I didn't get any skittles. :) But seriously, statuspage.io is amazing. It solves a problem that startups don't have time to execute on correctly, but having a status page is a must. Well done Scott and Danny.
I love the Olark, trick. We actually have it fire a notification to us whenever a rails exception is thrown. (which might make you able to reach out even quicker)
At the end of it all, any business should be about creating a great connection between the end user and their solution. By humanizing the solution, and making it so much more approachable, you make yourself distinct, in a way that a rival can never beat, especially if they have tons more scale. Agree with this article entirely.
Love, love love this post. Your wrap up is the kicker - on the other side of the screen is a human being. Recognize it, respect it and do the kinds of things you'd do for someone you met in person who was giving your business the time of day. This is an inspirational post, thanks so much for sharing it :)
A great and inspiring article; who wouldn't like to feel special by getting some attention from the companies you do business with... it's a great and relatively inexpensive way to make a big impact.
Some part reminded me excerpt of "Do things that don't scale" from Paul Graham in the way to create this "real" relation with the user