Timothy “Timmy” Forson is one of Avast’s business products finest Support Specialists. He began working at Avast on June 1st, 2015. We sat down to learn more about one of our support Hall-of-Famers. This is 5 questions with Timmy!

1. What is your role at Avast Software?

Senior Support Specialist. Basically I support all our business solution customers, from Endpoint and Server protection to Avast for Business via email, phone, and chat. I work from our Charlotte, North Carolina office.

2. What is your approach to supporting customers?

First, I analyze the customer’s issues one step at a time, this way I can gather a clear and concise picture of the overall problem. Then through a streamlined method of troubleshooting, I can provide a solution for the customer’s issue and communicate that as plainly as possible.

In this, I am not only solving the customer’s issue but also educating the customer about what caused the issue and how it can be further avoided. This way the customer walks away truly feeling how much they mean to us and not just like another number to the company. We want our customers to have a positive experience with support.  

3. What is your favorite part of chat support?

Not knowing what will show up in chat next. It is very rewarding taking someone’s bad day and turning it around just like that.

4. A lot of us have been “that customer,” the one that runs to support for something obvious. What is the funniest issue you’ve ever had to resolve? (KEEP IT G-RATED TIMMY )

This would have to be a customer that came into chat one day and needed help downloading the installer file from the console. I asked the customer to click on the blue “add new devices” button. They looked all over that page for the button and could not find it….about 30 seconds later they reply ”…oh…the blinking blue button that says ‘add new devices?” ….Yes….that is it I replied. Everyone has those moments.

5. Traditionally the last question is not work related. I understand you fly stuff. Tell me all about that, then tell me what your favorite plane is and why?

I have been flying since the age of 14 (it runs in the family). I started out in a J-3 Piper Cub and rapidly moved my way up through the Cessna Caravan and also have time in a B-200 King Air and a BeachJet 400.

Currently, I fly search and rescue for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. We conduct 95% of all homeland search and rescue missions. We operate a beefed-up Cessna 182, and the Gruman GA-8.

Along with flying the big airplanes, I also enjoy designing, building, and flying R/C model aircraft as well. I currently have a collection of 12 airplanes and 4 helicopters. Here’s a video of Timmy flying one of his helicopters in the meeting room at Avast offices in Charlotte.

I would have to say that I have two favorite aircraft; the first one is from WW2 called the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. It was a formidable fighter with a reputation for taking a pounding and bringing its pilots home safe. The other is my favorite fighter of today – the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet. I fell in love with these aircraft the first time I saw them when I was 5 years old at an airshow in Maryland.

Flying is the one thing that I can say without a doubt I am 100% passionate about. I am also a member of the Avast Aviators group on Google Plus. It is an internal group for anyone in Avast that enjoys the splendors of aviation.

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