Good Company

CHAPTER 8The Good Seller

From its origins as a shipper of valuables in the 1850s to its charge card with the famous tag line, “Don’t leave home without it,” American Express has had a long legacy of strong service. But the company left the 20th century without it. AmEx hovered in the 50th percentile for service quality during the years 1999 to 2004, according to research firm wRatings.

Like many companies, American Express was focused on cost containment. The priority was reducing time on the phone with customers. American Express’s nod to service came primarily in the form of a checklist for such behaviors as saying the customer’s name three times during a call and avoiding 10 seconds of awkward dead time on the phone.¹

This not only led to ...