The company that developed the world’s most powerful and versatile search engine has teamed with Citi® MasterCard® , accepted world-wide, and Sprint™to put a world of power and choice into the hands of the people.

Google recently announced both the launch of “Google Wallet” in test markets this summer as well as plans for rapid expansion.

The new application is exactly what it’s name implies, a wallet. Its purpose is to make your life simpler and more organized. The Google Wallet application has the ability to store just about everything you would normally find in your wallet or that you would need for checkout at your favorite retail location, and that storage is much more compact and organized. Everything from credit cards to coupons can be stored and accessed through Google Wallet, and plans are that in the future Google Wallet will be doing even more, like storing tickets for sporting events or concerts.

Using your Android™ phone, initially a Nexus S 4G but soon to expand to more phones, it is possible to make purchases wherever MasterCard’s PayPass® technology is accepted by just tapping your phone on the point of sale terminal sensor. Not only is the near field technology (NFC) housed in your Android phone and accessed by the Google Wallet application able to combine and allow you to make purchases, but Google Wallet has the ability to allow you to use coupons, gift cards, and local savings offers. Imagine upon checkout from a retailer, accessing your special offers to receive valuable savings without having to search through a messy pile of paper coupons!

Besides Citi MasterCard, Google Wallet can immediately be used in conjunction with a pre-paid card offered by Google. The company plans to expand the ability to use other credit cards in the near future as more banks are brought on board. This, of course, will mean that even more retailer merchants will accept payments made suing Google Wallet.

Technology is great and sure makes our lives easier, but aren’t there risks involved with storing all your credit card or other sensitive information on your phone. The developers of Google Wallet have built in safety measures that include both an application specific PIN and a separate chip within your Android phone on which your encrypted information is stored. That means memory associated with the Google Wallet application is completely, physically separated from your phone’s memory for items such as contacts, messages, videos, photos, and the like.

Year after year, Google’s addition of exciting new options has continued to take the company way past the status of just being the world’s most powerful search engine. This summer’s addition of “Googling it” with Google Wallet gives you power to take care of purchases, bills, and other financial obligations in the most convenient and flexible way possible so you have more time to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

For me personally, the answer to that question is a resounding yes! Customer service isn’t just about talking with someone on the phone or at a counter and having them answer my question or conduct a transaction for me. It’s more about my overall impression of the entire experience; the atmosphere, the goods or services and the way I was treated makes the complete package, not just some salesperson sucking up to me to get a sale. I understand that not every person at every company has the capacity to perfrom at such a standard every time, but there are a few companies out there who just seem to get it right while others can’t.

Take for example two credit card companies – USAA and American Express. Both companies have received the highest rankings for customer satisfaction, one from Consumer Reports and the other from JD Power and Associates. Is this a coincidence that I have accounts with both of these companies? Not exactly. USAA is more by coincidence for me, but without surprise, while American Express is solely by choice. My experience with both of these companies has been excellent and it is no surprise to me that either of these companies receive high ratings from other customers and ultimately from organizations like Consumer Reports and JD Power and Associates. Using a credit card from American Express does come at some cost, but I knew that before I became a customer. To me that additional cost or slight inconvenience is more than worth it.

Just like you I’ve also had bad customer service experiences too. For many years I used cellular services provided by Sprint because I was getting a “great deal” (price) on my monthly bill. However, anytime I had a problems with my phone or service,  I had to go to a Sprint store where I expected to leave there completely frustrated with my blood near its boiling point. Sure the reps were nice for the most part, but no one could ever seem to really help me or fix my problem. Why I stayed with them for so many years, I don’t know, but I now recognize the money I saved on my monthly bill was not worth it at all. When the opportunity to switch to a different provider presented itself, I did so without hesitation. The money I saved resulted in a lot of frustration and an overall bad customer service experience.

So I beg the question, does customer service influence where you shop or which companies you use? For me the answer is clear, I would rather pay more, sometimes a lot more, to have customer service experiences like those I’ve had with USAA and American Express. Leave us your comments and feedback.