PRODUCT SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
What is product support?
Product support is the practice of offering specialized customer service after a product has been shipped or deployed to a customer.
Here’s a quick overview of the skills you should look for in product support professionals:
- Product support
- Customer service
- Technical support
Why do you want to hire product support specialists?
The trick to finding top product support specialists is to identify your needs. Is your goal to find someone to answer customer questions about a software product via live chat? Or do you need someone who can answer phone calls and troubleshoot technical problems with a consumer electronics product?
The cost of your project will depend largely on your scope of work and the specific skills needed to bring your project to life.
HOW TO HIRE PRODUCT SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
Product support specialists ensure customer care continues long after a customer receives a product.
So how do you hire product support specialists? What follows are some tips for finding top product support specialists on Upwork.
How to shortlist product support professionals
As you’re browsing available product support consultants, it can be helpful to develop a shortlist of the professionals you may want to interview. You can screen profiles on criteria such as:
- Product fit. You want a product support specialist who understands the type of products your company provides.
- Project experience. Screen candidate profiles for specific skills and experience (e.g., serving as an IT help desk representative).
- Feedback. Check reviews from past clients for glowing testimonials or red flags that can tell you what it’s like to work with a particular product support specialist.
How to write an effective product support job post
With a clear picture of your ideal product support specialist in mind, it’s time to write that job post. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.
An effective product support job post should include:
- Scope of work: From answering customer questions to troubleshooting technical problems, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
- Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
- Background: If you prefer experience with certain industries, software, or technologies, mention this here.
- Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.
Ready to launch your product support project? Log in and post your product support job on Upwork today.
FAQS FOR HIRING PRODUCT SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
How much does it cost to hire a product support specialist?
Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.
- An experienced product support specialist may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
- A contractor who is still in the process of building a client base may price their product support services more competitively.
Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.
How long should you contract a product support specialist to complete your project?
As difficult as it is to estimate how long you will need a product support specialist, budgeting time is very important to keeping your project on track.
Be prepared to budget more time for more-demanding product support projects. For example, providing product support for consumer electronics is typically less involved than providing installation and maintenance services for specialized industrial hardware.
What are the steps involved to hire product support specialists?
Here’s how to hire product support consultants in four simple steps:
- Identify your project needs, whether it’s basic product support or technical expertise.
- Define the scope of work and write a detailed job post. Be specific about deliverables (e.g., answer service calls and provide live technical assistance).
- Review proposals and shortlist potential product support specialists for unique skills needed to bring your project to life (e.g., writing Jira tickets to track customer issues).
- Interview product support talent to gauge whether they’re the right fit for your project.