I am Support

I work for a company that sells software. My job is software-support. I help clients and partners to use our software. I want to talk about my job.

Why does this job exist? The support isn't supposed to develop corrections, and fundamentally we don't do anything that the developers can't do. We cost money and if the client doesn't call we have nothing to do!

However if you don't have a support team, what happens? The customer questions will be managed directly by the development team. You will still need to decide who should pick up the phone or check the emails. Perhaps its a secretary? They will still need to know what to do - which developer to contact. Maybe the boss will dispatch?

In short, all software vendors have a support team. They just appear, like foam on a beer. They exist because the developers don't want to be interrupted. Developers have plans and sprints and schedules that customers don't know about. Developers are assigned to projects and become experts in new domains - they move on. The support reduces the interruptions for the development.

Sometimes we believe that the clients pay for the support, so the support is a profitable activity. This is a misconception. The  support works for the developers, and the clients are buying an insurance policy. In fact the software maintenance revenue pays the cost of development of their current product and future products - especially the ones that fail.

Support teams should be overstaffed, to handle peak activity. Outside of peak activity support must find other occupations. Often the development can suck the support into testing or infrastructure administration activities. The support can help the documentation team navigate the product. The support can act as occasional trainers for the clients. Generally the support team knows the products better than anyone else, so we are the best people to work on small customer integration projects. However - to the annoyance of all - support can't commit to a deadline for these extra activities - the peak is coming!

So here I am. I'm not a developer, I can't build a product. I'm a facilitator, trouble-shooter, a reference. I bring clarity and, hopefully, understanding. Sometimes I think I'm an accelerator, like petrol to a fire. Its a job with variety and satisfaction, but also frustration since I can't actually change the products. I've been doing it for 30 years, its what I've become.