How to Become a Good Support Engineer as a DevRel
When I first started in DevRel, I made it about me. Visibility was important, but I quickly learned that the more problems I solved, the more visible my contributions became. I used to look down on simple documentation tasks or API support in favor of complex applications, but the former often had a bigger impact on customers.
I'm not saying you should always pick the simpler task, but evaluate projects based on the impact they can have for the product—not just for you. This mindset will give you better results in the long run.
Core Principles
1. Document Everything
Always have a task, and document your findings as a support engineer. Whether it's for DevOps, the dev team, or anyone diving deeper into issues, your documentation will be helpful. Even if it doesn't immediately help others, it's a valuable learning experience that helps you better understand the product.
2. Trust, But Verify
Customers or developers might be right about what they're saying, but it never hurts to verify. Double-checking information prevents misunderstandings and ensures you're solving the right problem.
3. Don't Take It Personally
Sometimes customer feedback will feel personal, but remember: they're not attacking you. They're frustrated with a situation or a product issue. Separate yourself from the problem.
4. Share Feedback Proactively
Pass on feedback, both positive and negative. I would post updates on internal Slack, relevant channels, and share screenshots. This keeps the team informed and helps identify patterns or areas for improvement.
5. Ask for Help When Stuck
Ask for help if you're stuck. Just call a teammate and ask them for suggestions—it doesn't take the win away from you. I would call the CTO for deeper clarification on bugs or new technologies I didn't understand very well.
6. Automate Repetitive Questions
Often, the same questions will frustrate you. When this happens, start thinking about how you can automate or streamline the response. Can you create a one-page doc? Can you set up a chatbot? Can you create a video addressing it all? Thinking proactively about automation will save you time and improve the customer experience.
7. Escalate Critical Issues Immediately
Escalate critical issues immediately, even if you don't have complete information. Inform the customer that the issue has been noticed, and follow up with an ETA and RCA (Root Cause Analysis). Know who your most important customers are, and set up monitoring using observability tools like Grafana or SigNoz wherever it makes sense.
8. Mine Your Existing Customer Data
Your existing customer base is your single best source of signal. The fact that a customer is already using your product for a specific use case means the use case is proven — if one customer is doing it, others have the same need. You don't need to guess what developers want; you already have the data sitting in your support tickets, Slack messages, and onboarding calls.
When you see one customer successfully apply your product to use case X, treat that as a validated lead. Create a case study or tutorial around that exact workflow. Reach out to similar companies or developers who fit the same profile. The first customer for a use case is the hardest — each additional one is easier, and the content you produce compounds. Chasing every possible use case spreads you thin. Mining the ones already working doubles your impact with less effort.