriating.

Currently I'm working directly for a company(not an IT outsource crowd) and I must say, not only is the pay much better but the work environment and conditions are a lot better. Unfortunately there aren't many positions like this anymore due to companies outsourcing more and more.
 
Im currently in Remote support, or more a backoffice role.
I any case, its fun not driving around all day, but i have to close almost double to triple the amount of calls that a field agent does. plus you have to do stats, submit manuals, constant phone ringing.... I was a field agent for a few years, and its fun in the sense, you get max of 6 calls per day, you manage your own time and we all know all off us took chances, if i finished my last call at 15:00, no way i'm going back to the office.
Backoffice you are constantly monitored, the bare minimum calls per day is 15, no coming late or leaving early.
Some weeks i wish i could switch back to field, just for a few weeks so that i can work at my own pace and relax a bit.

Simple fact is field is more fun and probably better. But you will learn more and get more opurtunities in the back office.
 
Thought I'd add my opinion as everyone seems to be pro field. In our company things work slightly differently:

We keep our more senior technicians at the office while sending out the junior guys to "plug cables in" and essentially act as remote hands. Being in JHB the field guys spend at least 30min travelling between clients which is a massive waste of time in my opinion (I hate traffic).

Sitting at the office you deal with bigger issues and loads more of them then the field guys will ever see which is nice if you are still learning. Our helpdesk team typically spends most of their time fault finding as a team by making suggestions based on personal experiences which creates a lekker environment to work in. Another big pro about being office based (at least in our environment) is a large involvement in the back office component of projects: Back office preps most projects (this week was a RDS farm with IIS, storage, AD and SQL servers in HA) so they have a far better understandings of the inner working of the solutions.

Finally I think your field experience will also very much be influenced by the types of people you deal with. Our clients are rather large and there are a few of them so you will be the "IT Guy" rather then be on a first name basis with the clients you are servicing.

Best bet is to chat to your manager and see if they will allow you to try whichever role you haven't done yet. We have guys who hate the office and others love it so who knows what you might choose.
 
robertwj said:
Hi Guys,

I am currently a field engineer. For about 3 years I have been driving around all day, getting my hands dirty and doing work for clients onsite.

I have been offered a position where I will be based at the office - Assisting users over the phone and helping via RDP/Teamviewer.

I wanted to find out from anyone who does Remote or helpdesk support how they find their job? Is it more relaxed?
Click to expand...

I am doing remote support for company I work for.

best is to get balance of both worlds. You get annoyed sometimes sitting all day in office not getting away from your desk.

My work normally tries vary it from week to week. one week busy next week office work and docs. you need a good balance according to me to keep everyone happy. We have to handle round 30-40 calls a day if we do support.

after hours support we do round 3 days a month however you earn more then as well.

personally if was you would try get a balance. If you like me then sitting all in office is annoying sometimes and just want to get out.
 
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