You've all seen the commercials for Staples office stores: 'Why don't we just push the easy button?' I say to you, "Why <i>don't</i> we!?" I propose that Staples could select possibly its top tier of buyers, those who buy perhaps several thousand dollars/month at the store. Staples could then give away, (or later, if it's a hit, sell) an "Easy Button." A simple device looking just like the button on the TV ad, but having a phone cord attached. The device is plugged in between an existing telephone and its wall socket. The device would be pre-programmed with a toll-free Staples phone number that would, when the phone was off the hook and the "easy" button pressed, automatically connect the phone to the nearest store's customer service dept.-- wittyhoosier, Oct 03 2007 Customize the Easy Button's sound http://www.metacafe..._say_what_you_want/How to hack a different sound into an Easy Button. [funp, Nov 27 2007] They actually do have easy buttons. However, when pressed, all they do is say "That was easy". Not sure how to get them though.-- Shadow Phoenix, Oct 03 2007 I didn't get this first time. But you mean an automatic dialler programmed to one number?
You don't need to have this plugged in to the phone line, as long as it's a tone- dial system. All you need is a little battery-powered gizmet that makes the correct tones - just hold it to the phone's mouthpiece and let it go beep- boop-boop, and the number is dialled. If you did it that way, it might be cheap enough to make and handy enough to use to be a hit. Pretty soon, every major retailer would be giving away their own easy buttons. [+]-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 03 2007 [MaxwellBuchanan] Pretty soon, every major retailer would be giving away their own easy buttons.
Until some disgruntled employee with access to design specs adjusts the number...-- xipetotec, Oct 03 2007 Good call[MaxwellBuchanan]! I hadn't thought of that!-- wittyhoosier, Oct 04 2007 (-) Hm. Getting connected to a call center doesn't really feature in anything I'd call "easy".
So, I'd ditch the Staples tie in. However, a business card that, on demand, plays the touch-tone number on it - that's brilliant. (I've seen PDAs do it, but not business cards.) What would that cost to produce, you figure?-- jutta, Oct 04 2007 Well, it could be cheap. The "phone phreakers" make "red boxer" widgets out of Hallmark music cards to play money-received tones into pay phones. A music card could probably be made to make dialing tones.
I Googled "tone dialer". Radio Shack doesn't sell tone dialers anymore.-- baconbrain, Oct 04 2007 Is it somewhat like candy and also a little bit jolly?-- marklar, Oct 04 2007 I'd like this more if it went to a dedicated line which got answered quickly...-- vincevincevince, Oct 04 2007 //They actually do have easy buttons. However, when pressed, all they do is say "That was easy". Not sure how to get them though.//
i have one, [ShadowPhoenix], but i got it from a client, so i have no idea where it came from. probably China...-- k_sra, Oct 04 2007 Actually the easy buttons are available right at the staples store. Just walk in and ask for them and they will point you to the rack.-- jhomrighaus, Oct 04 2007 Really? Thanks for the info. Got to get me one of those. Mayme it can be rigged up to a detonator. Push it and something blows up. Then it says "That was easy!". Or maybe something more helpful, like "RUN!"-- Shadow Phoenix, Oct 07 2007 random, halfbakery