10 Companies With The Best Customer Experience

Some companies are just better at making sure customers feel good.

And there is a whole industry based around maximizing customer experience at "all points of contact" with a company, according to customer experience consulting company Beyond Philosophy. Interestingly, after the company interviewed 53 customer experience executives as part of its 2011 Global Customer Experience Management Survey it found that investing more resources in a better customer experience doesn't necessarily result in happier customers.

Even though they are among the companies spending the most on customer experience, for example, companies like Hewlitt-Packard and HSBC performed among the worst of all surveyed companies. Instead, people's feelings about a company often depend on the company's ability to gauge customer emotions, which "account for more than half the typical customer experience," according to the survey.

Tech companies, including Apple, are especially good at understanding customer emotions, according to the survey. The iPhone maker recently came out on top in the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power's smartphone customer satisfaction survey.

Of course, there are some companies bucking the trends. The survey cited American Express, a company that successfully spends big to improve customer experience. Netflix, on the other hand, has recently come under fire, as some allege the company is emphasizing profits instead of customer experience following the announcement of its new DVD service, Qwikster.

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Comments

[William Faust]

11:44 AM on 10/06/2011

I know it does not belong in this particular group but I have to say that USAA is hands-down the flat-out best bank and insurance enterprise I've had the privilege of doing business with.

[LINY01]

09:09 AM on 09/22/2011

Zappos rocks! Their customer service is the best, bar none. They exceed in every manner

[HellBank]

05:01 AM on 09/22/2011

Nordstrom. And their damned shoe department. And GFs. Need I go on?

[fortressfountain]

07:53 PM on 09/21/2011

I would not include starbucks-they are one of the lowest paying and want to eliminate the minimum wage.
The ceo says uncertainity is keeping him from expanding.
With all of the money on the sidelines why uncertainity?
No clear picture of a tax shelter I suppose.

[MikeyJaii]

11:35 PM on 09/21/2011

Really? I work at Burger Kings for minimum wage. Starbucks pays at least 8.00 $ +

[Max Shaw]

04:38 PM on 09/21/2011

I would never include Starbucks in this list, but given that there are so many of them--hell, even across the street from each other, theres bound to be a bigger sample to study from.

[Mister Grumpy]

02:01 PM on 09/21/2011

Amazon......... yeah right........ great customer service........ but lousey employee relations and working conditions...........

[Mister Grumpy]

01:58 PM on 09/21/2011

JD Powers is a joke.......... any company that takes money from a company they're rating has a conflict of interest.........

[SF TKF]

12:15 PM on 09/21/2011

Starbucks? Really? Guess you’ve never seen the litany of complaints on Starfucked.

[giwel7]

11:36 AM on 09/21/2011

comcast is a mixed bag. first you must suffer thru the computer generated voice asking you questions often not understanding. you are then sent to the wrong deptment or disconected .however after often 20-30 minute wait the live person is usually very helpful and friendly

[gemini68]

11:22 AM on 09/21/2011

I was happy to see Nordstrom on the list- they have great customer service.

[Steven Barall]

11:10 AM on 09/21/2011

I agree about Starbucks but only outside of NYC. Here in NY I get horrible service all the time. I order a cup of decaf and I then watch the person use the last of the decaf and fill the other four fifths of the cup with regular coffee. I order iced coffee and they don't have enough for a full order so they use what's left in the pitcher and the fill the rest of the portion with water. Also, most of the barristas I have seen here are sort of angry and surly.

[gemini68]

11:23 AM on 09/21/2011

Here in Chicago as well. I was surprised to Starbucks on the list- its a hit or miss deal in Chicago as far as what kind of customer service you will get. I've had great and I've had downright despicable.

[SF TKF]

12:15 PM on 09/21/2011

Terrible coffee, worse service. No idea what they're doing on this list.

[Rock Jocelyn]

09:40 AM on 09/21/2011

When I went into the Apple store about the broken power cord for my five-year-old laptop and they just handed me a new one, I actually got this warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It was like when Starbucks messes up your drink and gives you a coupon for a free one, only $77 better.

[gemini68]

11:21 AM on 09/21/2011

I've never gotten a coupon after my drink's been messed up. I got a huffy sigh and grudgingly remade latte.

[Rock Jocelyn]

01:43 PM on 09/21/2011

Man, you need to insist upon that coupon, then. It's like a customer rewards program.

[dirtyliberal88]

08:29 AM on 09/21/2011

Apple is the WORST! You need an appointment to talk to anyone, lines are always out of control, and it just feels a little pretentious. That's just me!

[RheaD]

08:02 AM on 09/21/2011

This lacks clarity... stating that HSBC is among the worst, but then list First Direct as in the top ten... First Direct is part of HSBC.

[eric14]

09:00 AM on 09/21/2011

The market up there is complex. Down here we are simple people.

[sojtruth]

07:35 AM on 09/21/2011

Clearly Netflix, oops I mean Qwikster, no its Netflix isn't on this list!