Phil Wilkins

Experience

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  CompuServe

  May 1997 - Dec 2001

  IT Support Rep

  Began employment as a Customer Service Rep, providing support to the UK based CompuServe/AOL customers by providing solutions to various technical problems experienced on the Windows and Macintosh platforms.Promoted to internal Training department, designed and presented inhouse training schedules teaching new staff.Promoted to inhouse IT Support department. Supported all aspects of the 200+ Windows based PC’s in the office, including hardware troubleshooting and rebuilds/replacement as necessary. Maintained and created accounts for users on the Novell and NT LAN’s. Responsible for all PC and equipment moves and upkeep of server room. Liaised with suppliers to provide new equipment and services. Maintained extensive Listserv mailing list service for UK offices. Installed and maintained network and client based anti-virus procedure. Show less

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  Spandex

  Apr 2002 - Mar 2003

  Hardware Support Engineer

  Offered phone based support dealing with hardware and software problems. Supported a wide range of printers and routers (CNC machines). Visited customers at site to resolve hardware problems and install kit. Created training resources for both staff and customers.Offered phone based support dealing with hardware and software problems. Supported a wide range of printers and routers (CNC machines). Visited customers at site to resolve hardware problems and install kit. Created training resources for both staff and customers.Achievements: Initiated a web-based troubleshooting guide to some of the more specialised printers, containing common faults and walk through fixes. This was used by the support department and also as a reference for the sales teams.Tested competitors' software on supported printers and other hardware, compiled checklists of advantages and disadvantages to be presented to immediate management. The results were used to decide whether to update the existing software or move over to a new development team. Show less

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  Hargreaves Lansdown

  Mar 2003 - Apr 2004

  IT Support / Test Engineer

  Inhouse support position providing support to 200 staff using both Windows and Macintosh PC's. Handled day to network administration including building and installing new computers for staff and testing software upgrades prior to installing on live servers. Ensured servers were kept patched and secure, worked closely with department managers to ensure the least amount of disruption during maintenance.Created and ran scripts to create daily reports on selected serversAchievements: Documented installation of new and existing servers, from initial hardware install through to software setup and day to day maintenance. The disaster recovery documentation was created so that other members of the team would be able to replace/repair the machine in the event of a fault.Created comprehensive instructions on installing inhouse software on the various OS and hardware combinations present in the company. This enabled all members of the IT department to carry out installs, regardless of experience. Show less

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  Essential Computing

  Jun 2004 - Nov 2005

  Technical Support

  Essential Computing - April 2004 to November 2005 - UK Software Reseller - IT SupportSupport department position serving both customers and in-house employees. Dealt with customers support calls via email and phone, logging initial contact and taking ownership of calls related to supported products. Maintained office PCs including building and testing new servers/client machines.Supplied training for customers on various productsAchievements: Documented install process for supported software solutions. This enabled web demos to be more effective when demonstrating the product to prospective customers as along with speeding up the demo process, the customer had a reference document to use while trialing the software. The sales team also found this useful to email direct to prospects as part of the 'feature list'. Show less

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  TalkTalk

  Nov 2005 - Nov 2010

  Quality Assurance Test Engineer

  Software and hardware testing for internal and external customers,Liaising with external product suppliers and giving feedback on any issues found during testingEnsuring any problems identified are owned appropriately and resolvedReviewing routers and wireless devices prior to launch, reporting on findings and providing recommendationsRigorously testing a range of software installers to asses ease of use prior to release to customersInvolved in telephone exchange upgrades to establish that existing user supplier hardware remains effectiveArrange, script and analyse results from automated testing initiativesChecking and testing PC and Games console compatibility with new hardware releasesIdentifying and producing solutions for networking and cabling infrastructureAssessing off the shelf security software prior to 'branding' and release to customersAchievements:Developed scripts for use in automated testing in order to uncover any potential issues in new router firmware releases. These scripts performed general customer actions many times repeatedly and logged the results. Any anomalies found were passed back to the supplier and resolved prior to release.Part of a core team of testers, which by identifying and resolving issues with software and hardware prior to release to the customer base, saves the company millions annually through calls from customers being avoided and in turn saves hours of contact center time .Consistently delivered all work within strict deadlines. Show less

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  Milestone 5 Limited

  Nov 2010 - Apr 2012

  Senior QA Engineer

  Senior QA Test engineer

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  Spiny Industries

  May 2012 - now

  Founder

  Services include phone system setup and support, bespoke testing jobs as well as general IT support and consultation.

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  PureComms

  Jan 2013 - now

  Technical Manager

  Enterprise / Office phone system installs / admin, Broadband and cable/fiber installs and troubleshooting. Customer support, both via phone/email and site visits to troubleshoot and replace hardware. Business IT support including remote admin and site visits.