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1st line/2nd line/3rd line



  DCi
i've never worked in a big enough company to have these roles set out, but i saw them all the time when i was searching for a job... generally what is the difference between the roles, i want to get a better understanding of it really :eek:
 
1st answers the phone reads a script/log s calls knows naff all about what they are talking about ( a job for women)

2nd
have an understanding of systems and are the ones that deal with application levell support

3rd
usually the geeks actually get to touch a screwdriver and see the servers :)


but its all fluid
 

KDF

  Audi TT Stronic
1st line makes the coffee

2nd line slags off 1st line

3rd line writes scripts to do everything while slagging off 1st and 2nd line.


Unfortunately I'm 1st, 2nd and 3rd line.. makes for an interesting conversation with myself though..
 
  Family Bus
I'm 1/5 line LOL

I do most of the 1st line duties, ie taking calls, fixing basic issues, and also some 2nd line, fixing more technical things, mainly Lotus Notes, or Royal Mail specific applications and software type of stuff.
 
  E90 320d M Sport
Most places, including mine are as follows :-

1st line - help desk - answer calls, fix jobs over the phone via remote desktop and do simple call out's like printer cartridge installs, keyboards etc. We also deal with AD, email configs, access rights, passwords and back ups including the daily tapes.

2nd line - PC rebuilds, PC repairs, installation and maintenance of switches, routers and intranet site.

3rd line - Server techies, manage the servers, surf control and internet connection.
 

KDF

  Audi TT Stronic
I'm 1/5 line LOL

I do most of the 1st line duties, ie taking calls, fixing basic issues, and also some 2nd line, fixing more technical things, mainly Lotus Notes, or Royal Mail specific applications and software type of stuff.


^:lolup: haha

Regards,

3rd line.
 
1st line makes the coffee

2nd line slags off 1st line

3rd line writes scripts to do everything while slagging off 1st and 2nd line.


Unfortunately I'm 1st, 2nd and 3rd line.. makes for an interesting conversation with myself though..


Ditto pain in the arse really but hey ho
 

seb

ClioSport Club Member
  Clio trophy
I <3 the person at the end of the phone line who fixes my pc as I talk to him via vnc. What a legend.
 

koi

  Audi S1
I'm 1st line and it's mind numbingly dull!! Using it as a stepping stone whilst I do a couple of courses and hopefully get moving on up the ladder to start making a decent wage.
 
  182FF with cup packs
In my place

1st line: Answer phones, log support calls, simple change requests (user additions/deletions, simple firewall rules)
2nd line: change requests (VPN setups, NAT rules), takes first bash at support calls
3rd line(me): Everything the lazy f**kers in 1st and 2nd can't do because it appears they can't be arsed to look on Google. Change request approval. Also on-site installations sometime (though we have a totally separate dept for that.)
 
  Nike Lunar Elite's
At my old place:

1st Line - Answers phone, logs calls, tells user "We can't help, we'll pass the issue to 2nd Line."

2nd Line - Opens helpdesk software, passes all calls to 3rd Line and calls each user to say "We can't help, we'll pass the issue to 3rd Line."

3rd Line - Everything!
 
  Dirty E91
My Place:
1st line (Helpdesk) - Answer calls and log calls, might resolve some to but I doubt it.
2nd line (Deskside Support) - Support calls at users machine, hardware/software installs, printers, rollouts, etc
3rd line - Server support, data moves, server moves, projects

I'm 2nd line.

We also have seperate Security Admin team who create accounts and give access to areas on the servers or mailboxes.
 

ChrisR

ClioSport Club Member
Someone asked this on another forum the other day, my reply was... :)

It depends on the organisation, for instance my last place:

1st line was the helpdesk, however they fixed a lot of calls there and were not just merely call loggers.

2nd line was for things that needed desk/site visits or were too time consuming to do on the helpdesk. Not an indication of how difficult something was, purely time based really, for most things anyway.

3rd line, well wasn't really anything in house I'd have called third line. This was when we'd call up the manufacturer or whoever we had a support contract with.

Historically the same big team covered 1st and 2nd line duties as well as all the project work, with I guess some people in the team acting as 3rd line when the 2nd line person couldn't fix it but someone else in the team had those skills.

Now since I've left they've split the teams up now into smaller groups so the 1st line people are 1 small team and all they do is 1st line, same for 2nd line etc. However even then the first line is not merely a log it and shove it job, they actually know what they are doing and are reasonably technical.

Where I am now the desktop guys cover 1st and 2nd line, then if they can't do it it either comes to one of us server guys to help or whoever we have a support contract with.

So I guess I'm 3rd line by our definitions, but tbh we do what we want to most of the time and help out when others get stuck.

This week our desktop guy is off and the new boy doesn't start until Monday so we're having ot do everything, joy. Although the guy who moved to us from the desktop team has been stuck with doing most of it :)
 

dk

  911 GTS Cab
couldn't do technical support, the fuckwits would piss me off to much and i'd go mental, technical consultant FTW, get to deal with the top guys in each company I go into and i'm treated like a god lol.

Love it.
 

dk

  911 GTS Cab
Everyone has to start somewhere though remember!!
true, but i've never done technical support, like i said, i just couldn't deal with it, i'd have to be too nice and bite my tongue.

Our first line guy is a nightmare, hes always slagging off the users.

I did think about technical support a few years back, i went into pre-sales instead and used that as my stepping stone into consulting and installation.
 

realnumber 1

ClioSport Club Member
true, but i've never done technical support, like i said, i just couldn't deal with it, i'd have to be too nice and bite my tongue.

Our first line guy is a nightmare, hes always slagging off the users.

I did think about technical support a few years back, i went into pre-sales instead and used that as my stepping stone into consulting and installation.

For all the tossers you come across there's always some nice people. Got to say though I was glad when I got off 1st line though. That probably depends on what organisation you work for though.
 

ChrisR

ClioSport Club Member
Have to say I'm glad now that I rarely have to do what I'd call support work lol
 
It does depend on the company. Currently i work for a software house and i am employed as 1st/2nd line on our products however internally and IT related i am 1st/2nd/3rd line and deal with everything.

However in three weeks i am moving to another company as a network administrator and will be doing only IT stuff in a team of three and this will be classed as 1st/2nd line...
 

dk

  911 GTS Cab
hah wonder if it's the guy I keep pestering....

(well if you will recommend and sell me s**t software :p)
lol, trust me, our first line guy doesn't speak to customers!

You will be speaking to one of the security helpdesk people i am guessing, eddie, raj, matt or david.
 

dk

  911 GTS Cab
Raj and Matt are the chaps who get my lovely emails :) Seem nice guys though.
lol, i'm trying to find a pic of raj, he has the biggest afro i have ever seen, its mad, and him and matt are the most laid back people i know, i was on matts stag do this weekend in london and we handcuffed him to another stag, tech support people are ssooooo mad lol;)
 

ChrisR

ClioSport Club Member
Was on a stag do with one of our guys last weekend, did the very unimaginative paintball thing.

At the end as there were 2 stags in our group they got them back to back and the marshal said i'm counting to 10, walk forward one step on each count then at 10 turn and let rip. He went 1....2.....10. Our guy span round and totally hammered the other guy, he was waving around like a girl getting mullered :)
 

DMS

  A thirsty 172
Tech support sucks IMO.

Spent most of my entire working life in 1st, 2nd and then 3rd line positions and they can all be quite stressful. The aspect I didn't like was having to deal with irate customers and end users.

Generally though:

1st line - Does all the basic tasks such as taking the initial calls, logging them, performing basic diagnostics and fixing the issue if it's within their skill set or remit. Typical kind of job for someone with an MCSA or a lower level of qualification (in a Windows environment at least).

2nd line - An escalation point for the 1st line. Usually more technically able and entrusted to resolve more difficult issues. Would probably have more experience and a higher skill set than the first line.

3rd line - The most experienced / skilled and usually relied upon to fix issues that 1st and 2nd line can't deal with for whatever reason.

I now work on the infrastructure team as one of the 3 Infrastructure Security Engineers. We only do support if nobody else can resolve the issue - normally related to firewall config, certificate issues, VPN stuff and nitty gritty network troubleshooting and node configuration. Most of the time it's implementations, penetration testing or designing solutions. Much more enjoyable than tech support IMO. I find it less stressful and more rewarding, and the pay is miles better too.
 

KDF

  Audi TT Stronic
However in three weeks i am moving to another company as a network administrator and will be doing only IT stuff in a team of three and this will be classed as 1st/2nd line...

What networking related qualifications do you have if you don't mind me asking.

I'm on Semester 3 of CCNA and am thinking about moving into networking from my current role.
 
What networking related qualifications do you have if you don't mind me asking.

I'm on Semester 3 of CCNA and am thinking about moving into networking from my current role.

I dont mind you asking :)

I dont have any Network Qualifcations, I did ICT at GCSE level and a Software Engineering Degree. Before that it was just private use of computers such as building them or taking them apart etc...

I did start an MCSE at my current employers however just havent found the time to get to grips with it. Thinking of not bothering to finish and looking at the Server 2008 certs at the moment.

All my knowledge has come from doing stuff first hand at my current job, i have only been here 2 years. It started off small such as desktop/printer issues but then got involved in AD and eventually exchange etc... Most recently migrating from Server 2000 domain and exchange to Server 2008 domain and 2007 Exchange.

However my issue with this is although great experience and its nice to be left to my own devices I have no real clue if i am doing things correctly.

The new job will hopefully allow me to take a step sideways and I wont be at the top level which means i can learn the lower end basic stuff properly from people who have been doing this longer eventually doing the higher end stuff. I suspect it might be a challenge but at least it keeps things intresting :)
 
  DCi
However my issue with this is although great experience and its nice to be left to my own devices I have no real clue if i am doing things correctly.

The new job will hopefully allow me to take a step sideways and I wont be at the top level which means i can learn the lower end basic stuff properly from people who have been doing this longer eventually doing the higher end stuff. I suspect it might be a challenge but at least it keeps things intresting :)
this is exactly how I feel (although at a lower level I guess) I am looking forward to studying again, i havent since school... I might change my mind once I get started though haha
 


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