Client Support Specialist - Helpdesk

Job Title: Client Support Specialist - Helpdesk
Department: Information Technology Services
Classification: Non-Exempt
Grade: 10
FTE/Working Schedule: 0.9 FTE with 40 hrs/wk during the academic year and a reduced summer schedule

Position Overview:

The Client Support Specialist is the essential bridge between the ITS Department and the entire Carleton community, delivering computing support to faculty, staff, and students. This position is an integral part of the ITS Helpdesk team that supports Carleton’s technology needs. As primary coordinator of Helpdesk activities and client interactions, this role is pivotal in solving a wide range of technical issues with empathy and professionalism. In this dynamic position, you'll provide hands-on support, build strong relationships, and create positive, impactful experiences for Carleton faculty, staff, and students. This role is ideal for someone who values personalized service, enjoys engaging with people, and thrives in a dynamic, solutions-oriented environment.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities: 

• Issue intake and coordination: Triage issues and delegate to specialized IT staff when necessary, while keeping users informed of the process. Review the ITS Helpdesk ticket queues, adjusting ticket priorities and schedules as needed. Identify patterns in reported issues and suggest areas of improvement, with a focus on meeting commitments to users and resolving tickets in a timely manner. Serve as the primary reporter of critical campus issues to ITS leadership and other ITS groups. 
• Providing technical support: Assist a technically diverse Carleton community with their technology issues. Efficiently diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve problems via phone (~40 calls/week), in-person (~20-25 visits/week), chat and remote assistance. 
• Mentorship and Supervision: Provide supervision to a diverse group of Helpdesk student employees and mentor them in providing support to the Carleton community. Coordinate workflow of Helpdesk students during shifts to address emerging technology issues.
• Analysis and Metrics: Identify patterns in reported issues and propose areas of improvement, with a focus on meeting commitments to users, and resolving tickets in a timely manner. Work with the Director of Technology Support and Technical Communications Specialist to develop performance metrics to measure and increase responsiveness.
• Knowledge management: Maintain accurate documentation of support requests, resolutions, and troubleshooting steps in the college's ticketing system TDX. Contribute to the development of knowledge base articles. Identify services that could benefit from additional documentation or improved business processes.
• Collaboration across ITS: Work closely with other members of ITS to ensure seamless operations and contribute to broader technology initiatives across campus. Ensure critical issues are tracked and resolved across ITS.

Additional Job Responsibilities: 

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and diplomacy.
• Ability to maintain a supportive, empathetic demeanor to help guide users through complex support issues.
• Ability to support a diverse community of faculty, staff, and students with varying levels of technical knowledge and engagement.
• Tailor troubleshooting methods and explanations to the user’s level of technical proficiency, ensuring that all campus community members feel supported and
• Ability to write clear ticket updates with an appropriate level of technical detail for the audience, and to accurately parse ticket updates from clients and technicians.
• Willingness and ability to continually acquire new knowledge and skills.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a close-knit team, working toward a common shared goal. Contribute to building and maintaining a positive team spirit.

Professional Development:

• Stay up to date with relevant technology developments and products. 
• Leverage opportunities to enhance skills through attendance at workshops, seminars, and conferences and through interactions with colleagues at Carleton and peer institutions. 

Supervision Received and Exercised: 

• This position reports to the Director of Technology Support.
• This position will provide supervision and mentoring to a diverse group of student employees.