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Personally, I like immediate responses from a support person who can run issues by a developer if necessary. Developers shouldn't have to spend any time walking

Personally, I like immediate responses from a support person who can run issues by a developer if necessary. Developers shouldn't have to spend any time walking a user through logging in, helping explain how to import data, etc. I don't see support as a valuable use of developer time, and I don't think that developers should patch code on the fly in response to a single support ticket. I also worry that what might be a well-meaning response with a few technical details can come off as very condescending. If you're a small team and you don't have a dedicated client coordinator or support person then of course your developers are also support -- you don't have any options. If you do have options it's best to have someone between the customer and the developer. If for no other reason than to screen common/simple issues and ensure a timely, polite response.

buckbova 12y ago
If you have a large product offering, having the developer involved in support makes him/her more aware of what exists and where the problems lie. The developer will take a deeper look at the issue and create a well written bug report/issue ticket. This helps the developers get to know their customers a bit too. I'm not talking about tier one type stuff, like logging in or updating their browser or something. But they should be involved in a rotational basis for escalated tickets.
ef4 12y ago
> Developers shouldn't have to spend any time walking a user through logging in, helping explain how to import data, etc. I actually find that spending such time is one of the few effective ways to reliably show developers where their user experience is poor. If your users keep asking the same question, it's not their fault -- it's a problem with the software, and developers need to be the ones to fix it.
- will_work4tears 12y ago
  Bug reports do that just fine though. I don't need to physically run the person through the login process, a report or series of bug reports can clue me in just fine.

buckbova 12y ago

If you have a large product offering, having the developer involved in support makes him/her more aware of what exists and where the problems lie. The developer will take a deeper look at the issue and create a well written bug report/issue ticket. This helps the developers get to know their customers a bit too. I'm not talking about tier one type stuff, like logging in or updating their browser or something. But they should be involved in a rotational basis for escalated tickets.

ef4 12y ago

> Developers shouldn't have to spend any time walking a user through logging in, helping explain how to import data, etc. I actually find that spending such time is one of the few effective ways to reliably show developers where their user experience is poor. If your users keep asking the same question, it's not their fault -- it's a problem with the software, and developers need to be the ones to fix it.

will_work4tears 12y ago
Bug reports do that just fine though. I don't need to physically run the person through the login process, a report or series of bug reports can clue me in just fine.