Computer troubleshooting skills
Most IT help requests are either for troubleshooting or upgrading on a particular software or IT tool. As you know, the computer world for individuals is separated between two large blocks: computers under Windows and those under Mac. A third environment is also developing, that of Android, which has left the mobile sphere to also establish itself on certain tablets and laptops.
The most in-demand skill is that of a computer troubleshooter. Someone who will be able to analyze why a computer is blocked or broken down and how to intervene to restart it. It is therefore not enough to have some knowledge of office software to be able to work on a computer.
When you offer your intervention for computer assistance at home, you must also have a certain number of valuable tools, such as:
- Antivirus software that can scan another computer's content
- An external hard drive (or USB key) that can restart the locked computer
- A set of software capable of detecting where the failure is
- Cables, connectors and adapters of all kinds to connect two devices together
Computer help requires an inquisitive mind, capable of logic to identify a problem and with a wide range of computer skills to know how to intervene.
Computer support skills
The other type of request for computer help comes from the lack of understanding individuals have of their computers. Very often, they bought the device without having acquired sufficient skills to know how to use it.
They follow instructions written on a post-it that explain to them how to turn on the machine, how to connect to the Internet or send an email, but as soon as the computer freezes following an unusual manipulation, they are completely helpless to understand the cause of the incident and how to fix it.
In these cases, it is possible to intervene remotely by taking control of this person's computer or by talking with him by telephone or videoconference, for example using his mobile telephone or, if is impossible, by intervening at home. The speaker must then show great patience and a certain sense of pedagogy.
The assistance service then turns into a training service so that the person having difficulty with their computer understands what happened, why the computer crashed and how to make it work properly again.
Sometimes the intervention can be very simple: downloading another version of software, removing a malicious program, installing a more powerful antivirus, etc.
The skills required for computer assistance are here more related to knowledge of software (in software) than in hardware (components of the computer).
