Technical Reps Or Agent Techs? The Inter-Changing Roles Of Technical Support And Customer Service

By Liad Churchill, TechSee

“You’ve reached Service Enterprises. Your call is important to us.
For sales support, press 1.
For product support, press 1.
For technical support, press 1.
For account updates, help with installation, or billing activities, press 1.”

While most IVR systems don’t sound like this yet, the possibility is not that far off. In reality, the lines between customer service agents and technicians have become blurred – the technician’s role includes some traditional responsibilities of agents, and the agent’s role includes more responsibilities traditionally held exclusively by technicians.

The pandemic has further accelerated this phenomenon. COVID-19 forced many enterprises to establish remote support teams staffed jointly by agents and technicians, with the goal of resolving customer’s issues without requiring the safety risk of a tech dispatch. For the first time, technicians normally found in the field were stationed in a back office or worked from home, guiding customers remotely as a traditional agent. Likewise, agents were empowered to go above and beyond their standard scripts, using their newfound technical knowledge and skills to assist their customers. Triage sessions between agents, technicians, and customers became the norm.  

Once the ROI of these remote technical support and customer support teams became abundantly clear, many enterprises decided that these temporary teams would become permanent.