A couple weeks ago I was listening to the radio (me and my talk radio…my kids do not understand how I can listen to it…me either somethings) and heard a new report about how American Express had just been ranked the best credit card company for customer service.   The 2010 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study by JD Power is based on responses from more than 8,500 credit card customers. The study was fielded in May and June 2010.

This is the 4th consecutive year that American has won out over Discover, US Bank, Wells Fargo, and the rest of the pack.   According to the report:

American Express ranks highest in customer satisfaction for a fourth consecutive year with a score of 769 and performs well across all six factors that drive satisfaction. Discover Card follows with a score of 757 and performs particularly well in the interaction factor. U.S. Bank ranks third with a score of 727.  The common denominators of performance among the highest-ranked issuers are exceptional rewards and benefits offerings; superior service experiences across phone and online channels; and a focus on reducing problems and resolving those that do occur with minimum time and effort for customers.

This got me thinking (yes..again) about WHY?  American Express charges the highest transactional fees of any credit card company.  They are harder to get qualified for. They charge very high annual fees.  Many merchants to not accept them due to their fees (in fact we do not use them for the online payments for ministrEspace and facilitEspace for that very reason…and the extra hoops we would have to jump through).  So why are they ranked the highest.  It is simple…they are BETTER.

They have better customer service.  They are better at fraud protection and card replacement.  They have the best rewards program in the industry.  They carry a sense of prestige for their cardholders.  You are not just a cardholder…you are a “member”…and membership has privileges…and I (and millions of other people worldwide) are willing to pay for “better”.

Let me give you 2 “so what” tracks to run down as to how I see this applying to us.  First, to churches and other ministry organizations:

1.  Are we offering “better” in our church? I am not suggesting that it is a competition, but is there that striving for excellence.  I am sure that most of you have heard the quote from Jim Collins (Good to Great) that “Good Enough” is the enemy of GREAT (i.e. better).

2. When you are looking to design a new project…or build a facility…or care for your facilities…or hire a pastor (yes..I said it), are you looking for “better” of just OK?  Are you willing to invest more in “better” if it truly is better or is cheap more important.  Again….look at the 4th item in my first sentence.  Would you select your pastor based solely (or primarily) of his salary package being the least expensive than other candidates?

OK…now to my friends in the marketplace.

1. Are you offering better services…better products…better customer service…better payment terms…a better experience from A to Z? If not…why not, and I do not want to hear that “we are a commodity business and price is the only differential”.  RUBBISH. Credit cards are pretty “commodity” based…particularly when you think about people being able to use cash, checks and debt cards.  There can…and dare I say should…be better.

2.  If you claim to have “better” going for you…and you are charging for “better”, how are you benchmarking that?  The old axiom that “What you measure, improves” is oh so true.    If your goal as a credit card company is to be better than Visa…what would that look like? But, if you want to be better than American Express (or XYZ in your industry), you had better have an A game that is not just smoke and mirror, but real.

What are you doing to be BETTER?

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