Stories from Off the Record archives about working in situations where the end-user's needs were taken for granted A basic but sometimes overlooked part of business is providing good customer service. Tech pros in the trenches get daily practice with this skill, be it working with end-users on an app dev project or troubleshooting a help desk call. And yet, there are those high-level managers or some on the IT staff who forget such basics, taking customers and end-users for granted and not realizing the importance of courteous interactions, often with regrettable results.Here are stories from the Off the Record archives written by tech pros who’ve worked in situations where managers or coworkers forgot the importance of the people who use the technology. Their words may echo your own.[ Do you have an IT story to share in InfoWorld’s Off the Record blog? Send it to offtherecord@infoworld.com. | If you want to know when the latest tale from the IT trenches comes in, follow Off the Record stories in InfoWorld’s newsletter or on Twitter. | For IT career tips and advice, check out Bob Lewis’s Advice Line blog. ] It seems like a simple proposition to involve end-users in changes with the software they use daily. However, it becomes more complicated when high-up managers who are removed from day-to-day functions are making the decisions.The perils of IT managers who put bureaucracy before business needs and forget the importance of the customer are revealed in “Ignoring business needs is a bad IT move.”The specs may look good on paper, but expect trouble when users don’t have time to test-drive the software.“I’ll fix your computer, but don’t have to be nice about it.” Being courteous toward coworkers may not be a stated part of the IT job description, but it’s certainly a skill worthy of attention.When your clients hate IT, you’ll need to communicate, communicate, communicate, then communicate some more.A techie lands his first job working at a support center — and discovers the lessons from basic training, such as listening to the user, are sometimes better than heeding the advice of an “expert.”This story, “Wanted: Tech experts with people skills and common sense” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more crazy-but-true stories in the anonymous Off the Record blog at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter. IT JobsIT Skills and TrainingCareers