As developers on PeopleSoft systems, we all want
to support our users—our customers.
It's an important part of the job.
Now, sometimes
that job can be difficult. Users often will report
a problem with no detail or context: "My report
isn't working." It's then our job to coax out
the information needed to determine what the
problem is. People sometimes have selective
memories: "I didn't do anything different this
morning." Or they jump to premature conclusions:
"This employee's service date is wrong. There
must be a bug in the last tax update!" By
treating people with respect and exploring
a problem step by step, we can generally get
to the root of the issue, solve it, and leave
the customer with a good feeling about our
professionalism and commitment to the project.
Sure—it's easy for me to say that. But
you are busy. You're trying to finish the
customization on the new module, but people keep
calling with problems. You have that one new
user who calls you with every little question
and refuses to use PeopleBooks. Then there's the
one who assumes every issue leads back to your
customization, and the one who needs everything
yesterday...
