As an engineer, I am involved in the product development of the ERP package software "HUE," and in the ERP package software development department, responsibilities are basically divided by product and function. I am in charge of tax-related functions such as corporate tax and fixed asset tax of the fixed asset management system called "HUE Asset" and journal-related functions.

As an engineer in charge of functions, my role is not only to develop functions, but also to investigate what kind of problems are occurring at the customer's site and what is the cause of such problems when customers contact customer support. When there is a problem with the system, we investigate the impact of the problem on the functionality of the system and the scope of the impact when modifying the source code before taking action to correct the problem.

I work in the same development department as S.S., but my role is a little different.
While S.S. works as an engineer to create products, I work as a customer support person to help customers who are using our products "HUE" and "HUE Classic".

To put it simply, I am responsible for responding to inquiries and requests from customers regarding our products and functions.
In a nutshell, this means responding to inquiries and requests from customers, but in some cases, customers themselves do not understand what they are having trouble with, and in other cases, it is difficult to verbalize the customer's request. In some cases, it is difficult to verbalize the customer's request. Therefore, our first step is to determine the customer's "essential problem or request.
If it is difficult to solve or realize the problem with the existing functions, we will discuss the development of new functions together with the engineers. If it is difficult to achieve with existing functions, we will discuss the development of new functions together with the engineer.

In addition, we also work with our consultants to provide operational proposals to customers who are in the implementation stage of HUE or HUE Classic.

The customer support department in the customer support division and the customer support department in the development division support customers in the same way by responding to inquiries from customers who are using HUE and HUE Classic.
When a customer makes an inquiry, the customer support member of the customer support department first responds to the inquiry based on the manual and internal documents. If an irregular inquiry arises that is not covered in the manual, the customer support team in the development division responds to it.

Examples of customer support from the development department include the following questions: "Can the customer's request be realized with the existing functionality? Or do we need to develop a new function?" and then make a proposal to the customer. In my case, I have experience in product development as an engineer, so I sometimes take advantage of that experience to research source code.

First of all, the appeal of HUE and HUE Classic is that they are ERP package software for large Japanese companies, created from scratch by a Japanese company. Although it is my personal opinion, I believe that among Japanese companies, there are very few companies that have developed such a huge system called "ERP package software for large companies" as our company's own product.
However, "HUE" and "HUE Classic" were created from scratch by Works Applications, a Japanese company, so they are designed to easily match the business operations of Japanese companies. HUE and HUE Classic were created from scratch by a Japanese company, Works Applications.

The next attractive point of our product development is that each of us can take ownership of every step of the system development process, from upstream to downstream. At our company, engineers in charge of functions are expected to have a sense of ownership and responsibility for the development of the product.
In fact, even when I was a newcomer (and even now), I was (and am) required to always take the initiative in the development of the functions I am in charge of, from design to implementation, in all processes.

We are a flat company with no strict hierarchical relationships among employees, so it is easy to consult with superiors and seniors when we have problems. Of course, superiors and seniors will follow up with you when necessary, but even so, you may still have questions such as, "How should this function be designed? What kind of specifications should we use for this part? I was the one who made the final decision.
When I was a newcomer, I was honestly surprised that I could make such decisions as a newcomer, but as the person in charge of functions But I believe that this environment, where I can work on development independently with discretion and responsibility as a function manager, will lead to my growth as an engineer.

Yes, it is a great opportunity to grow as an engineer. We do everything in-house, from product development to installation and maintenance, so we have a close relationship with our customers.
Because we are so close to our customers, we are able to imagine more concretely how our products are used by our customers and work on development with a daily awareness of "making it easy for customers to use.

I am also able to directly read the inquiries that come to customer support, so even for small-scale development projects, such as modifying the UI (User Interface) or improving the messages displayed on the system screen, I can ask myself, "Wouldn't it be easier for the customer to operate the product in this way without any confusion? It is easy to imagine such an improvement plan. It is easy to visualize such improvement ideas. By directly confirming the content of the inquiry, we can ask ourselves, "If the function had been specified this way in the first place, wouldn't this inquiry have occurred? We are able to make improvement plans that lead to fundamental problem solving through trial and error.

I think there are two things that are attractive about our ERP package software development.
The first is that we can create our own products from scratch with our own hands.
In the case of a contracted system development company like a system integrator (SIer), the process generally starts with receiving an order from the client, "I want you to build this kind of system," followed by hearing the specifics of the client's business, creating a definition, designing the system, and so on. I think this is the flow of things.

We use a unique framework called a "catalog" when considering the design of functions. The concept of the catalog is a little different from the general design process, in that it is based on the user persona that will be using the function, and the question of what is the current workflow of the user? What are they struggling with and what do they want to solve? We will examine these questions in an orderly fashion. Then, we consider what kind of specifications will solve the problems the user is facing, and document them. In this way, I feel that the most attractive aspect of our ERP package software development is that we can envision issues from scratch and create functions to solve those issues with our own hands.

The second attraction is tied to the "overwhelming functionality coverage," which is the strength of HUE and HUE Classic. Generally, when it comes to developing a single new function, there is only so much that can be achieved with just one function. On the other hand, "HUE" and "HUE Classic" have many existing functions. Even if only one new function is added, it can be designed so that it can be used in combination with existing functions, allowing for a variety of uses.
Even if only one function is added, by linking it with other functions, the possibilities can be expanded into a general-purpose product that can meet a variety of needs, which is a unique feature of our ERP package software development, wouldn't you say?

Yes, it is. The same single product can really work in a variety of ways by changing the way it is configured and operated.
Incidentally, this is something we feel in our customer support work as well. Although the details of each customer's business and the issues they want to solve are different, all customers use the same product, so I believe that their requests for the product will be similar.
I think it is also important to be able to make proposals that can be applied to many other customers in response to a single company's request. The constant trial-and-error process may be one of the most exciting aspects of working with HUE and HUE Classic.

I feel empathy and pride in our ERP package software business model.
Our business model is to grow the product itself by adding new functions to a single product, and to respond free of charge to the need to modify or add functions due to legal revisions.

I think the sense that I am fulfilling my role in responding to the needs of our clients by adding functions in response to legal revisions, etc., and contributing to the corporate value of our clients and to society, is what gives me pride in my day-to-day work.

In terms of direct pleasure, I am proud to be able to say, "HUE and HUE Classic have reduced our customers' man-hours by such a large amount! When I hear such episodes, I am happy to know that we have contributed to the happiness of our customers by reducing their man-hours.

In my case, I receive daily inquiries from customers saying, "I can't do this," or "I want to do that," and I think to myself, "Actually, we can do that with existing functions! (grin). The fact that we can do it with existing functions is proof that the product was developed with the customer's needs in mind, and it makes me feel proud of the product we have created.

When I receive requests from customers, I am able to make proposals based on product specifications that I am familiar with from my past experience as an engineer, or based on my sense of customer needs that I have cultivated as a customer support representative.

Related to the previous point, I think it is the "feeling of being able to contribute to customers and society.
This may sound a bit geeky, but I am particularly fond of "responding to legal revisions" when national laws are revised.

For example, in preparation for the invoice system that will be introduced in October 2023, many accounting systems are adding functions to their systems. Our company is no exception, and we have been working on the "invoice support" to prepare for the introduction of the invoice system.

The invoice system is something that all of our clients are dealing with for the first time, and at first, they may not even know what to do. In response to such a situation, we read the documents and FAQs published by the IRS one by one, and proceeded to consider, "We need this kind of functionality to meet this requirement.
In this way, it is rewarding for Works Applications to lead our clients in helping them and society, which is in line with one of our corporate philosophies: "We contribute to the expansion of corporate value by enhancing 'corporate productivity.

If we were not to "respond to changes in the law," our clients would definitely be troubled, so it is a great motivation for me to be of service to them by responding to their needs!

This is also the reason why I transferred from the engineering team to the current customer support team. In fact, in the past, while developing products, I sometimes felt that we were not "fully delivering" to customers the value of the products we had put our heart and soul into developing.

For example, customers using "HUE" or "HUE Classic" may not understand what can be achieved with the existing functions, or they may not utilize the existing functions for this reason. In some cases, the existing functions were not being utilized, and the product, despite its overwhelming functionality coverage, had become a treasured possession.

From the perspective of an engineer involved in product development, this situation of not being able to fully deliver the value of the product to customers was so frustrating that I took it upon myself to transfer to the customer support team to see if I could convey the value and appeal of the product directly to customers.

What motivates me now is the satisfaction of discovering the essential problem hidden in the customer's inquiry, proposing multiple patterns of solutions by utilizing my experience, and finally solving the customer's problem through the proposal. Finally, I am rewarded by the customer's final "thank you" after having gone through these processes.

Through my work in customer support, I strive every day to provide customers with "surprises" that exceed their expectations by showing them the possibilities of our products beyond what they had expected.

What is important to us is to be aware of our customers who use our products.
As a developer, it is important for us to know how our products are used and how they feel when they actually use them, so that we can improve the functions and develop new products in the future.
For this reason, I check the results of customer satisfaction surveys, look at the content of inquiries that arise, and think about "why did this inquiry occur?
By always listening to the customer's voice in this way, I am careful not to develop features in a self-indulgent manner.

In fulfilling my role as customer support, I have three missions.
The first is to make sure that our customers are familiar with HUE and HUE Classic. The first is to make sure that our customers are familiar with HUE and HUE Classic, so that they will think that they are good products after all.

The second mission is to convey to our customers the value and appeal of the products that our engineers have put their hearts and souls into.

The third is to convey to our engineers the information about the "customer's site" that we obtain through our direct involvement with customers as customer support, and to serve as a bridge between the two, thereby contributing to the improvement of product value.

I always keep these missions in mind on a daily basis so that I never forget them.

At the same time, I am conscious of "not listening too much" while listening to inquiries from customers. Our "HUE" and "HUE Classic" are not tailor-made products for a single customer, but rather ERP package software that can be used universally by many customers. Therefore, while keeping in mind the role of customer support, which is to "help customers solve their problems," we always keep in mind "what the product should be like" so that answering customers' inquiries does not become our immediate goal. I am always careful not to lose sight of "what the product should be like.

As an extension of my current responsibilities, I would like to continue to contribute to the improvement of customer productivity, and to contribute to the development of new functions and improved convenience so that customers can be freed from routine work and other time-consuming tasks.
In terms of my career, I would like to grow so that I can think about the direction of the "HUE Asset" product that I am currently in charge of developing. I can only see the scope of the product in terms of functions, and I honestly do not have an overall picture of what I want to do with the product. In the future, I would like to aim for the position of product manager and be able to think about the future of the product.

This may sound like a repetition of what I have said so far, but I would like to make customer support not just "answering inquiries" but "making proposals" to customers, by clearly communicating to customers the possibilities of what "HUE" and "HUE Classic" can achieve and the value they can bring. I would like to sublimate the customer support business to "a business that can impress customers through proposals" rather than just "answering inquiries".

Looking ahead, I would like to be involved in the hiring of "critical workers" someday, especially as an intern.
We have a group of problem-solving professionals called "critical workers. As a member of the frontline, I would like to contribute to the recruitment of talented people who will work together with us to solve problems as professionals! I am very eager to contribute to the recruitment of excellent people who will work together with me to solve problems as professionals. I would like to work my way up the ladder as fast as possible so that I can realize more and more of these WILLs. (Laughs)

I dare to use a bit harsh words, but honestly speaking, if you only want to do programming, I don't think you necessarily need to choose our company. Our goal is not to develop products, but to contribute to society through "HUE" and "HUE Classic" by "increasing corporate productivity" and "changing the concept of 'work'".
Therefore, I believe that people who can think from zero in their own minds and consider and implement means of problem solving, rather than simply working with their hands, are suited to our company, and I would like to work with such people.

In common with what T.I. said, I think that those who have "social contribution" as a core value in their work will greatly identify with our corporate philosophy and business model. In fact, I am the same way.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, even if you are new to our company, you are expected to "think for yourself. I think this is a good environment for people who have a sense of ownership in their daily work and are able to think for themselves and carry out their work.
Even if you have never been involved in ERP package software or accounting systems, if you are willing to catch up after joining the company with a sense of ownership, and if you can think for yourself and carry out your work, you will enjoy working for this company.
If you think, after reading this article, that "this may be a good fit for me? If you think you might be a good fit after reading this article, we encourage you to apply!

Although it depends on the type of job and how you work, engineers in the development department basically telework from home.
I also telework every day. I just had a child in 2023, so I am very grateful for an environment where I can work full time while raising my child.

Also, company-wide, there is an atmosphere in which it is easy for both female and male employees to take childcare leave. I took a month-long childcare leave, but two other male employees on my team had already taken childcare leave. I was able to take childcare leave under such circumstances, and I was once again grateful for the understanding of my boss and team members in the workplace. Our company also has a childcare support system called "FAMO Support," which offers a full range of support, including "FAMO Support Leave" and "Semi-Childcare Leave System," in a way that is not limited to gender.

*The rate of male employees taking maternity leave in our company is 70% (as of September 2022 - March 2023).
　The details of our male employees taking maternity leave can be found here.

S.S., you are right, although it depends on the type of work, it is attractive to be able to work via telework.
I live between Tokyo and Miyazaki in Kyushu for personal reasons, but if I were required to come to the office every day, I would not be able to live the way I do now because I belong to the Tokyo head office. Thanks to our company's telework policy, I can work wherever I want in Japan after submitting an application to the company, and I am very grateful for that. It is a rare case, but there was a person in the same department who teleworked for about two weeks, traveling from place to place throughout Japan (laughs).