{"id":12675,"date":"2020-12-10T12:18:56","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T11:18:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/?p=12675"},"modified":"2023-04-04T15:59:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T13:59:28","slug":"developers-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/dev-life\/developers-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Developers Should Be Part of Customer Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t
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  1. 1. Being involved in customer support lets developers see the bigger picture<\/a>
  2. 2. Developers can provide a higher level of customer service<\/a>
  3. 3. Developers can hone their coding and debugging skills<\/a>
  4. 4. Solving customer problems gives developers a morale boost<\/a>
  5. 5. New hires get a great head start<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Good customer support<\/span> is key to any software business<\/span><\/strong>. But it\u2019s sometimes unclear who is best placed to provide that support.\u00a0 At smaller companies<\/span>, it can be a case of \u2018all hands on deck\u2019. With fewer employees<\/span> to call on, developers<\/span> often have to pitch in and use the company<\/span>\u2019s cloud based phone system<\/a> or email to provide that essential customer service.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    As firms grow, however, and are faced with an increasing number of calls, customer support<\/span> tends to get handed over to a dedicated team<\/span>. And developers<\/span> spend little – if any – time dealing with customers<\/span><\/strong>. It\u2019s often the case, too, that developers<\/span> are more than happy to give up their customer support<\/span> roles.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Some perhaps believe they don\u2019t have the necessary skills<\/span> – or that time spent on customer<\/span> service takes time away from their essential development work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    However, this could be a big mistake. In having to deal directly with customers<\/span> and talk to them about their products<\/span>, developers<\/span> have the opportunity to learn important lessons<\/strong> and even onboard new skills<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Plus, not only does putting developers<\/span> on the frontline help them \u2018develop\u2019 themselves, but also improves the customer experience<\/a>. Developers<\/span> are very familiar with their products<\/span><\/strong>, so they\u2019re ideally placed to deal with software issues. For example, any code changes can be completed and tested quickly – by the same team member.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Before we get started on why developers<\/span> should be part of customer support<\/span>,\u00a0 let\u2019s outline what we mean by a \u2018developer<\/span>\u2019, as opposed to someone who works in IT support.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    The role of a developer<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    In general, when we talk about developers<\/span> we\u2019re talking about the people who build features<\/span>, rather than provide customer support<\/span>. They design, code, and test features<\/span>, and are involved in all the activities involved in engineering<\/span> a product<\/span> or service. From websites to webinar software<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers can be \u2018front-end<\/a>\u2019 or \u2018back-end\u2019. Front-end<\/span> developers<\/span> are also known as \u2018client<\/span>-side\u2019 developers<\/span>, and they\u2019re responsible for building the human interactions<\/span> like \u2018scrolling\u2019 on a website. A back-end<\/span> developer<\/span> creates architecture<\/span> behind the scenes, and uses algorithms to set up server<\/span> configurations and APIs<\/a>, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    While developers<\/span> may get called on by customer<\/span> services from time to time, they don\u2019t usually interact<\/span> directly with users<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Customer service<\/span> support agents, on the other hand, may be well-versed in IT but will not usually have coding experience or be able to make significant enhancements to products<\/span>. They\u2019re there to field queries and provide advice to customers<\/span> and clients<\/span>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
    \"Developers<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    In this post, we\u2019ll argue that developers<\/span> – and indeed everyone involved in the business<\/span> – should spend some time serving customers<\/span> directly<\/strong>, albeit only intermittently. By dealing directly with their customers<\/span>, developers<\/span> can gain important insights into how their products<\/span> are used and add extra value to the business<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Here are five reasons why it could pay off to give your developers<\/span> a role in customer support<\/span>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    1. Being involved in customer support lets developers see the bigger picture<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Providing direct customer support<\/span> gives developers<\/span> the opportunity to understand their products<\/span> as customers<\/span> see them<\/strong>. As a product<\/span> matures, developers<\/span> can begin to feel disengaged from it in its entirety. That\u2019s because developers<\/span> often work in silos, focusing only on the features<\/span> they\u2019re building individually.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    This disengagement means developers<\/span> don\u2019t always have the chance to consider their place in the overall development of the products<\/span>. By spending time talking to customers<\/span> they get a complete view of the product<\/span>, and of the part they\u2019re playing. By offering support they can get to appreciate all the other systems<\/span> that make up the bigger picture.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers<\/span> often have the knack of solving complex coding challenges<\/a>. By providing customer support<\/span> they\u2019re faced with having to break complex problems down into bite-sized pieces. Both perspectives are beneficial when tackling software issues.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    For example, spending time with customers<\/span> helps developers<\/span> understand the codebase<\/span> in its entirety. Once a developer<\/span> has worked in support they\u2019re better equipped to notice ripples – i.e., areas of code<\/span> that could potentially be affected by changing one line. Once noted, they can then feed this information back into the system<\/span> in terms of how features<\/span> are built. So that the company<\/span> can learn how to improve and scale<\/span>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers<\/span> can also understand how clients<\/span> work with live data<\/span><\/strong> rather than being exposed to just test<\/span> data<\/span>. This means they can introduce new variables into risk systems during the development phase.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    2. Developers can provide a higher level of customer service<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    All software companies<\/span> share the same aim; to provide the highest quality<\/span> of service<\/span> possible. And that goes further than just developing the best software<\/span>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    When it comes to providing the best customer<\/span> service, companies<\/span> need to implement the best technology, such as MDM systems<\/a>. It\u2019s also essential that the support agent handling any calls is knowledgeable about the products<\/span> or services.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    This is especially true when it comes to selling softwares and systems<\/span>. Customer<\/span> support is often included in a software package, so customers<\/span> expect to have their queries dealt with efficiently.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    It\u2019s incredibly frustrating for customers<\/span><\/strong>, then, when they call with an issue to be faced with a customer<\/span> support rep who\u2019s not 100% familiar with their product<\/span>. Whether they\u2019re working in-house or are part of an outsourced support team, agents may be simply reading from a script. They can be quickly fazed when presented with a question that doesn\u2019t appear on that script.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers<\/span> on the other hand know how<\/span> to ask the right questions to get to the right answers. They know exactly what\u2019s going on, so they can narrow down the issue in a short amount of time. And, because they have access to the code<\/span>, they can quickly release a patch and solve problems instantly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
    \"Nick<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    3. Developers can hone their coding and debugging skills<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Having to deal with customers<\/span> directly means that developers<\/span> may be exposed to code<\/span> written by more experienced coders<\/span>. This can provide developers<\/span> with inspiration<\/strong> in terms of picking up actionable insights they can apply to future work.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers<\/span> on the frontline are also in prime position to learn how to figure out how weaker parts of the codebase<\/span> are decreasing the product<\/span>\u2019s performance<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers<\/span> working in customer support<\/span> also get an insider view<\/strong> on how customers<\/span> are engaging with the software<\/a> or system. Different clients<\/span> will use the software<\/span> in new ways that may not have occurred to the development team.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Certain customers<\/span> may not be using the SaaS<\/a> as intended, and therefore, without realizing it, they are introducing bugs<\/span> into the system<\/span>. This is where a developer<\/span>\/customer services member can go through steps with the client<\/span>, perhaps using screen share apps<\/a>, in order to identify the sequences that are creating these issues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers are exposed to different technologies<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    In dealing with customers<\/span>\u2019 problems, developers<\/span> also get to understand technologies that are usually out of the remit of their usual job<\/span>. For example, an iOS developer may have to learn how to use fixed VoIP<\/a> to talk to customers. Having to deal with different aspects of the business and its various systems gives them fresh insights and means they have to master new skills<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Debugging<\/span><\/a> is a critical skill required of any developer. By supporting customers directly, developers become more skilled at their job. When they\u2019re reminded of bugs they\u2019ve had to fix for customers, they learn to avoid making the same coding mistakes in the future. This can save the company valuable time and money<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
    \"Developers'<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers working in customer support also get better at following up after releasing their feature and viewing error logs. They\u2019re also more likely to figure out \u2018one off\u2019 cases because of their prior experience – and identify similar malfunctions so they can fix them more quickly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    4. Solving customer problems gives developers a morale boost<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    At times, it can be frustrating having to deal with customers. However, many developers report getting a boost in morale<\/strong> when dealing with end users. They can see close up how customers are using their products and get real feedback from those who use products on a daily basis. Seeing how their work is being used gives them motivation to \u2018do better\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    For example, when rolling out software it can be useful to involve a developer in customer support and use their expertise to spot issues \u2018on the hoof\u2019. In helping to successfully get the product to market, the developer is given a huge confidence boost. They\u2019ve helped to ensure the success of a project that may have taken months, if not years, to complete.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers can develop their soft skills<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Programmers are often perceived as less outgoing than employees involved in sales prospecting<\/a>. However, developers can pick up useful soft skills<\/span><\/a> over their time in customer service – and that\u2019s something that\u2019s only going to help their careers going forward. Conversations with customers can help developers build empathy that will lead to improvements in how they build.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    By thinking about what the customer really wants, they can be dissuaded from \u2018overengineering\u2019. Developers who handle customer care tend to care more about the end product. They gain a sense of purpose from the knowledge that the products they\u2019re developing have an impact on the lives of customers. Without understanding this, it\u2019s as if all their hard work and effort goes into a \u2018black box\u2019.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Communicating complex problems and solutions when they\u2019re under pressure from customers is difficult, but it\u2019s a great way for developers to learn new soft skills<\/strong>. Tech support members have to learn what to say to customers and when, as well as how to explain problems and what information to present to ensure transparency.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers need to get used to communicating with customers in a way they can understand via various channels of communication including social media<\/span><\/a>. They may need to talk more quickly – since developers are often used to explaining things slowly using charts and diagrams. What\u2019s required when talking to end customers is a more direct, faster manner of communication.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    5. New hires get a great head start<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    When onboarding new employees, learning how to interact with your customers<\/strong> and handle their concerns is a great introduction to understanding your products. Not to mention how your company operates<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Without the customer perspective, it\u2019s hard to understand all the use cases around products. It\u2019s also an effective way of getting developers up to speed with the impact of development decisions, and software design. As well as giving them a high level view of the product roadmap.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Developers can\u2019t spend the majority of their time providing customer support. They need to allocate most of their time to coding<\/strong> without interruption. But it\u2019s possible to assign developers a few hours a week supporting the customers that buy and use the products they develop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Once support tasks become a natural part of the working day or week, developers will benefit by becoming better at their jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    By placing developers on the front lines of customer support you\u2019re creating opportunities to build customer loyalty as well as improve the developers\u2019 technical skills. Developers can, for example, learn how to screen share<\/a> in order to show customers a sequence of practical steps or a diagram of the product.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    And what developers learn about your products can be fed back into the way those products are developed<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    If you\u2019re just starting out in terms of re-deploying members of the development team to a customer service role, it\u2019s important to remember that they\u2019re unused to being in a customer facing role.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Enlist developers to spend time with support staff for a day or two. That way, you won\u2019t have untrained customer service facing developers on the frontline right away.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Once they\u2019ve worked in the background helping with tricky issues, they will have picked up a few pointers on how to deal with customers. Then it could be time to let them speak to customers directly. As they become more proficient at providing customer support, you\u2019ll see this is a \u2018win-win\u2019 situation for the company, your developers, and your customers.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Good customer support is key to any software business. But it\u2019s sometimes unclear who is best placed to provide that support.\u00a0 At smaller companies, it can be a case of \u2018all hands on deck\u2019. With fewer employees to call on, developers often have to pitch in and use the company\u2019s cloud based phone system or… Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":12685,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":8,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7228,7242],"collections":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12675","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dev-life","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-developer-business","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n5 Reasons Developers Should be part of Customer Service - 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