Why People.ai Engineers Join Customer Meetings

Engineers usually work in a vacuum; drawing up the code that creates our software products and features. They are responsible for what the end-user experience will be, yet few engineers ever get to see first-hand the end-user experience.Not at People.ai.Our team of more than 30 engineers is expected to each spend at least three hours per quarter in customer-facing meetings.Why does this matter?

1. First-hand feedback quickly improves end user experience. There’s nothing like getting direct feedback from a customer on how a product or feature is working (or not), how their technology works with your product, and what issues they’re concerned about. This direct feedback loops our engineers into a direct relationship with end users, and they walk away from every customer meeting with insight into how to make the end user experience even better. This direct experience feeds into a faster innovation cycle.
2. Customers get direct access to the people who make the product. There’s nothing like sitting in a meeting with a vendor, having a question about how a product may or may not work, or bringing up a specific concern and being able to ask the engineer who built the product for an on-the-spot solution. People.ai engineers are there to address customer questions directly, in language customers understand. This speeds up the decision and implementation process.
3. Engineers feel more ownership of product management and success. Many companies say that everyone owns the customer experience. At People.ai, we mean it. Involving engineers directly in customer conversations creates a true sense of product ownership. It’s all too embarrassing to walk into a meeting and have a customer tell you about an issue they’re having with a feature that you created. You can be sure that engineers who are directly involved in customer-facing interactions take product ownership more personally -- and that, again, results in a better product and end user experience.

As an engineer, I find it incredibly rewarding to learn first-hand from end users how a product I invest time, skill, and talent developing is impacting their business and their customer experience. Nothing can replace direct feedback and it is one of the fastest ways for an engineer to advance his or her knowledge and the value provided to the company and the customers.If you’re an engineer interested in advancing your career, we’re hiring!

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