Service Desk Specialist, Entry Level

Department
 

F&A ITS - Help Desk

About the Department
 

The University of Chicago's IT Services Department is an integral component of the institution, driving technological innovation and services. As a dynamic team of professionals, we continually strive for excellence in supporting the university's mission through advanced IT solutions and a strong commitment to improving employee relations, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and aligning with the University's strategic goals.

Job Summary
 

The Service Desk Support Specialist, reporting to service desk management, offers Tier 1 support as the initial point of contact for IT issues within the University community. Responsibilities include providing technical assistance via phone, live chat, walk-up, email, and web submissions. Duties encompass addressing a range of issues such as email accounts, connectivity, operating system glitches, spyware/virus removal, and support for enterprise applications and desktop software packages. Additionally, the role involves crafting support documentation for common issues and updating the IT Services Knowledge Base. The Specialist tracks issues to resolution, updates internal knowledge bases, communicates findings with leadership, and follows escalation workflows as needed, ensuring efficient problem resolution and service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Provides a high level of customer service focused technical support over the phone, via email, over chat and other communication mediums identified.
• Performs timely, courteous and polite customer interactions.
• High level problem-solving skills to resolve issues and problems, answer questions and concerns, and determine ways to eliminate these issues in the future.
• Technical knowledge of desktop hardware and software, network connectivity, application questions about installation, application compatibility, and specific hardware and software related queries. 
• Appropriately documents all interactions to capture accurate history of events to help minimize future issues. 
• Reviews current knowledgebase documentation for updates and suggests updates.
• Becomes proficient in the understanding of University process, policy, and operations developing positive professional relationships with co-workers and service owners.
• Assists with onboarding and operationalizing new technical products and services to ensure the proper level of service is available moving forward.
• Refines and develops first tier troubleshooting scripts. 
• Reviews industry trade literature and makes recommendations for new products and services.
• Tracks issues to resolution updating the internal knowledgebase and/or communicating findings with relevant business units. Follows workflows for escalations when escalating problems to appropriate support groups through the IT service management system. Escalates more involved incidents to the appropriate service owner or problem manager. Combines related incidents that have become problems and address or escalate those holistically.
• Updates daily status reports and shift handover reports. Acts as a liaison between customers and technical escalation teams by coordinating installation and maintenance services. Maintains communications with customers during the problem resolution process. Provides a single view to the organization for information technology related questions, requests, and problems. Follows proper standard operating procedures.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include vocational training, apprenticeships or the equivalent experience in related field (not typically required to have a four-year degree).

---
Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

---
Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Associates degree or higher in a related technical area.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years experience with IT customer support within a research or academic environment.
• A minimum of 2 years of end user support experience in resolving issues and providing a high level of customer service.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Familiarity with network connectivity
• Understanding of PC/Mac software, operating systems and applications, networks, and hardware.
• Understanding of Microsoft Office Suite, email clients, and browsers.
• Fundamental understanding of hardware and software installation and troubleshooting in a desktop computing environment.

Preferred Competencies

• Maintain strictest