Comment by ilc

2 days ago

As an engineer, there's only one reason I don't want to be on customer calls:

Once a customer knows the person who actually builds the product, they will short cut:

- Customer Service

- Product Management

- Any other sane defenses you put in to protect a developer's time.

And just contact me directly.

Then what do I do to get them off of me without losing a customer?

... That is why engineers don't get on support calls.

If I could be "Anon E. Mouse" for the engagement, that'd be fine. But fact is, that's not what happens.

4 comments

ilc

teunispeters 2 days ago

And from experience, customer requests will not only be pushy and aggressive, but often at odds with company policy and directions. If they have a direct way to contact, one may end up not being able to do one's job due to the interruptions.

convolvatron 2 days ago

personally I think the customers and I both get some value out of our interactions. but I normally don't sit on customer calls. why? because half of the time I screw up the sales aspect by saying

   - the salesperson told you what? no, we don't do anything like that
   - oh, yeah, this is easy, you don't really need our product, just use X
   - yeah, we have vague plans to do that, but no real schedule. its gonna be a major lift
   - once we finish coding and testing that, its gonna be great!

jacquesm 2 days ago

Yes, god forbid that an engineer would be contacted directly to solve a problem they have. The thought alone.

ilc 2 days ago

Yes, god forbid people escalate their issues properly so they go to the right people. The thought alone.