If Cracker Jack’s Ran Your Customer Service

A large brokerage company added a twist to their toll-free telephone cue—“…punch 6 if you’d like to hear a duck quack!” Word of the playful feature spread and soon millions of people were weekly calling to hear the duck. The company had to remove the unique feature because it overloaded their phone system and ran up a huge tab! The story communicates just how bored customers have become.

Something else has happened to your customers. They’ve been getting way over-stimulated. Television has bec...