My mother was the best hostess you can imagine. She was a true product of the post-WWII era, throwing all her substantial personality and artistic talents into raising her children, entertaining, helping my father's career, and making our Colonial-era home into a showplace.

My parents then were sort of Mad Men typical drinkers and smokers. I can remember my mother sitting at the dining room table with a Scotch and a cigarette, pushing pieces of paper around to match her guests up -- it was like a campaign, each party.

Our house was always full of life, music, and fun, and there was something going on every weekend. My mother would enlist my help with preparations, decorating, and every detail was thoughtfully planned out--with a sharp eye on the bottom line. "Music is a perfect atmosphere maker," she'd say. "And it's free."

"Being a hostess is really easy," was her mantra. "All you have to do is make people feel comfortable and cared for. You put their comfort above your own because when someone is in your home, it is your responsibility to make them feel wonderful."

No wonder the house was never silent! Who wouldn't want to go to a place where you were so cherished and cared for? Where the tomatoes were always peeled? Where the hostess remembered that you used only lemon juice on your salad, so you got a special serving?

Since I have been working at Assistly, I have thought so often about this philosophy, under the umbrella thought that "everything old is new again." All that we do, all that we advocate, all that we work so hard to do at Assistly--it's all about letting our customers know that they are the most important part of our business.

It's about listening to our customers, meeting their needs, and welcoming them into our "home." It's about making sure that the people who use our product are happy and heard. It's all about putting the needs of our customers FIRST. We feel a need, a duty, to make them feel good -- Customer Wow is a real idea at Assistly. My mother would have gotten along well with our CEO.

Now I look at the landscape of customer service and I have a lot of questions. The "new" ideas of service and support now that the "social customer" is getting a lot of attention are morphing so quickly and veering off in new directions, fueled by new channels, mobile devices, generational shifts, and a global perspective.

What is CRM now? What is social CRM? Customer service? Have they merged with help desk and social networks and "cloud thinking"? What does it all mean for our customers, and their customers?

But the question my mother would ask is "How can I make the customer feel comfortable and welcome and cherished and important, and how can I do it without busting the family budget?"

Therein lies the way I calm myself down when things get crazy, as startups do. It's the art of service and support, right? The ability to say "Come in, make yourself comfortable, we're glad to see you." I keep my eyes on that prize.

You have to love the mission. I think you would have loved the woman. She knew how to deliver Customer Wow.