Good news and perhaps a bit of a surprise came in the announcement that USAA® took top honors in Customer Experience. In a press release posted on its website,United Services Automobile Association (USAA) announced results of an independent survey conducted by Forrester® Research, Inc. placing USAA at the top of the class of 160 brands in 13 different industries.

In a day when the economy is struggling and anyone associated with the banking industry is regarded with suspicion and perhaps dislike, a financial services leader, USAA, broke the 4-year long string of retailers snaring the top spot.

According to USAA’s web site, the Forrester’s Customer Experience Index showed USAA “had the highest scores among all other brands in each of the three industry sectors in which it was evaluated: banking, credit cards and insurance.” On a scale of 100, USAA’s banking services were rated an impressive 89 while the industry’s average was 70. Repeating this type of performance, USAA’s credit card services were rated 84 in comparison to the industry average of 67. USAA’s insurance arm scored 83 with the industry average hitting the 70 mark.

Back in 1922, USAA was originally founded by a group of 25 US Army officers and was born of their inability to purchase auto insurance. The group of officers, classed as “high risk” by standard insurance companies, determined to insure each other’s vehicles and formed what has grown to be one of the nation’s most respected companies. USAA joins companies like Google™, Dreamworks®, Edward Jones®, and REI® in the top 20 of FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For®,” and that’s the second year in a row USAA’s earned that honor. Consumer Reports National Research Center also recently recognized USAA’s brokerage services as gaining highest honors in customer satisfaction.

Today, USAA offers a full-range of financial services to it more than 8 million members, who are all members of the military or military families. A few of the products and services offered to members include banking services such as checking, savings, CD’s, and auto, home, or personal loans; insurance for auto, home, or life; investment services such as mutual funds, brokerage, or managed portfolios; and retirement services such as IRAs or annuities. The USAA website is jam-packed with interactive tools to help members manage their banking or investments and plan for the future. Members have access to tools in helping them find a new home or the best deal on new car. Several rewards programs are offered through USAA that include extra points on credit cards or additional discounts at the car dealership.

The company’s mission statement indicates the goal of USAA is “to facilitate the financial security of its members, associates, and their families through provision of a full range of highly competitive financial products and services.” Forrester Research’s report certainly attests to the fact that USAA has done well at holding true to its mission and to the values of service, loyalty, honesty and integrity on which the company was founded.

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.