Roles and responsibilities in ISP – L1 Executive

As an L1 junior executive in ISP Provides an entry-level experience for any fresher. There are many ISPs in the country who are willing to provide part-time to full-time jobs in L1 support. I began my first full-time job as the L1 junior executive at Vianet PVT LTD in Nepal. I had no experience before with a real job in Networking. Previously, I did my internship for a college final project where I had little experience with how ISPs operate in real time.   I did my bachelor’s in computer science and Information Technology.

The basic Networking concept was known to me. The interviews taken by HR were pretty basic and related to Router, switch, DNS, IP address, DHCP, and how it works. It was pretty decent, I did 2 rounds of interviews in a week for the selection procedure to be completed.  The roles and responsibilities in ISP as an L1 executive are responsible for ensuring a positive customer experience by providing timely support.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Closely monitored the Tickets/emails/ calls of Technical support assigned day in and day out.
• Work alongside the customer care agents on a First Time Resolution basis.
• Response to the assigned task by senior L2 after going thoroughly through the case for better solutions 
• Responsible for providing field-level assistance if needed especially for elderly nontechnical customers.
• Escalate complex technical issues to the Level 2 Technical Support Team and follow up with the Level 2 team until problem resolution.
• Documentation report of Technical support of every customer for the case study in the future.

The roles and responsibilities in ISP as an L1   which are mentioned might give you a better picture of how the nature of the assigned position demands. The first-hand experience of myself helps me even more in making learners provide even better clarity about the Job.

Skills requirement for L1 support

There are many topics and concepts that should be initially understood for basic foundation building for any fresher to begin working in real scenarios. A basic understanding of computer hardware itself is needed to start with the approach. The approach for a better foundation in Networking and cybersecurity is very important to reach the right destination. The proper understanding of router, switch, hub, and their functionalities is much needed just to begin troubleshooting and setting up the Device. 

As an L1 support, the common Troubleshoot is asked for when just setting up the router by the majority of the customers.  Better listing out the highlighted skills to acquire before even applying for the jobs might help you level up your knowledge.

• Router setup

The Basic WAN connection PPPoE, Dynamic, and static must be well understood for any beginners to set up. The setup in the router of different WAN connections might be different from customer to customer and package of it as well. The package can be a home package, SOHO, or Corporate package where the router configuration differs accordingly. The Network Support technical must understand the whole scenario thoroughly and set it up afterward. 

Mikrotik Router is the most used and preferred Router for corporate. Mikrotik configuration and understanding of it are pretty needed for setup of it. The complex standalone might be difficult at the beginning but well guidance from the Skilled senior might help you along the way. The recommendation is to start learning about the setup of the Mikrotik routers, Hotspot, and Firewall, NAT is compulsory for better enhancement of own career.

• Windows command

The Windows command is the basic requirement for approaching the Issue. The command line friendliness will take the learners very far in future career building. The Command Prompt can be a useful tool when your Windows computer isn’t working as it should. It can help you figure out what’s wrong and fix it. It can be used to start and stop services, run various diagnostic tests, and check system files for errors. Some of the important commands for Network Diagnostics are :

 

In general, the Command Prompt is an essential tool for anyone who frequently works with Windows computers. It offers a powerful set of tools for managing system settings, automating tasks, and fixing issues.

• Communication skills

As the Job itself is customer-oriented, good communication always gives you an extra edge. Effective communication always helps contribute positive environment within the workstation. These help build relationships with coworkers and clients.  Before even getting misunderstood and being on the same page, effective communication ensures it. Telephone communication to field visit interaction plays a significant role in showcasing the professionalism and dignity of your company. These will resolve conflicts and demonstrate the professionalism of an individual. Verbal competence helps one to stay outstanding in any organization.

• Documentation skills

Documentation helps to create clear and accurate records of the information related to Troubleshooting history. A proper record always serves as evidence for the organization for its protection. Errors and misunderstandings can be easily reduced when the proper information is kept every hour. The habit of writing and recording whole scenarios while executing in real-time provides assistance for any new employees and seniors to begin.  It helps optimize the process and drives continuous improvements in any organization.

Even when troubleshooting is asked for the documented reports could be studied by any L1, L2, and even customer care agents to get the idea to begin which is a good practice. 

Conclusion

The Skills which has been above listed and discussed are mandatory for any fresher or entry-level job holders to enhance their career. A good foundation in Networking is a must for any   Network engineer aspirant. L1 junior executive is a good starting position for pursuing a career in Networking. It will help you provide hands-on experience in Networking devices with different scenarios. The scenarios need to be well documented and understood as some experience can never be understood until and unless it has been demonstrated. Adding good verbal communication enhances your professionalism to the next level. The skills could only be mastered when practiced over and over. Adding my personal experience makes it easy for me to even list out the real scenarios in ISP which has been discussed above. 

The initial journey might be difficult to bear as the pressure of learning and execution goes hand in hand. Trust me the result gonna be unbelievable in future growth. The right skills always advance your career, productivity, and performance. Right skills are essential for success in the workplace as my personal experience. Anyway, if you enjoyed reading this article and want to keep yourself updated, then make sure you leave comments and stay connected.