Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Tech Support Supervisor

💰 $65,000 - $95,000

Information TechnologyCustomer ServiceManagementTechnical Support

🎯 Role Definition

As a Tech Support Supervisor, you are the cornerstone of our technical support operations. You will be responsible for leading, mentoring, and managing a team of support professionals dedicated to resolving customer issues with efficiency and empathy. This role involves overseeing daily operations, managing complex escalations, monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), and continuously improving support processes. You will act as both a technical expert and a people leader, fostering a positive, collaborative, and high-performance environment. Your success will be measured by your team's effectiveness, the satisfaction of our customers, and your contribution to the overall stability and reliability of our products and services.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Technical Support Specialist / Tier 3 Support Analyst
  • Help Desk Team Lead
  • IT Support Lead

Advancement To:

  • Technical Support Manager
  • IT Operations Manager
  • Customer Experience Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • IT Project Coordinator
  • Knowledge Base Manager / Content Strategist
  • Quality Assurance (QA) Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Provide dynamic leadership, mentorship, and career development guidance to a team of technical support specialists, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
  • Oversee the day-to-day activities of the support team to ensure service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs), such as first response time, resolution time, and customer satisfaction (CSAT), are consistently met or exceeded.
  • Act as the primary point of contact for complex and high-priority customer escalations, taking ownership of issues and coordinating with engineering, product, and other internal teams to ensure timely and effective resolution.
  • Develop, implement, and refine support workflows, policies, and procedures to enhance operational efficiency and scale our support capabilities.
  • Monitor team performance through regular quality assurance reviews of tickets and customer interactions, providing constructive feedback and targeted coaching to improve quality and consistency.
  • Manage team scheduling, including shift patterns, on-call rotations, and holiday coverage, to ensure adequate support availability across all operational hours.
  • Create and maintain a comprehensive knowledge base, writing and updating technical articles, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides to empower both customers and support staff.
  • Generate and analyze detailed performance reports on team productivity, ticket trends, and customer satisfaction, presenting findings and strategic recommendations to senior management.
  • Conduct regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions to communicate company updates, discuss performance, and address any team member concerns or roadblocks.
  • Lead the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding process for new technical support team members, ensuring we attract and retain top talent.
  • Champion a customer-centric mindset across the team, instilling the importance of empathy, clear communication, and professional conduct in every interaction.
  • Identify recurring technical issues and customer pain points, collaborating with product and engineering teams to advocate for product improvements and long-term bug fixes.
  • Manage the support team's tool stack (e.g., Zendesk, Jira, Salesforce Service Cloud), ensuring tools are optimized for team workflows and exploring new technologies to improve the support experience.
  • Develop and deliver ongoing technical and soft-skills training programs for the support team to keep their skills sharp and up-to-date with new product features.
  • Evaluate team and individual performance against established goals, conducting formal performance reviews and managing performance improvement plans when necessary.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert on our products and services, providing advanced technical guidance and troubleshooting assistance to the team.
  • Manage crisis and major incident communications, coordinating the support team's response to widespread outages or critical events.
  • Foster strong cross-functional relationships with departments such as Sales, Customer Success, and Engineering to ensure a seamless and unified customer journey.
  • Drive initiatives focused on proactive support, aiming to identify and resolve potential customer issues before they are reported.
  • Administer and configure support platforms and telephony systems to align with business processes and reporting needs.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to uncover insights into customer behavior and product performance.
  • Contribute to the organization's customer support strategy and long-term roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate support-driven insights into engineering and product requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies, representing the voice of the customer and the support team.
  • Assist in budget planning and resource allocation for the technical support department.
  • Represent the support team in post-mortem reviews and incident response analysis.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Help Desk & Ticketing Software: Expert proficiency in platforms like Zendesk, Jira Service Management, Salesforce Service Cloud, or Freshdesk.
  • CRM Systems: Experience using and integrating with CRM software such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar platforms.
  • Knowledge Base Management: Proven ability to build and manage a technical knowledge base using tools like Confluence, Guru, or Zendesk Guide.
  • Remote Desktop & Support Tools: Skilled in using remote access software like TeamViewer, LogMeIn, or BeyondTrust for hands-on troubleshooting.
  • Performance Reporting & Analytics: Ability to create dashboards and analyze data using built-in reporting tools, Excel/Google Sheets, or BI platforms like Tableau.
  • Operating Systems: Strong knowledge of modern operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux environments.
  • Networking Fundamentals: Solid understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VPNs, and firewalls for diagnosing connectivity issues.
  • Active Directory / Identity Management: Experience with user account management, group policies, and permissions in Active Directory or Okta.
  • SaaS & Cloud Environments: Familiarity with troubleshooting issues in cloud-based software (SaaS) and infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP).
  • Basic Scripting/SQL: Foundational knowledge of scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Bash) or SQL for data extraction and automating simple tasks is highly desirable.

Soft Skills

  • Leadership & Mentoring: Inspiring and developing a team to achieve their full potential.
  • Exceptional Communication: Articulating complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking: Methodically diagnosing and resolving complex, multifaceted issues.
  • Conflict Resolution & De-escalation: Calmly and effectively managing frustrated customers and internal disagreements.
  • Empathy & Customer Focus: A genuine passion for helping others and providing an outstanding customer experience.
  • Time Management & Prioritization: Juggling multiple high-priority tasks and escalations effectively in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the bigger picture and drive process improvements that align with business goals.
  • Adaptability & Resilience: Thriving in a dynamic environment where priorities and technologies can change quickly.
  • Decision Making: Making sound, data-driven judgments under pressure.
  • Patience & Composure: Maintaining a professional and calm demeanor during stressful situations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate's degree or equivalent relevant work experience in a technical support environment.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Information Technology
  • Computer Science
  • Business Administration or Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 4-6 years of experience in a technical support, IT help desk, or customer support role, with at least 2 years in a formal leadership, supervisory, or team lead capacity.

Preferred:

  • Experience in a SaaS, software, or high-tech industry.
  • Certifications such as ITIL Foundation, CompTIA A+/Network+, or vendor-specific credentials (e.g., Zendesk Certified Support Admin) are a strong plus.
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