Surprise!

Modern consumers are being bombarded with in-formation from every angle. They can’t handle it and, consequently, tune out large portions of the information. Consumers, therefore, often enter service transactions with predetermined men-tal scripts regarding how they predict the trans-actions will transpire and are not paying close attention. In order to gain their full attention, firms must find ways to surprise consumers dur-ing transactions; that is, firms must spawn mental script deviations for them. Research indicates that these script deviations can cement consumer loyalty. This book details how to create a surprise culture in a service firm. Because a consumer can only be “surprised” by a given tactic one time and surprise ideas can be copied by competitors, a firm with a culture that generates and implements a constant stream of surprise tactics is one that has the higher edge in achieving success in the modern envi-ronment of information overload.