[jim_h]

In my experience, the developers should NOT be taking customer calls.

Once a client knows that a developer will take calls, they will take advantage of it and try to get in new features and changes. There should be a layer between developers and clients. This helps the developers not get distracted or waste their time by explaining things that someone could do also (or better).

Yes, the developers should be aware of what the clients are having issues with or what features they want, but there should be a 'firewall' between developers and clients. Not all the time, but most of the time. The firewall can be imaginary, but the client needs to believe it exists.

[jrs235]

I tend to agree with this point. There should be a firewall or layer between customer -> developer communications. The firewall intercepts/takes/handles incoming requests from the customer and forwards them on to the dev team or a developer who, if needed, can/will contact the customer. The customers should never have a direct line to developers unless you only want developers to work on "urgent" (regardless of important or unimportant) issues and "small/easy" features.

[gordonguthrie]

I am not saying that all developers should always be on customer support.

But all developers should sometimes be on customer support - maybe 1 day a week, maybe more.

[gordonguthrie]

We call that 'moving' and not 'working'. Working is something that generates customer satisfaction. Moving is just anything else. Adding bodies just to run distraction for developers is adding pure waste onto payroll.