if he was personally trying to guarantee quick response times to customers, then that sounds like his priorities are right.
Especially at a "small startup", this is a good sign. Makes me think there was more work than employees which is why the CEO was interviewing and doing customer support.
> Don't make the appointment if you can't dedicate your attention
maybe the CEO is swamped and needs to hire people so he can dedicate attention.
I'm assuming the best, but if my assumptions are true, the CEO should have said upfront that they are growing fast and he may need to personally help with support during the interview.
I had forgotten about this but my first professional job something like this happened with one of my interviewers a few time--not customers but fires of various types. It was a pretty good job for a few years though.
I had a friend, haven't seen him in a while then met for a coffee and a chat. 10 times in 20 minutes he would pick up a call in the middle of the conversation and "hold that thought".
Made a huge effort not to tell him to go f himself at the end but that concluded our "friendship".
Especially at a "small startup", this is a good sign. Makes me think there was more work than employees which is why the CEO was interviewing and doing customer support.