At a time when systems were homogenous and technology was not yet capable of machine learning and automation, this arrangement was successful. Tech issues would often result in a discussion of basic PC troubleshooting or resolving problems with Windows. Today, however, the spread of remote workers and device diversity is causing a reinvention of how tech support is defined with end users located anywhere in the world. Support teams are facing systems and devices of such a varied nature that tech support often becomes a function of ticket assignment, instead of problem solving. The spread of disruptive technologies and the availability of a plethora of devices has organizations of all shapes and sizes surveying the digital landscape around them. With AI emerging to handle basic tasks, where does that leave tier one? Technology makes many things possible that were once unheard of. Now a commonplace occurrence, automation was once viewed as the stuff of science fiction. However, modern businesses use automation every day to manage mundane tasks and perform low-level functions. From a tech support perspective, automation is now being used to address many basic tasks. According to CompTIA, 26% of companies are aggressively pursuing automation as a general business strategy and another 30% are automating specific processes within their workflow. AUTOMATION ASSUMES BASIC TECH-SUPPORT TASKS
Chris Hodson, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with UK-based Tanium, spoke of this new reality saying,
“A decade ago, it was still basically the industry standard for IT staff to go fromworkstation to workstation, installing software from a CD as necessary. And that’s only one of the myriad tasks that has shifted from hands-on IT to automation. These days, so much that once required a manual touch can be accomplished with the push of a button.”
The evolution of tech support from on-premise problem solvers to distanced troubleshooters has many companies investigating alternatives to the traditional tech support team. The days of occupying personal space with a user have largely past. Automation can now bear the burden of many of those basic functionalities, alleviating some of the demands on tier one.
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