Microsoft deserves credit for at least being curious, whether or not their tech support sucked. Later, when I consulted a Seattle company that had a close working relationship with Microsoft, they agreed that Microsoft did a good job of closing the loop between tech support and engineering. Because Microsoft isn't a just competitive company. It's a combative one. There's a huge difference.
Competitive companies conceive business in terms of sports.
Their conceptual metaphors are business is sports and markets are playing fields . Combative companies conceive business in less civilized terms. Their conceptual metaphors are business is war and markets are battlefields . But the concepts are very different. In war, all is fair.