Working on Murex, we found ourselves in a support role. People are coming to us with problems and requests and we need to help/guide/handhold/advise/explain/assist/… others. As such a little bit of psychology never hurts.
I see sometimes support people with the finesse of a sledgehammer hitting a glass table at full speed. Just being  blunt, not interested really in the whole problem. As support role, at the end of the day, we are the ones who will be evaluated based on the feedback of people who we support. If you have the nasty habit of making others feeling dumb and try to show that you know more than them, you’re either in the wrong career path or the current career will come to a close quickly. Put in your mind once and for all that your role is to help others achieve what they need.
For those of you with the social skills of an oyster (and I’m not talking about the Caribbean oyster well know for its social gatherings, its after church discussions and its theater skills), couple of pointers:
– Don’t hide behind email/messaging system/portal, a face to face or a phone call builds a more personal relationship. It also helps understanding if something else is at stake
– Try to feel the mood of the people and adapt. If the trader just hit the jackpot or if he is over exposed, then the news that you won’t work on his/her issues for the next 6 months is probably not going to be received the same.
– Interest yourself to what they are doing. This is essential. Even if your work is different, understanding, caring about what they do will not only help you build stronger bonds but also make you a much better support person.
This common sense might seem obvious to most of you, but I have seen quite few times people which must believe that they are of a different breed to the rest of us and we should accept what they say as gospel. Support is a 2 way street, building a strong relationship is essential.