ranger: it has been our experience that you reply to tech support e-mail with thoughtful and helpful responses. you also listen to (and often incorporate) feature requests from users. is this customer-centric approach a conscious part of your business plan? how has this approach affected your business?

cs: dear dr. ranger, thank you for your recent inquiry involving "helpful respons". we will try to respond to your interview question within 3 to the second coming of christ business days.

sf: i have a wealth of experience with tech support from jobs i worked before panic that i still have nightmares about, so i'm definitely aware that people really appreciate decent customer support. it is certainly a challenge with effectively a one-person tech support department and hundreds of emails a week, but we do the best we can. and yes, some of our best features come from user suggestions. we actively solicit those. it does help fuel that strange, almost cult-like following we have among some of our users.

cs: tech support is my curse and blessing. i answer all the questions myself, and there are a lot of them. steve has to hear me bitch about it all the time. we don't know how much longer i can keep it up without going a bit brian wilson, but it's all worth it for the surprised responses we get from people when they receive an actual human response from a fleshy being at, of all places, an internet-based company.

sf: my final comment about getting tech support from us or anyone else is: be polite. it makes all the difference. you don't have to be flattering, or insanely happy. just remember you are ultimately dealing with another human being, not a company. at my earlier jobs, i've actually watched tech support personnel break down in tears during a call. you don't want to be that customer.