It's too tempting to ignore the customer problems for as long as possible because effect is not immediately apparent, and once that resource is exhausted there

It's too tempting to ignore the customer problems for as long as possible because effect is not immediately apparent, and once that resource is exhausted there is a huge pile of debt to be paid down before you get back to zero. At this point shunning customers is no longer a choice but a necessity - not only there is a huge backlog requiring huge temporary increase in manpower, the product itself ends up designed with sharp corners sticking out in places where customer complains have been routinely ignored for a long time. It's a lovely trap for any large business to fall into, so that they can fail and give way to smaller, nimbler guys, who will in turn grow, repeating the circle of life.