7 ms·

I wonder if there was a reason for taking the call? Possibly to see some aspect of support calls by doing it?

67726e 10y ago
Well TFA says he was on a guided tour, so I imagine he wanted to get a better sense of what the support folks have to go through. We do something similar at work, where you can do a "ride along" to get a better idea of what folks using our internal tools needs are.
XaspR8d 10y ago
It was also a very useful employee relations move: Bill wasn't "above" the task of a customer support call and demonstrated respect for the support workers by performing his best in their role, even if very temporarily.
- tjr 10y ago
  I wonder if Bill wouldn't have happily fielded the second call from that customer too, had he been asked.
nxc18 10y ago
I think its interesting to see real-world customers and how they use software. Being in university, I get to see a whole range of people. You realize that people don't really have a robust mental model of how their computer works or how the software they use is structured. Then we 'computer people' wonder why they struggle with our software. There are so many times I'll watch someone go through a laborious process to find a google doc, despite having seen a link to it on their screen at least 4 or 5 times. Or I'll see them go to the search bar, type in google, then start their search. Or go to the file menu rather than use shortcuts (every. single. time.). Or use tabs to manually center things rather than use the center button. Even relatively advanced users will completely miss the existence of styles in Docs & Office. And all of these are just the basics. We really do need to make software easier/more intuitive.
- Klathmon 10y ago
  I'm running out of people to do it with, but I love taking someone in the company who has never used, read about, or even seen a program and setting aside some time and just handing it to them and saying "do x". It's such a massive help in finding what can be confusing, what requires industry knowledge, what is easy for a developer vs a user, etc... It's so often that we as developers take some knowledge for granted, and helping the user either get that knowledge, or not need it is monumentally helpful. Sadly, I've found that once they do that, they are "tainted" and can't really do it again as well with that product, so it's something I try to do as late in the process as possible. But it has been what prompted me to throw out an entire redesign for a screen and start over very late in the process, and to good effect. I'm seriously afraid our usability will suffer when we run out of people to do this with.
  - InitialLastName 10y ago
    Interns are a great solution to the "running out of new, untainted eyes" problem.
  - lb1lf 10y ago
    -I do this from time to time to test one-off service/support docs prior to shipping them off to my customers. (I work in the marine industry; when a customer has a problem, he's often way out on the high seas, outside of even helicopter range - so, effectively, if whatever issue he's facing cannot be solved with what he's already got on board and some detailed instructions, he's SOL.) After breaking down the solution (hopefully, we're able to isolate the problem!), I bring all the required hardware, software, scripts and my first draft for the solution document to someone Not Into Automation & Control(tm) - say, the cafeteria or cleaning staff and ask them to work their way through it. It never ceases to amaze me how many things we just take for granted after working in a field for a few years. ("Oh, but surely it is self-evident that..." "F--k no, it isn't!") Result: Someone not at all involved in the day-to-day management of our products feel a much stronger attachment to the company and what we do to stay in existence; a customer gets a procedure which is so detailed, they can have anyone do it; I get to sleep well as I know the tasks sent offshore are as detailed and correct as I can possibly make them - and everybody is better off. At least I like to think so.
fourthark 10y ago
Comment lower down remembers that the staff suggested it. And William did not perform so well.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
ceejayoz 10y ago
I've seen the CEO of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wegmans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wegmans ($7B grocery store chain) in the Pittsford Wegmans parking lot picking up trash all by himself (no photo op). He drives a Ferrari in.
- zlynx 10y ago
  I don't know what you do for a primary job, but don't you get a feeling of refreshment and accomplishment from doing something different now and then? Especially when you can see actual progress and improvement instead of going to meetings and reading summary and analysis documents all day. For example, I'm a programmer, but every now and then I open up and clean the office coffee machine, or mop up a spill in the break room. This isn't what I'm being paid for but doing a good job at it makes me happy, and NOT doing it would be being a jerk.
  - hashhar 10y ago
    Wow, I think you have written down what makes me not want to go into management (I've just graduated). The feeling of "seeing"/"measuring" impact (either code churn or shipping or affecting people) is a very good and satisfying one. I also think the satisfaction factor is different for different people but that is what eventually people call "Job Satisfaction" and is a very important thing in the long run. Without satisfaction I don't think someone will be able to do the same job (maybe at the same place) for his/her life.
    - bostonpete 10y ago
      I don't see how a role in management is at odds with job satisfaction. You mentioned you just graduated -- maybe your impression of management is based on the caricature that tends to be portrayed in pop culture? As a manager, I feel like I am able to see a (hopefully positive) impact of the work I do -- impact both on customers/users and on the members of my team.
      - hashhar 10y ago
emiliobumachar 10y ago
A chance to catch something obviously wrong that gets in the way of the workers but that they lack the power to fix. Big companies sometimes drop the ball. No grunt complains to the face of the CEO. Apparently he missed one such thing by sheer bad luck. From the comments: "Bill queried the knowledge base, which was normally painfully slow, but this time it was snappy and responsive."
mathattack 10y ago
This is a best practice amongst many high performing organizations. Engineers who intuitively understand how their products are being used become much better designers. Similarly, managers get to understand the real pain of their customers.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

Well TFA says he was on a guided tour, so I imagine he wanted to get a better sense of what the support folks have to go through. We do something similar at work, where you can do a "ride along" to get a better idea of what folks using our internal tools needs are.

XaspR8d 10y ago

It was also a very useful employee relations move: Bill wasn't "above" the task of a customer support call and demonstrated respect for the support workers by performing his best in their role, even if very temporarily.

tjr 10y ago
I wonder if Bill wouldn't have happily fielded the second call from that customer too, had he been asked.

nxc18 10y ago

I think its interesting to see real-world customers and how they use software. Being in university, I get to see a whole range of people. You realize that people don't really have a robust mental model of how their computer works or how the software they use is structured. Then we 'computer people' wonder why they struggle with our software. There are so many times I'll watch someone go through a laborious process to find a google doc, despite having seen a link to it on their screen at least 4 or 5 times. Or I'll see them go to the search bar, type in google, then start their search. Or go to the file menu rather than use shortcuts (every. single. time.). Or use tabs to manually center things rather than use the center button. Even relatively advanced users will completely miss the existence of styles in Docs & Office. And all of these are just the basics. We really do need to make software easier/more intuitive.

Klathmon 10y ago
I'm running out of people to do it with, but I love taking someone in the company who has never used, read about, or even seen a program and setting aside some time and just handing it to them and saying "do x". It's such a massive help in finding what can be confusing, what requires industry knowledge, what is easy for a developer vs a user, etc... It's so often that we as developers take some knowledge for granted, and helping the user either get that knowledge, or not need it is monumentally helpful. Sadly, I've found that once they do that, they are "tainted" and can't really do it again as well with that product, so it's something I try to do as late in the process as possible. But it has been what prompted me to throw out an entire redesign for a screen and start over very late in the process, and to good effect. I'm seriously afraid our usability will suffer when we run out of people to do this with.
- InitialLastName 10y ago
  Interns are a great solution to the "running out of new, untainted eyes" problem.
- lb1lf 10y ago
  -I do this from time to time to test one-off service/support docs prior to shipping them off to my customers. (I work in the marine industry; when a customer has a problem, he's often way out on the high seas, outside of even helicopter range - so, effectively, if whatever issue he's facing cannot be solved with what he's already got on board and some detailed instructions, he's SOL.) After breaking down the solution (hopefully, we're able to isolate the problem!), I bring all the required hardware, software, scripts and my first draft for the solution document to someone Not Into Automation & Control(tm) - say, the cafeteria or cleaning staff and ask them to work their way through it. It never ceases to amaze me how many things we just take for granted after working in a field for a few years. ("Oh, but surely it is self-evident that..." "F--k no, it isn't!") Result: Someone not at all involved in the day-to-day management of our products feel a much stronger attachment to the company and what we do to stay in existence; a customer gets a procedure which is so detailed, they can have anyone do it; I get to sleep well as I know the tasks sent offshore are as detailed and correct as I can possibly make them - and everybody is better off. At least I like to think so.

fourthark 10y ago

Comment lower down remembers that the staff suggested it. And William did not perform so well.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

ceejayoz 10y ago

I've seen the CEO of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wegmans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wegmans ($7B grocery store chain) in the Pittsford Wegmans parking lot picking up trash all by himself (no photo op). He drives a Ferrari in.

zlynx 10y ago
I don't know what you do for a primary job, but don't you get a feeling of refreshment and accomplishment from doing something different now and then? Especially when you can see actual progress and improvement instead of going to meetings and reading summary and analysis documents all day. For example, I'm a programmer, but every now and then I open up and clean the office coffee machine, or mop up a spill in the break room. This isn't what I'm being paid for but doing a good job at it makes me happy, and NOT doing it would be being a jerk.
- hashhar 10y ago
  Wow, I think you have written down what makes me not want to go into management (I've just graduated). The feeling of "seeing"/"measuring" impact (either code churn or shipping or affecting people) is a very good and satisfying one. I also think the satisfaction factor is different for different people but that is what eventually people call "Job Satisfaction" and is a very important thing in the long run. Without satisfaction I don't think someone will be able to do the same job (maybe at the same place) for his/her life.
  - bostonpete 10y ago
    I don't see how a role in management is at odds with job satisfaction. You mentioned you just graduated -- maybe your impression of management is based on the caricature that tends to be portrayed in pop culture? As a manager, I feel like I am able to see a (hopefully positive) impact of the work I do -- impact both on customers/users and on the members of my team.
    - hashhar 10y ago

emiliobumachar 10y ago

A chance to catch something obviously wrong that gets in the way of the workers but that they lack the power to fix. Big companies sometimes drop the ball. No grunt complains to the face of the CEO. Apparently he missed one such thing by sheer bad luck. From the comments: "Bill queried the knowledge base, which was normally painfully slow, but this time it was snappy and responsive."

mathattack 10y ago

This is a best practice amongst many high performing organizations. Engineers who intuitively understand how their products are being used become much better designers. Similarly, managers get to understand the real pain of their customers.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]