Customer Service Company?

June 28, 2007Culture, Specific Companies 8 Comments

Short post today. I have a good upcoming series planned, so it will be worth it.

I define a customer service company as a company that uses customer service to help set themselves apart from the competition. It is a big corporate focus and something they do well. They use it as their competitive advantage and hopefully, it has worked.

What customer service companies can you think of?

Big Companies:

  • Four Seasons
  • Ritz Carlton
  • Nordstrom
  • Commerce Bank
  • Southwest Airlines
  • JetBlue Airways
  • Lexus
  • Land’s End
  • Rackspace

Smaller Companies:

  • Headsets.com
  • PrintingForLess.com
  • FeedBurner
  • Plenty of small businesses

Maybe:

  • Disney
  • CarMax
  • Starbucks

There are other companies that I know are spending a lot of time, money, and effort into improving their customer service, but I don’t feel as if they are at that “customer service company” level yet. Examples of these companies would be companies like Best Buy, Dell, HP, etc.

Please provide your suggestions and opinions. I am positive I have forgotten some companies and am always open to suggestions.

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8 Responses to “Customer Service Company?”

  1. Chris said:

    Jun 29, 07 at 2:34 pm

    Well, I’d like to put my company in that mix! CarMax prides itself on its commitment to customer service. We’re not here just to sell a car, we’re here to assist you to find the right car for your lifestyle. The company’s entire consumer offer was designed based on what consumers wanted in a car-buying experience.

  2. Service Untitled said:

    Jun 29, 07 at 8:52 pm

    Chris,

    Thanks for your comment.

    Hmm. CarMax is probably a maybe with companies like Disney. It seems to be a big part of what you guys do, but it’s not the biggest part. I’ll have to think on it.

    Thanks again!

  3. Jeremy said:

    Jun 29, 07 at 9:34 pm

    I hear you mention rackspace a lot, so I would like to take the opportunity to throw our hosting company out there: ORCS Web. We are #1 in service and support and can be beaten by none. Take a look at us, you may be surprised by what you find.

  4. Service Untitled said:

    Jun 30, 07 at 1:25 pm

    Jeremy,

    Thanks for the tip. I’ll check you out.

  5. Ankit said:

    Jul 02, 07 at 12:08 am

    I just wanted to say that customer service leads to TRUST. When a customer places trust in the product and brand, you have the customer and they will not hesitate to pay a little extra if they can trust you.

    If I walk into a Lexus dealership, I know that they won’t try to push 50 different payment plans on me, 50 discounts, etc. on me. I simply decide which car I want, what color, an option or two, maybe the color of the emblems, and I’m done. They don’t make the process hard on me.

    I went into a Ford dealership a few months back, and noticed a few things. First, the salesman was sloppy – he didn’t use proper english, tried to toss me onto a monthly payment right away, started talking about his attempt at picking up a girl the night before, etc. Yes, my incident was isolated very likely, but the average level of professionalism at both places, and in turn, how I’m treated as a customer, is very different. Lexus is very high up, and I’d rank Ford a bit lower.

    Carmax is the same way, but for used cars.

    I think you can tell a lot about the customer service by the ads that both brands have. With Lexus, I hear a slower and more relaxed radio ad, if ever. With Ford, I hear about 20 different offers they have, 500 disclaimer points, etc. and usually something crazy like how any car under a tent includes a second car at no extra charge. (No joke, was on the radio today) Sorry for such a long post, but this is how I’ve encountered things, and yes, it is a generalization, almost stereotyping for cars it might seem, but I’ll give every brand a try, but if this is the image they continually put in my head, that’s what I’ll remember. (I also realize that both are at different levels, but even Toyota vs Ford on many of these points will hold them true)

  6. Ankit said:

    Jul 02, 07 at 12:09 am

    Note to the editor… above, I mentioned Carmax is the same way as Lexus is, not relating CarMax to Ford in my description. (Feel free to delete this message and modify the one above)

  7. Service Untitled said:

    Jul 02, 07 at 1:01 pm

    Hi Ankit,

    Thanks for your comments! The experience you get with Lexus and that you get with Ford will definitely vary.

    The average talent that the two companies recruit is probably very different. The people at Lexus deal with a different type of customer. Basically, the people at Ford hustle while the people at Lexus are probably more refined about their actions.

    Cheap web hosting companies are probably going to hustle you a bit more than the higher end companies. The cheap hosting companies make their money on the addons and the hidden fees. The higher end ones want to build a relationship with you and get that core business.

    It’s the company’s culture and the market. I think the two go hand in hand.

    Does that make sense?

  8. Ann said:

    Jul 05, 07 at 9:46 am

    I would not put HP anywhere near this category. In a company that values customers, employees would care about service. I have talked to numerous people within HP trying to get my problem solved and they all say “talk to your case manager.” If my case manager is not making things happen, which she isn’t, the customer is out of luck. A customer service company is one where employees take pride and ownership even when things come outside the regular chain of command. I really don’t think outsourcing is the issue here, the worst attitudes I have encountered have distinctly American accents.