A customer wrote in describing a problem that was clearly causing them significant pain. They were respectful but frustrated. They needed help and we didn't provide it.
I was overwhelmed that week. Too many priorities, too little capacity. I gave them a quick response that technically addressed their question but didn't actually solve their problem. They replied with more details and I gave another superficial answer. Eventually they stopped writing and I forgot about them.
Months later I was reviewing churned customers and saw their name. They'd left shortly after that support exchange. When I reread the thread I was ashamed. The problem they described was completely solvable. I just hadn't taken the time to actually understand it.
That ticket changed how I think about support. Every message represents a human who chose to reach out instead of just leaving. The friction of writing to support means they cared enough to try. Treating those interactions as interruptions to be minimized rather than relationships to be honored is a failure of both empathy and business sense.
I don't know what happened to that customer. I hope they found a solution somewhere. But I carry the memory as a reminder that every ticket matters.