For most of 1981, 867-5309 would have been considered a random phone number at best. By the spring of 1982, it had become the most famous phone number in the world. Tommy Tutone’s hit even inspired a fad of people calling the number and asking for Jenny, forcing nearly one hundred people to change their phone numbers.

Perhaps the second most famous number in the US began its journey to fame a few years earlier. Originally just 588-2300, the Empire Today® jingle has been around since 1977 in commercials featuring the equally famous Empire Man. Nearly 30 years ago, the nationwide toll-free 800 area code was added to the jingle as their business grew out from their Chicago home and into about 75 metro areas in the US. Empire Today is a home improvement and home furnishing company that specializes in carpet and flooring. While Phil Bennett is *not* the Empire Man, he does lead Empire Today’s customer service operations which are increasingly going digital despite the famous phone number.

We discuss:
• How Phil ended up in the Contact Center business
• The myth of Omni-Channel platforms
• How companies create barriers for customer communication
• How legacy technology hinders advancement
• Real-world examples of how different companies deal with legacy technology

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-b-9a8535b/

Classic Empire TV commercials – https://www.empiretoday.com/tv-commercials

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

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