Field Support Engineer Responsibilities

A field support engineer is a professional who is engaged in providing high quality technical support for the company's clients. Field support engineer responsibilities include taking ownership for the technical issues faced by the clients and assisting in delivering technical as well as non technical solutions for the same by making use of the latest technologies. Thus, the effective implementation of these duties is vital to ensure the success for any organization.

Key Responsibilities of a Field Support Engineer

The responsibilities of a field support engineer vary depending on the type of the industry he/she is employed in and the size of the organization. The basic responsibility is, however, to pro actively help the clients in minimizing the occurrence of issues and solving the more complex technical issues promptly. The points given below will help you in giving a clear idea about the kind of responsibilities that need to be handled by a field support engineer:

Field Support Engineer in Technical Field:

He/she is responsible for responding to the clients by answering the telephone calls or by conducting field visits.
He/she analyzes and clarifies the queries by conducting research and troubleshooting the issues.
He/she recommends suggestions to improve the escalation procedures.
He/she records all the related departmental and field activities that have been carried out, reviews the complexities of the technical issues, participates in various projects, and ensures that all the organization's departmental goals have been met or exceeded by maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

Field Support Engineer in Electronics Field:

He/she is responsible for providing on site support which includes identifying the faults related to hardware, software, configuration, networking, power supply problems, etc.
He/she is responsible for supporting the installation functions that include security installation, training the users, testing, documenting, and maintaining the quality standards.
He/she participates in the meetings and makes recommendations so that the supporting services can be improved to ensure better satisfaction of the clients.
He/she may be required to perform other duties as well.

Field Support Engineer in Software Industry:

He/she provides guidance to clients on how to operate the given software.
He/she is involved in performing proper installation and configuration of the organization's products and works in coordination with other developers.
He/she also reports issues and communicates the changes that will enhance the software operation. He/she implements plans that will ensure business continuity.

Thus, a field support engineer is basically involved in supporting the day to day activities of the relevant field he/she is working in, so that business goals are achieved and ensuring that the customer is content with the quality of services delivered.

Essential Skills Required

To ensure success as a field support engineer, an individual should be willing to travel extensively.
He/she must be totally customer oriented and should be able to communicate with the clients in a clear and concise manner.
He/she should be able to identify the issues and provide relevant solutions for the same.
He/she should be able to provide guidance to the clients on how to operate the system.
He/she should be open to learn new things and constantly keep abreast with the latest technological trends that are happening in the relevant industry.
He/she should have good planning and organization skills with an ability to prioritize work. Computer proficiency will be an advantage.

Educational Background

The educational requirements will differ depending on the kind of industry a field support engineer will be working in. A bachelor's degree in electronics, software, or IT would be preferred. The individuals with additional qualifications will have better chances for getting the desired job.

Work Schedule

The field support engineer spends most of his/her time on the field while some time may be spent in the office. The normal duty hours do not extend beyond forty to forty five hours per week, but he may sometimes need to work extra and reschedule his/her work depending on the clients' appointments.

Salary Details

The average salary earned by a field support engineer is $87,000. The minimum remuneration offered is $48,000. Experienced field support engineers can earn up to the range of $93,0000. It varies depending on the skills, academic background, location of the organization, the actual size of the company and the level of responsibilities that an individual is going to handle.

Career Prospects

Though there are many job opportunities available for the post of a field support engineer, there is a huge competition to get the right kind of job. To survive in this competition, the assigned duties must be carried out well. If you succeed in this, you have definitely got bright chances for promotion to higher executive or managerial positions.

Thus, effective implementation of field support engineer responsibilities will ensure better customer satisfaction, thus leading to more business, and better professional and personal development.

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