ICT help desk agent to after-sales service technician
An ICT help desk agent already meets 36% of what the after-sales service technician role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.3/ 100
1 How much of what an after-sales service technician is expected to do is already part of an ICT help desk agent’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the after-sales service technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An after-sales service technician role treats 7 of its required skills as things an ICT help desk agent already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- characteristics of products
- characteristics of services
- communicate with customers
- create solutions to problems
- guarantee customer satisfaction
- product comprehension
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An after-sales service technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT help desk agent background worth leading with.
- already held manage schedule of tasks management skills
- already held characteristics of services business, administration and law
- already held characteristics of products engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held provide customer follow-up services assisting and caring
- already held guarantee customer satisfaction assisting and caring
- already held product comprehension business, administration and law
All 8 carried skills, including the 7 the after-sales service technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise on merchandise features required
- still to learn contact customers required
- still to learn execute after sales activities required
- still to learn implement customer follow-up required
- still to learn implement sales strategies required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- still to learn customer service required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with legal requirements required
- optional, not held provide information optional
- still to learn maintenance operations required
- optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held keep records of customer interaction optional
- optional, not held consumer protection optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an after-sales service technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on merchandise features practise this
- 02 contact customers practise this
- 03 customer service study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held characteristics of products knowledge
- already held characteristics of services knowledge
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held guarantee customer satisfaction skill
- already held product comprehension knowledge
- already held provide customer follow-up services skill
- already held manage schedule of tasks skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held consumer protection optional
- optional, not held keep records of customer interaction optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- optional, not held provide information optional
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
24 held skills the after-sales service technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT help platforms knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT system user requirements knowledge
- not needed by the target role answer incoming calls skill
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role educate on data confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role handle helpdesk problems skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role implement a virtual private network skill
- not needed by the target role implement anti-virus software skill
- not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role keep up to date on product knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role knowledge base knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform data analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform escalation procedure skill
- not needed by the target role prioritise requests skill
- not needed by the target role provide ICT support skill
- not needed by the target role solve ICT system problems skill
- not needed by the target role support ICT system users skill
- not needed by the target role use ICT hardware skill
- not needed by the target role use ICT ticketing system skill
- not needed by the target role use customer relationship management software skill
- not needed by the target role use e-services skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn customer service required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- still to learn maintenance operations required
- optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held consumer protection optional
Other moves recorded from ICT help desk agent
- ICT help desk manager 58% covered · moderate
- call centre agent 41% covered · substantial
- live chat operator 38% covered · substantial
- customer service representative 31% covered · substantial
- customer contact centre information clerk 30% covered · substantial
- technical sales representative in office machinery and equipment 28% covered · career change
- technical sales representative in chemical products 28% covered · career change
- technical sales representative in agricultural machinery and equipment 28% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT help desk agent become an after-sales service technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT help desk agent already covers 36% of what an after-sales service technician is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 7 of which the after-sales service technician role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT help desk agent need to become an after-sales service technician?
9 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advise on merchandise features.
How hard is the move from ICT help desk agent to after-sales service technician?
Its learning distance is 63.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.