Information Technology Support Services

IT support starts with knowing what is inside a computer and how devices join a network.

• Name the main parts: processor, memory, storage, screen, battery and ports.
• Explain what the operating system does and how it differs from an app.
• Explain what a router, Wi-Fi and an internet provider each do.
• Name common devices: laptop, phone, printer and tablet.
• Say the difference between hardware, software and settings.
• Compare Wi-Fi and a cable connection for speed and reliability.
• Find the model, serial number and operating system version of a device.

Activity. Draw a home network with five devices and label each part's job.

Standard to meet. Task: draw and label a network. Condition: one real or practice network. Standard: every device and link is named and its job is stated in one sentence.

Most fixes start with a clear description. Good support asks short questions and writes the answers.

• Ask: what did you try to do, what happened, what did you expect, when did it start?
• Ask if anything changed recently, such as an update or a new device.
• Write a ticket with date, user, device, problem and steps tried.
• Use plain words and avoid blaming the user.
• Tell the user what you will do next and how long it may take.
• Paraphrase the problem back to the user to confirm you understood.
• Rank tickets by urgency and impact: one user blocked, or a whole office blocked.

Activity. Role-play three support calls and write a ticket for each.

Standard to meet. Task: write three tickets. Condition: practice calls with a partner. Standard: each ticket has the five facts, plain words and a next step.

Use a fixed order: check the simple things, change one thing at a time, and test.

• Check power, cables, Wi-Fi and storage space before deeper steps.
• Restart the device and the app; many faults clear.
• Change one thing at a time and write it down.
• Check for pending updates and look at free disk space, because a nearly full disk makes a device slow.
• Decide when to stop and escalate to a person with more skill.
• Recreate the fault to confirm it, then confirm the fix afterwards.
• Write the cause and fix so the next person can repeat it.

Activity. Fix five practice faults on a spare device and record each step.

Standard to meet. Task: fix five faults. Condition: a spare or practice device. Standard: each fix has the steps, the test that proves it and the cause.

Support staff see private data. Keep accounts safe and handle data with care.

• Explain strong passwords, a password manager and two-step sign-in.
• Spot a phishing message: odd sender, urgent tone, strange link, request for a password.
• Never ask users to tell you their password; reset it with them instead.
• Explain that federal and provincial privacy laws apply to personal information, and that some provinces, such as Quebec, have their own private-sector laws; check which law applies.
• Report a suspected data leak to the responsible person quickly; check the current rule on breach reporting with the privacy regulator.
• Explain why shared passwords are risky and how to give each person their own login.
• Apply the least-access rule: give each person only the access the job needs.

Activity. Build a one-page safe-use guide for non-experts and a five-line phishing checklist.

Standard to meet. Task: write a safety guide. Condition: plain words, one page. Standard: covers passwords, two-step sign-in, phishing and who to tell when something goes wrong.

Setup and care prevent most problems. Teach users the habits too.

• Set up a backup that runs on a schedule, and test a restore at least once.
• Turn on automatic updates where safe and plan restarts at quiet times.
• Set up a new user: account, access level, email, printer and Wi-Fi.
• Remove access when a person leaves.
• Keep a list of devices, who uses them and when they were bought.
• Apply the 3-2-1 idea: three copies, two kinds of storage, one copy kept away from the building.
• Label cables, chargers and devices so setup is quick.

Activity. Set up a backup and restore one file on a practice device.

Standard to meet. Task: back up and restore. Condition: a practice device. Standard: the backup runs on schedule, one restore works and a written note says where copies are.

A support business sells time and trust. Price covers your time, travel and tools.

• Choose a price model: per hour, per visit or a monthly plan.
• Count unpaid time: travel, tickets, learning and admin.
• Write terms: what is covered, response time, payment date and what is out of scope.
• Ask a licensed adviser about insurance and sales tax, and check the current rule before you invoice.
• Offer a plan for a small group with a fixed monthly fee.
• Calculate the margin percentage: margin divided by price.
• Explain why a fixed fee needs a limit on hours or a clear scope.

Activity. Build a price sheet and a one-page terms document.

Standard to meet. Task: price and write terms. Condition: a spreadsheet. Standard: formulas show cost and margin and the terms list scope, response time and exclusions.

Many clients are households, seniors and small shops. Help them stay safe and keep things simple.

• Explain things in short steps and let users try it themselves.
• Write a one-page how-to with screenshots for common jobs.
• Respect accessibility needs such as larger text or a screen reader.
• Offer help in English, French or another language you can use well.
• Keep a log of all visits for later review.
• Make a large-print version of a how-to page for users who find small text hard to read.
• Slow down, leave pauses and let the user type and click on their own.

Activity. Create a one-page how-to for a common task and test it with a real user.

Standard to meet. Task: write a how-to. Condition: one real user. Standard: the user completes the task alone using only the page.

Now run it: track tickets, measure quality and improve.

• Track tickets: opened, closed, time to first reply and time to fix.
• Spot repeat problems and fix the cause once.
• Keep a runbook for the three most likely faults.
• Set a review each month with the client.
• Write a 12-month plan with milestones and a budget.
• Calculate the share of tickets by cause to find the biggest one.
• Check the time to first reply against a target, such as one working day.

Activity. Run a 60-day pilot with real or practice clients and write the review.

Standard to meet. Task: run a support pilot. Condition: 60 days. Standard: tickets are logged, repeat causes are found and the review gives decisions with evidence.

L1: Digital aware learner. You can define: name the main terms, people and rules of information Technology Support Services. Focus module: Know the parts of a computer and a network (Understand, 6 h). IT support starts with knowing what is inside a computer and how devices join a network. Key points: Name the main parts: processor, memory, storage, screen, battery and ports. Explain what the operating system does and how it differs from an app. Explain what a router, Wi-Fi and an internet provider each do. Name common devices: laptop, phone, printer and tablet. Say the difference between hardware, software and settings. Compare Wi-Fi and a cable connection for speed and reliability. Find the model, serial number and operating system version of a device.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A user says 'the internet is down'. You ask: is it one device or all? If only one device fails, the problem is likely in that device, not the router. If all 5 devices fail, the router or the internet provider is the more likely cause. Then set the activity: Draw a home network with five devices and label each part's job. Mark against the standard: Task: draw and label a network. Condition: one real or practice network. Standard: every device and link is named and its job is stated in one sentence. Check at this level: What does the operating system do? Model answer: It runs the device and lets apps use its parts. Level note: Start here if new. Evidence: a one-page glossary and a visit or interview note.

L2: Support assistant. You can describe: explain how information Technology Support Services works from first contact to result. Focus module: Listen, ask and write the problem down (Apply, 6 h). Most fixes start with a clear description. Good support asks short questions and writes the answers. Key points: Ask: what did you try to do, what happened, what did you expect, when did it start? Ask if anything changed recently, such as an update or a new device. Write a ticket with date, user, device, problem and steps tried. Use plain words and avoid blaming the user. Tell the user what you will do next and how long it may take. Paraphrase the problem back to the user to confirm you understood. Rank tickets by urgency and impact: one user blocked, or a whole office blocked.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. Ticket: 'Printer not printing. Started this morning after an update. Other computers print fine. Tried restarting the printer.' The note already points to a computer setting. If three tickets arrive, the office-wide outage is handled first, then the single-user printer, then the how-to question. Then set the activity: Role-play three support calls and write a ticket for each. Mark against the standard: Task: write three tickets. Condition: practice calls with a partner. Standard: each ticket has the five facts, plain words and a next step. Check at this level: What are the five facts for a good ticket? Model answer: Date, user, device, problem and steps tried. Level note: Evidence: a flow chart and a two-minute spoken explanation.

L3: Junior developer or analyst. You can apply: carry out a routine task in information Technology Support Services to a written standard. Focus module: Fix common problems step by step (Apply, 10 h). Use a fixed order: check the simple things, change one thing at a time, and test. Key points: Check power, cables, Wi-Fi and storage space before deeper steps. Restart the device and the app; many faults clear. Change one thing at a time and write it down. Check for pending updates and look at free disk space, because a nearly full disk makes a device slow. Decide when to stop and escalate to a person with more skill. Recreate the fault to confirm it, then confirm the fix afterwards. Write the cause and fix so the next person can repeat it.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A laptop is slow. The disk is 98% full: 490 GB used of 500 GB. You clear 60 GB of old downloads with the user's consent, leaving 430 GB used, or 86%. Speed returns, and you note the cause. Then set the activity: Fix five practice faults on a spare device and record each step. Mark against the standard: Task: fix five faults. Condition: a spare or practice device. Standard: each fix has the steps, the test that proves it and the cause. Check at this level: Why change only one thing at a time? Model answer: So you know which change fixed or broke it. Level note: Evidence: a supervised task record that meets the standard once.

L4: Developer, consultant or builder. You can analyse: diagnose why an information Technology Support Services result missed its target and fix it. Focus module: Keep data and accounts safe (Evaluate, 8 h). Support staff see private data. Keep accounts safe and handle data with care. Key points: Explain strong passwords, a password manager and two-step sign-in. Spot a phishing message: odd sender, urgent tone, strange link, request for a password. Never ask users to tell you their password; reset it with them instead. Explain that federal and provincial privacy laws apply to personal information, and that some provinces, such as Quebec, have their own private-sector laws; check which law applies. Report a suspected data leak to the responsible person quickly; check the current rule on breach reporting with the privacy regulator. Explain why shared passwords are risky and how to give each person their own login. Apply the least-access rule: give each person only the access the job needs.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A user gets an email saying 'your account will close in one hour'. You check the link without opening it and see the address is not the real one. You advise deleting it and reporting it, and you help the user turn on two-step sign-in. Then set the activity: Build a one-page safe-use guide for non-experts and a five-line phishing checklist. Mark against the standard: Task: write a safety guide. Condition: plain words, one page. Standard: covers passwords, two-step sign-in, phishing and who to tell when something goes wrong. Check at this level: Name two signs of a phishing message. Model answer: An odd sender and an urgent request, a strange link or a request for a password. Level note: Evidence: a fault or gap analysis with a fix and a repeat test. This course targets this level.

L5: Senior specialist or team lead. You can evaluate: judge options for information Technology Support Services against cost, risk and quality. Focus module: Price support and write simple terms (Create, 6 h). A support business sells time and trust. Price covers your time, travel and tools. Key points: Choose a price model: per hour, per visit or a monthly plan. Count unpaid time: travel, tickets, learning and admin. Write terms: what is covered, response time, payment date and what is out of scope. Ask a licensed adviser about insurance and sales tax, and check the current rule before you invoice. Offer a plan for a small group with a fixed monthly fee. Calculate the margin percentage: margin divided by price. Explain why a fixed fee needs a limit on hours or a clear scope.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A monthly plan for a five-person office is 250 CAD. You expect 3 hours a month at 40 CAD cost per hour = 120. Margin is 130 CAD, about 52%, before overhead. At 5 hours the cost is 200 and the margin falls to 50 CAD, or 20%, so the terms must say what happens above 3 hours (teaching numbers only). Then set the activity: Build a price sheet and a one-page terms document. Mark against the standard: Task: price and write terms. Condition: a spreadsheet. Standard: formulas show cost and margin and the terms list scope, response time and exclusions. Check at this level (this question is covered in module 2: Listen, ask and write the problem down): What are the five facts for a good ticket? Model answer: Date, user, device, problem and steps tried. Level note: Evidence: an options paper with numbers and a recommendation defended to a panel.

L6: Delivery or product manager. You can create: design and pilot a new offer or process in information Technology Support Services. Focus module: Work with small businesses and community (Evaluate, 6 h). Many clients are households, seniors and small shops. Help them stay safe and keep things simple. Key points: Explain things in short steps and let users try it themselves. Write a one-page how-to with screenshots for common jobs. Respect accessibility needs such as larger text or a screen reader. Offer help in English, French or another language you can use well. Keep a log of all visits for later review. Make a large-print version of a how-to page for users who find small text hard to read. Slow down, leave pauses and let the user type and click on their own.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A senior wants video calls. You set up one icon on the screen, write a three-step card and practise twice with her until she can start the call alone. The log notes that she needed two tries, and the card now has a bigger picture. Then set the activity: Create a one-page how-to for a common task and test it with a real user. Mark against the standard: Task: write a how-to. Condition: one real user. Standard: the user completes the task alone using only the page. Check at this level (this question is covered in module 4: Keep data and accounts safe): Name two signs of a phishing message. Model answer: An odd sender and an urgent request, a strange link or a request for a password. Level note: Evidence: a pilot with measured results over at least 30 days.

L7: Digital director or founder. You can lead: run a team or business in information Technology Support Services and develop others. Focus module: Run an IT support service for real (Create, 8 h). Now run it: track tickets, measure quality and improve. Key points: Track tickets: opened, closed, time to first reply and time to fix. Spot repeat problems and fix the cause once. Keep a runbook for the three most likely faults. Set a review each month with the client. Write a 12-month plan with milestones and a budget. Calculate the share of tickets by cause to find the biggest one. Check the time to first reply against a target, such as one working day.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. Over 30 days a service closes 40 tickets. Eleven are 'password reset', which is 11 / 40 = 27.5%. A short self-help page cuts these to four the next month, a drop of 7 tickets. Then set the activity: Run a 60-day pilot with real or practice clients and write the review. Mark against the standard: Task: run a support pilot. Condition: 60 days. Standard: tickets are logged, repeat causes are found and the review gives decisions with evidence. Check at this level (this question is covered in module 5: Back up, update and set up devices): Why test a restore? Model answer: A backup you have never restored may not work when needed. Level note: Evidence: a record of results over a year and of people you have coached to a higher level.