Support Specialist

 

Overview

We're a small, fully-remote MSP that keeps a low profile, doesn't take itself too seriously, and generally maintains a quiet, calm day-to-day environment (at least by MSP standards). We’re looking for a Support Specialist to provide first-level technical support to our growing client base and assist with projects.

This is a part-time contract role initially, and we would love for it to become full-time/permanent for the right person. Candidates must be in the US or Canada, ideally Eastern time zone.

Specifically, we're looking for someone with at least 3 years of experience in a support role in an MSP (preferred) or in-house IT environment. He or she would be responsible for delivering prompt and personable service for our clients who run into trouble with Windows PCs and cloud services like Microsoft 365. In the short term (4-6 months), a great fit would also get involved with projects for clients and for ourselves internally. In the long term, the sky's the limit.

If this sounds like you, then let's get into some details.

Technical Details

Some things that our dream candidate would be very comfortable with:

  • Troubleshooting and configuring Windows 10

  • Troubleshooting and performing routine administrative tasks in Microsoft 365, specifically Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive

  • Azure Active Directory and Intune (e.g. password resets, MFA enrollment, updating policies, etc)

  • How to write clear, concise, nicely-formatted FAQs and KB docs for internal and client use

Some things we don't really care about:

  • On-premise Active Directory

  • On-premise servers

  • VMware

  • Phone systems

Examples of projects we're working on right now:

  • Migrating from on-premise servers to Windows Virtual Desktop

  • Migrating from Dropbox Business to Teams/SharePoint/OneDrive

  • Migrating from hosted Exchange to M365

Some tools we use internally:

  • HaloPSA (ticketing, billing, all client-facing communication)

  • Todoist & Twist (internal task/project management and communication)

  • ConnectWise Control (remote support)

  • 1Password Business (sensitive secrets)

What We Do

In short, we fill two roles for our clients:

Outsourced IT Department

  • Managing IT infrastructure

  • Providing day to day support

  • Executing projects to improve our clients' business operations

IT Strategist & Advisor

  • IT roadmap development

  • Strategy and advice

  • Process improvement

In order to make these roles as simple and efficient as possible, we enforce some basic standards. Among other things, clients must:

Buy quality stuff when it matters.

That means high-quality, business-class machines from Dell, Lenovo, or HP, not cheap consumer PCs from big box stores; and quality hardware and services upon which you can reliably run a business.

Use Microsoft 365.

All clients use M365 for email and Office software licensing, at a minimum. Some use other features as well such as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. We drive everything towards M365 by default and try not to fragment things across multiple services, unless there’s a sound business case for doing so.

Keep software up-to-date.

We don't support antiquated software that the vendor itself doesn't support, and we require that important apps be kept up to date for interoperability.

Give up some control.

In general, our clients' employees are not administrators on their PCs or networks. This can be a controversial change, but the bargain is simple. We say, "give up control so we can make things work well, and when you need help with something you used to be able to do yourself, we'll take care of it quickly and without hassle.”

Invest in security and backups.

We don’t compromise on baseline security and backup policies. They’re another layer in keeping things running smoothly, and provide peace of mind in case disaster strikes.

These basic requirements go a long way towards maintaining healthy relationships with our clients and their employees, and keeping our day-to-day work relatively calm and simple.

What We Don't Do

This industry is rife with business practices that we intentionally avoid, either because we find them not to be in line with our clients' interests, or they're just not worth our time and attention. A few examples:

Unreasonable billing

We don’t bill for every single minute we spend on something that’s out of scope, and we don’t watch the clock constantly, but we do strive to charge a fair price for our time and expertise. Our billing is intended to be fair and reasonable and a bill should never be a surprise to a client, because we’ve already agreed on it in advance.

Hardware repair

We’re not a computer repair shop. If something’s broken it’s either fixed under warranty by the manufacturer, or it’s replaced.

One-off projects

We don't take on projects for clients without a managed services agreement in place. We’ll occasionally make exceptions to this if there’s already a long-standing relationship or they were referred by another client, but in general our projects are focused on improving businesses that we’re already very familiar with.

How We Work

While we do track time on tickets to make sure we're billing accurately, we do not and will not ever compensate or measure your performance based on billable hours or any sort of time tracking metric besides clocking in and out of a shift. We're not a law firm, and that's not how we gauge whether you’ve done a good job or whether the work was successful.

We focus on outcomes, not inputs. We strive to minimize interruptions and reactive situations and give people time and space to slow down, be thoughtful, and do their best work. We value the ability to clearly and concisely express yourself in writing over nearly anything else.

Most of our work is with managed IT services clients who are on a flat-fee agreement with us. We also support several small businesses on a time-and-materials basis, and have worked with them for many years.

We're fairly picky about the types of businesses we'll work with, and we're very cautious about ensuring our clients are a good fit and align with our values. As a result our clients are nice, down to earth people, they’re appreciative of what we do, and they’re very patient with us even when we make mistakes. We treat them fairly and with respect and empathy, and they reciprocate.

There's very little after-hours work at our company (not saying never, it's just rare and only in true emergencies or for planned projects). If a real crisis breaks out it will be a team effort on our part, so no lonely graveyard shifts here.

How to Apply

Please submit an application that speaks directly to this position. Tell us about yourself, about what you can bring to our team, and about our role in your future. Tell us about what you’ve done and what excites you. We're not in a rush, and we encourage you to take your time.

We strongly encourage candidates of all different backgrounds and identities to apply. We believe that our team is stronger with a variety of perspectives, and we’re eager to further diversify our company. If you have a background that you feel would make an impact on us and our clients, please consider applying. We’re committed to building an inclusive, supportive place for you to do the best work of your career.