…remember the movie Office Space…
[Scene Initech. Bob Slydell and Bob Porter are interviewing Tom.]
BOB SLYDELL
So what you do is you take the specifications from the customers and you bring them down to the software engineers?
TOM
That, that’s right.
BOB PORTER
Well, then I gotta ask, then why can’t the customers just take the specifications directly to the software people, huh?
TOM
Well, uh, uh, uh, because, uh, engineers are not good at dealing with customers.
BOB SLYDELL
You physically take the specs from the customer?
TOM
Well, no, my, my secretary does that, or, or the fax.
BOB SLYDELL
Ah.
BOB PORTER
Then you must physically bring them to the software people.
TOM
Well…no. Yeah, I mean, sometimes.
BOB SLYDELL
Well, what would you say… you do here?
TOM
Well, look, I already told you. I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don’t have to!! I have people skills!! I am good at dealing with people!!! Can’t you understand that?!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!
It takes a special kind of temperment to take calls from unhappy customers all day long. Engineers (like Tom up there…) do not generally have the social good graces to treat the customer with kid gloves when they call in about a problem. An Engineer sitting in their cube postulating the day away is not paid to answer calls all day. There was a wholly-owned subsidiary of our company that answered their own calls. I did front line one day as part of that group…never again: I’ll do Tier 2 support all day long…but answering all calls, no way.