Asking what customers think has helped the software giant soften its image. WHEN Microsoft raised prices for the Texas Association of Counties three years ago, no-one from the company called to explain the increase, says Steve White, the group's information technology operations manager. He says the change made him angry and he didn't think the price was reasonable. He wasn't alone. Microsoft's shift to a new licensing program in 2001 also boosted prices, without warning, for 60 per cent of its customers, according to a 2003 survey by Boston-based researcher Yankee Group. The discontent prompted Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer to look more closely at customer satisfaction with the world's largest software maker.
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