Duties

Computer support specialists who serve as help desk technicians answer phone calls or emails from people with software or hardware problems they cannot solve by themselves. They also might field questions from computer users in person, according to CareerPlanner.com. The problems computer support specialists address can involve email, word processing, installation, operating systems and printing. These professionals ask individuals to explain the issues they are having along with the events that resulted in their problems. Then, computer support specialists enter the same commands or repeat the same steps the callers performed to see if they can create identical results and thus detect the errors. With this knowledge, computer support specialists describe to users how the issues happened and how they can fix them.

They also can perform minor repairs themselves and refer major problems to vendors or technicians. Computer support specialists additionally might have to work with computer programmers, read technical manuals and perform computer diagnostics to help pinpoint software or hardware issues.

Other Responsibilities
Computer support specialists also can work in a company's information technology department, where they oversee the company's computer systems and help employees with computer issues. They might be responsible for ensuring computer software is installed correctly and keeping up with upgrades in software as well. In addition, computer specialists can change computer software to serve a company's specific needs. Computer specialists additionally install operating systems and software in computers and inspect equipment before delivering them to customers. They might supervise or train other employees as well.

Skills
Computer specialists must have strong communication skills. These professionals also must have strong interpersonal skills and be able to speak in terms that bothexperienced and novice computer-users can understand. They must be able to solve problems, think analytically and have good time management skills. They also should have strong written communication and technical writing skills, as they often must create technical reports regarding the computer issues they find. These professionals additionally should have strong active listening and instructing skills.