If you choose to outsource your IT service (which, objectively, is usually a good call), you’ll inevitably end up working with IT service technicians.

Given the importance of technology in your business and the importance of technicians in maintaining your technology, it’s probably helpful for you to have an understanding of what an IT service technician is and what an IT service technician does.

Let’s unpack both.

What is an IT service technician?

Admittedly, the definition of this role varies across contexts.

Field Engineer (a workplace for freelance engineers) describes an IT services technician as “a trained computer professional whose primary role in an organization is to help in installing and configuring system software and hardware.”

Learn.org (a site dedicated to helping professionals with ongoing education) defines the role as being “responsible for helping customers and consumers understand how to use and fix their computers or other various technologies.”

If you’re considering working with a managed IT service, you can probably understand an IT service technician to be someone who serves a combination of these two roles – support and implementation. There may be certain techs designated toward one or the other of these responsibilities, but most outsourced IT services employ IT technicians who both install and configure systems and help customers.

One last note, here – some companies refer solely to support-focused personnel as “technicians.” That leads us to an important distinction:

What is the difference between an IT service technician and an engineer?

Engineers are typically a) more advanced in IT knowledge, and b) more often involved in the configuration and design of systems (whereas techs may be more involved in the support).

Network Depot puts it in an interesting light: “What differentiates an engineer is that while a technician is always in ‘go’ mode, an engineer will sometimes say ‘stop.’ They have the capacity to take a step back and see more than just the problem in front of them.”

We don’t quite agree with this approach (we empower our technicians to think critically and “stop” if needed), but the overall point resonates; the role of the engineer is more focused on strategy or the big picture. The role of the technician is more focused on the granular world of application and support.

Okay, let’s recap all of this and summarize our definition:

In an IT company, an IT service technician is someone who configures systems and provides support to customers. This role is more focused on tactical work than on big-picture strategy.

What does an IT service technician do?

With the definition clarified, let’s get into the day-to-day function of an IT service technician. Our job description for a technician will be helpful in this.

At Complete Network, here’s what we require:

  • The ability to interact with and support customers while maintaining a friendly attitude
  • Organizational skills
  • Excellent time management skills
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Strong search engine and research capabilities
  • Windows System Administration in a distributed environment – Desktop and Server
  • Active Directory Administration
  • Application Support and Administration
  • Anti-virus administration and malware remediation
  • Backup and recovery software
  • Troubleshooting of hardware and OS issues
  • Mobile device support
  • Networking concepts and hardware
  • Familiarity with network cabling
  • Understanding TCP/IP Networking
  • Switches, Routers, and Firewalls
  • Wireless networks
  • Remote-access and site-to-site VPN

As you can see from this list, the daily work of an IT service technician requires a solid foundation of interpersonal skills and a wide range of technical knowledge. This is in keeping with our definition; our technicians support customers and configure systems.

On a day-to-day basis, technicians may provide service remotely by staffing a support desk. They may handle calls, respond to ticket requests, and resolve issues. They may also provide on-site technical support for customers (admittedly, this was more common before COVID-19, but it’s still a thing!).

Does an IT service technician need any certifications to do this work?

Most IT service technicians do have certifications, although the exact certifications each tech has vary and different IT companies have different requirements.

At Complete Network, we prioritize certifications in common technologies like Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange, Cisco IOS, Linux, VMWare, and SQL. And we empower ongoing education so that our technicians are best equipped to serve our clients.

Want to work with IT service technicians you’ll trust?

Hopefully, the information provided here has given you a fuller understanding of what it means to be an IT service technician, and what the day-to-day activities of a technician look like. This understanding will be helpful if you’re considering IT services for your business, because many of your interactions will involve an IT service technician.

If you want to work with IT service techs that you’ll trust (and like), get in touch with us.

At Complete Network, we’re proud of the team of IT service technicians we’ve assembled. They’re great people-people and great tech people – which shows in the fact that 98%+ of our support engagements receive positive ratings from users.

If you’re in the Albany, New York, Charlotte, North Carolina, or Bluffton, South Carolina areas and you’re ready for better IT services, contact our friendly, knowledgeable team any time at 1.877.877.1840 or at [email protected].