The Page 99 Test and books like The Tipping Point and Freakonomics are all examples of using shortcuts to reach an insight or conclusion. This idea of cutting through the clutter could be the key to providing excellent customer service.

The Page 99 Test seems to be based on the notion that by this point in most books, the big picture has been well articulated and developed. Therefore, this page should be a good indicator of whether or not the book is worth reading.

The Tipping Point and Freakonomics are two books that use innovative thinking to cut through complexity to arrive at the essence of a situation. In a way, they are the rough equivalent of data mining, where a massive amount of input (data) is culled to obtain a unique insight that may not have been found using any other methodology. Both books take that approach – getting to an essential insight in an efficient and effective manner through lateral thinking.

So, what's the golden thread that ties this all back to customer service? Time. These examples demonstrate the power of reducing the time necessary to reach a conclusion, and – in the case of customer service – reducing the time it takes to resolve an issue.

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