“thank you.

”
another satisfied
summer
2008
customer.
A mAgAzine providing current content And pertinent context for the people of AmericAn express

“You didn’t just win

a customer,
you won a “FiFty years
relationship.” On,
i never Leave
HOme
“i will alwaYs
alwa witHOut it.”
recommend
american express
xpress
to everYone
i know.”
“it’s not just about the
Service
power
of the american express
iS everyone’S job.
Frontline employees
aren’t the only ones
responsible For
creating the customer
card but the experience. everyone
in all areas oF the
service and people business plays a part.
W h at pa r t d o you pl ay ?
behind it.”
Summer 2008

in this issue

In Print

1 10
A XP Shor ts
/ On the Road
Ken Chenault visits U.S.
Service Centers.
Cover Art
B e r n h a r d t Fu d y m a
/ U pdate:
Design Group
American Express Partners in
Editor
Preservation program.
Cynthia Aquila
Design / G reen Scene
B e r n h a r d t Fu d y m a A grassroots team in the U.K.
Design Group helps “switch” the company’s
Printer impact on the environment.
Bannon Group Ltd.
/ H ealthy Rewards
Membership Rewards makes a
difference in Japan.
/ M y Work Space
A Greensboro employee
displays her NASCAR passion.
/ O n Top of the World
Travel + Leisure readers rate
the world’s best destinations,
hotels, airlines and more for
2008.
Royal Treatment
How American Express teams
are working to give customers a
consistently great experience.
14
Driving Success
Many colleagues at American
Express worked together to win
BMW’s consumer and corporate
card business and create an
unsurpassed customer experience.
20
Brand Pow er:
The Next Generation
of Service
Consulting the Cards
This second in a series about
American Express’ unique assets
looks at how we use information to
better serve merchant partners.

6 24
Editor ’s Note
Ask Me How I Care
Two service professionals —

8 a veteran and a newer employee —

talk about delivering for customers
even in tougher times.
ow Service Breeds
H
Success

28
Companies that get service
right are the ones that win —
and keep — customers.
Look Who’s Talking
Employees give their take on how
not to wow customers.
 PAGE _1

On the Road with shorts

Ken Chenault
ken chenault recently visited our service centers
in Fort Lauderdale, Greensboro and Phoenix to
help mark the 50th anniversary of the American
Express Card.
During each two-day visit, Ken acknowl-
edged our customer care professionals’
dedication to service and presented each
center with a J.D. Power Award trophy.
There are no better homes for these
trophies since the award represents our
top ranking in credit card customer
satisfaction.
Ken also challenged all employees,
no matter what job they hold, to be sure
to always think about how their work
ultimately affects our customers.
What Employees Had To Say
“Hearing Ken talk about service and leadership really helps me
reinforce the importance of those messages with my direct reports.
He shows employees that he values our contributions.”
—S tuart B erman Service Delivery Leader, AESC -Fort Lauderdale
“Ken’s comments on changing customer expectations, and how we have
to change as well, really struck me. I think we’re definitely on
the right path for doing that. You could also tell that he really
understands the challenges our frontline professionals face every day.”
—T ina D avis Service Delivery Leader, AESC -Greensboro

“Thank you for the things you do for our customers

each and every day. . . .It shows your passion and
commitment to delivering extraordinary
customer care.”
—K e n C h e nau lt
C h a i r m a n a n d CEO Ke n C h e n a u l t t o u r s U . S .
ser vice center facilities and greets employees.
He was joined by Jim Bush, president,
U.S. Service Delivery Network (top right).
 PAGE _2

Update:
American Express
Partners in
Preser vation
First
church of
christ scientist

Partners in
Preservation
at a Glance on leong
merchant
american express’ partnership with the u.s. national trust association
b u i l d i n g / p u i ta k
for historic preservation helps preserve and increase public center
awareness about environmental, historic and cultural landmarks.
an advisory committee makes the final selection of winning
projects, but the public also have a say by voting online for their
favorites. here’s a snapshot of the program to date.

KicKoFF t o ta l n u m b e r this year, we also

2006 oF proJects
awarDeD grants
took partners in
preservation to
t o ta l a m o u n t
pleDgeD
33 sydney, australia,
where we joined with
$over
5. 55 years
million
t o ta l v o t e s c a s t
the national trust
41 4 , 3 9 9 of australia. grants
totaling $136,000
lo c a t i o n s popular vote
(aus) were awarded
> s a n Fra n c i s c o winners
> First church to three sites:
> chicago
of christ scientist waverly cemetery
> new orleans
in berkeley gates (popular vote
t o ta l a m o u n t winner), mosman’s
F u n D e D t o D at e (san Francisco)
> on leong clifton gardens pool
$ 2.4 m i l l i o n merchant association and wireless house
in glebe. american
building /pui tak
center (chicago) express also donated wa v e r l y

> st. James 20 cents (aus) for cemetery gates

african methodist every cardmember

episcopal church
(new orleans)*
* The public were invited
to tell their stories online
about their favorite
nominated landmarks
but were not asked to vote.
transaction at partici-
pating merchants.
st. James
african methodist
episcopal church
 PAGE _3

/ green scene /

making th e sw i tc h
hAmish AlexAnder
Manager, Planning and Cross Channel
Acquisition, International Consumer Card
and Small Business Services/London

a trip to the priStine Brazilian rain forest ignited

Hamish Alexander’s passion for protecting the
t h e F o l lo w i n g environment. Alexander is now putting that passion
lanDmarKs were to work with the U.K. “SWITCH” team, a grassroots
awarDeD grants group formed to create greater eco-awareness among
For speciFic employees across the U.K. and help reduce the com-
repairs at e ach site pany’s impact on the environment.
1) st. James african “The SWITCH team is about changing our behav-
methodist episcopal ior and switching off unnecessary power, like idle
church computers and lights in empty meeting rooms,” says
Alexander. “When we come together as an American
2) st. alphonsus art
Express community, we realize we have the ability to
& cultural center help reduce our impact on the environment.”
3) st. augustine Under Alexander’s lead and with support from senior
parish hall leadership, SWITCH team members are working with
4) odyssey house AXP partners to pilot the use of biodegradable cleaning
louisiana products for the office. The team is also working with
partners to source renewable, or “green”, energy and
5) lafayette cemetery
source recycling facilities for our U.K. offices.
no. 1 Employees are responding not only by turning off
idle monitors and reducing their paper usage, but
more than 50 people across the U.K. have asked to join
the team and help drive SWITCH. — stacey orange

How can you switch 3.

In New Orleans, your behavior to be more
eco-friendly? Try these
Don’t print unless
you really need to. And
Community Matters five actions recommended
by the U.K. SWITCH team:
then, print double-sided
and in draft mode.
at st. James ame church in new orleans, the homeless find shelter, families 1. 4.
Switch off your monitor Say no to plastic
come together to worship, and a community is enriched by the much-needed when leaving your desk bags. Bring your own
services this beloved landmark offers. that all changed after hurricane Katrina. to save more than 60 reusable bag for lunch
the sanctuary has been closed, the congregation displaced and vital services percent of the total and skip the bag at
energy used by your PC. check out.
hindered because of severe damage to the church from this violent storm.
2. 5.
now, thanks to the latest american express partners in preservation initiative, Eliminate paper “desk Drink smart by using
st. James and four other historic sites are getting a new lease on life. american drops,” saving thousands your own reusable
express, in partnership with the national trust for historic preservation, has of sheets of paper each mug or water bottle.
year.
awarded a total of $400,000 in grants for restoration projects in the city. the
ILLUSTRATION: Christine Chan

sites were chosen not only for their historic and cultural significance but
also for the crucial role they play in bringing people together in neighbor-
hoods hardest hit by hurricane Katrina. the stories people shared online
(www.partnersinpreservation.org) reveal what these places truly have meant to
shorts
the community.
 PAGE _4

Healthy 1,500
Rewards
points .................
polio vaccines
for 3 children
cardmembers in Japan enjoy
popular membership rewards
redemption items, such as electronics
and dining vouchers, as much as anyone.
but many of them are also using their
mr points to help others. this year, 17
percent of all redemptions have been for
charity, with polio vaccines for children
as the top redemption choice among
non-airline mr categories. through
programs run by médecins du monde, an
international humanitarian organization
and a new mr partner, cardmembers
can also use points to help provide
malaria treatments and plastic surgery
for children with facial deformities.

10 0,0 0 0 *
points .................
plastic surgery

6,000
for 1 child

In Japan…

points .................
malaria
treatments
17%
of total redemptions
32 %
of redemptions for
for 1 person go to charity 6,000 points and
under are for charity
* 100,000 pts = 10,000,000 yen (approx. US$100,000)
 PAGE _5

shorts

J oy s AvAg e ,
Director, Compliance and Ethics
Greensboro, North Carolina

My wo rk
S pace
Six yearS ago ,
when Joy Savage’s daughter and
then future son-in-law took her to her first
NASCAR event, she had no idea what was in store. “With NASCAR, you either love it or hate it,” Joy
PhOTOGRAPh: (above) Peter Frank Edwards; ILLUSTRATION: Peter Arkle

says. One look at Joy’s cubicle in Greensboro leaves no doubt which camp she’s in now. That first event
not only got Joy hooked on the sport, but it also made her an avid fan of driver Tony Stewart. Mugs,
photos, key chains, model cars — you name it, and Joy probably has it among the 50-plus items in her
collection of Stewart memorabilia. And that number keeps growing. Joy’s coworkers often return from
trips with a trinket or two to add to her display.

fIrst purchase most p rI zed p ossess Ion most recent addItIon

An autographed Tony Stewart A photo of Stewart snapped by An official replica of Stewart’s
baseball cap her daughter at Joy’s first event new Home Depot Toyota car
and signed by the man himself

on top of the World

readers of travel
ravel + Leisure picked Bangkok as best city and the Galapagos as best island for the magazine’s 2008
World’s Best list. this was the first time both destinations won top honors. Last year’s winners – florence and
Bali – dropped to number five and number two, respectively. here are some highlights of the world’s best:

Best city Best hotel Best international Best domestic Best hotel for $250 for the full list go to
Bangkok, thailand singita sabi sand, airline singapore airline Virgin america or less domaine des www.travelandleisure.com
Best island south africa airlines Best car-rental hauts de Loire,
Galapagos, ecuador agency hertz france
 PAGE _6

Fifty years is a long time to belong to anything,

but I felt that having the American Express Card always
made me feel as premium as the card is, and I
sincerely thank American Express for helping me

achieve my American dream.

Editor’s
Note That’s what struck me the most about the letters.
I t ’ s t h e e m o t i o n.
We talk a lot at American Express about the “special relationships”
we have with our cardmembers. When you hear something often
enough, it can lose meaning. But in their letters, the deep and genuine
feelings cardmembers have for American Express is undeniable.
¶“#1 My wife. #2 My American Express Card. Can’t get passionate
I remember well reading about anything else.” ¶ What makes this comment especially gratifying
about American Express coming
out with a special type of is that it was written by one of the 12,000 cardmembers who have
card. I immediately applied and been with us since 1958. We plan to tell the stories of these very special
was accepted. I have been
extremely satisfied since then. people as we mark the 50th anniversary of the American Express
The world has changed Card. So we asked them to share their experiences and proudest
and is now loaded with credit
and charge cards. To name one moments with us. And even though we didn’t ask, many who wrote in
thing that makes the told us how passionately they feel about the Card and what American
American Express Card superior to
any other card is simply Express has meant to them for 50 years. Their comments — a few of

S ERVICE .
If you have o n e o f t h o s e o t h e r c a rd s
. . . t h ey d o n ’t g i ve a ra t ’s b e h i n d.
which are included here — really bring to life the expression we use so
often: “our legacy of service.” ¶While we have a lot to be proud of, that
doesn’t mean American Express knows everything about great service. We
strive for courteous, personal attention that goes beyond cardmembers’
expectations, but we’re not perfect. We don’t always get it right. We know
that consumers are more discriminating about where they place their
loyalty, and it’s tougher than ever to win them over. That’s an even greater

My father was a charter cardmember. He believed

in American Express and passed down
his card to me. Every time I paid for something he always said,

“ G o d b l e ss A m e r i c a n E x p r e ss.”
My two daughters now use that expression, too.
 PAGE _7

One day during my travels, I was reading an ad promoting a credit card

. . . to pay hotel and restaurant bills. I thought this was one
of the greatest ideas I had ever heard of. That is why 50 years ago
I signed up for the American Express Card. It has been a

l o ng relat i o nsh i p.
I have put a lot of airline miles and charged a lot of hotels and meals on the card.
I have cer tainly enjoyed the ser vice and relationship with American Express.

challenge today as a bleak U.S. economy heightens consumers’ anxieties.

¶ Over the past few years, we’ve been taking an even closer look at
how we care for our customers to find out what great service means
to them and what we need to improve. Of course, that’s not just the
responsibility of our frontline employees. As Ken Chenault and other
senior leaders remind us, each of us needs to understand how the work
AmEx has always been there
we do ultimately affects our customers. ¶ This issue of Context begins for me. I was wintering in Florida
with a look at what’s behind consumers’ higher expectations and how a year ago, and the magnetic
strip on my ATM card wore out.
some other companies known for great service do what they do best. We My bank didn’t have a branch
then turn to how different American Express teams are thinking about there and was of no help to me.
I couldn’t get cash. AmEx took
creating a great experience for their customers. Next, the story behind care of it in an instant. Recently,
the BMW consumer and corporate card win in Germany and Austria on two occasions, I called and my
request was greeted with “You are
spotlights the many types of expertise and the overall coordination a charter member” and was
required to serve customers well. The second in our Brand Power
series explores some of the ways we are honing the services we provide given special care.
You’re great and I love being
to merchants. Finally, two of our customer care professionals, an a member.
American Express veteran and a newer employee, give us their take on
the customer experience. ¶ For those moments when we all could use
a little inspiration, here are some words of thanks from our Members
Since 1958, to the people of American Express:

Thanks to American Express for accepting this little countr y

boy as a char ter member in 1958.  It has been a most

Pleasant Journey w i t h n o e n d i n s ig h t .
 PAGE _8

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 PAGE _10

Royal Treatment
At American Express,
viewing service through the lens of the
total “customer experience.”
by Jonathan Sapers

When Rohit Bery thinks of extraordinary service, he thinks of Ritz-

Carlton. During a dinner at one of the chain’s upscale hotels years
ago, Bery, vice president, Customer Experience, told his waiter
how much he liked the french fries. “They are the best french fries
I’ve ever had,” he remembers saying.
From then on, every time he ate at a Ritz-Carlton, he always
received — unsolicited — a 14-inch plate of fries, even in Bali
where he went for his honeymoon. “That was incredible,
it was really ridiculous — and I mean
that in a good way,” Bery says.

Top service providers know the sort of personalized attention Bery received
makes a lasting impression on customers, and also one they are highly likely
to share with everyone they know. Or even those they don’t know. Consider the
vast number of virtual communities where consumers can sing the praises of
— or do a hatchet job on — a company for how they are treated. With informa-
tion about products and services only a click away, consumers are much more
informed, which means that many expect much more from companies vying
for their business.
People already expect the extraordinary from American Express. And while
it’s nothing but a plus to be perceived in such a light, here’s another way to
look at it — we have to keep elevating our performance just to meet expecta-
tions. This is especially relevant now, as a stagnating U.S. economy creates
more anxiety for many cardmembers.
Over the past few years, we’ve been viewing service with a more critical eye
to find out where we need to improve, what counts as great service among
different kinds of customers, and how to best deliver the kind of differentiated
value and care that breeds loyalty.
The whole experience
As Bery’s title suggests, our definition of service has expanded in recent
years to the broader concept of the customer “experience,” an appreciation
that there’s a lot more to service than a smooth transaction or courteous
interaction. Bery is part of a U.S. Service Delivery Network team led by
Senior Vice President Rosa Sabater that is charged with deconstructing the
customer experience and thinking about how all the pieces — everything
from offer development to customer outreach to billing — fit together.
“We’ve always been a company committed to being there for our custom-
ers, and that’s been part of our DNA for more than 150 years,” says Jim
Bush, executive vice president, U.S. Service Delivery Network (SDN). “What
we’re focused on today is making sure we understand how our customers’
needs and expectations evolve, and empowering our people to deliver for
them, at every point in their relationship with us.”
We’re on a similar quest in our international markets, where we have the
added challenge of understanding myriad cultures, regulations and issues
in each of the 21 markets we serve. “We need to be the eyes and ears of our
customers for our international business,” says Cynthia Valles, executive
vice president, Customer Service International (CSI). “In every market
and across every business, we are working with our business partners to
address issues and deliver extraordinary service that will distinguish our
brand in the marketplace.”
ILLUSTRATION: Peter Arkle
What follows is just a taste of some of the actions we’re taking in differ-
ent areas of our business to give customers a consistently great experience
with American Express.
PAGE _11
Japanese cardmembers were embarrassed when
they encountered a problem at the point of sale
and had to discuss the issue over the merchant’s
telephone. With Merchant Services, the team
implemented a new process where we contact
customers directly on their mobile phones.
Benchmarking the best
Part of our work in the U.S. has involved
researching other companies outside of
payments that are highly regarded for
their service — companies such as
Ritz-Carlton, Federal Express, Starbucks,
Southwest Airlines and Singa­­pore
Airlines. Learning more about how these
industry leaders care for their customers has helped confirm our own
thinking about improving the customer experience.
“One theme we’ve found is that service professionals are held in the highest
regard as the ‘voice of the company,’” says Rosa Sabater, who also heads the
SDN’s Learning Network. “And there’s a focus on removing the barriers that
prevent them from creating the best possible experience for the customer.”
Ritz-Carlton employees, for example, have the discretion to resolve a
guest’s problem regardless of their area of responsibility and are allowed
$1,000 each day per guest to make it right. Southwest Airlines employees
have something they call “two-level-up decisioning,” according to Aline
Kassabian, a director on Sabater’s team. “If you think your boss’ boss would
make a decision, you should make it. And if it turns out to be the wrong
decision, leadership will come and explain to you why it was the wrong
decision. You don’t get penalized,” she says.
Brand imagery is omnipresent in the workplaces of other service leaders.
Model airplanes with distinctive Southwest tails hang from the ceiling in
the lobby of that company’s headquarters, while each floor of Starbucks’
central offices has a coffee station, and new hires begin work with a shot of
a choice coffee. Messages reverberate. At Ritz-Carlton, employees from the
front lines to the executive suites can recite their customer principles.
American Express is highly regarded for service quality, and the pride
our employees feel in representing the company’s brand and values is
well-known. But by digging deeper into specific measures of satisfaction,
we also found room for improvement. Many of the other top service
companies across industries ranked higher than we did in areas such as
speed of resolving issues, ease of doing business and consistency of service.
 PAGE _12
“Our benchmarking has helped us shape some of our service initiatives,
such as better supporting our customer care professionals so they feel moti-
vated and equipped to resolve cardmember issues on their own, without the
need to consult someone higher up,” Sabater says.
Customer care principles, which were introduced across the SDN last year,
help guide our service professionals in building relationships with custom­ers.
We survey customers after every interaction to find out how satisfied
they were with the service they received and whether they’d recommend
American Express to a friend. Low ratings and customer complaints are
investigated to better understand the issues and help improve the customer
experience. And more customers are telling us they’d recommend American
Express to friends and family, which is the ultimate measure of success.
Both the SDN and CSI have also been making changes to improve work-
place flexibility, compensation and career-development opportunities, as
well as recognition and rewards that emphasize the importance of the role
of our customer-facing professionals. On tap for service professionals this
year: training that focuses on customer treatment and relationships as the
basic tenets of extraordinary customer care.
Customers speak; we listen
Across international markets, one of every two customers who complete
our satisfaction survey writes in a comment about their experience. These
comments provide the basis for improving our products, policies and service,
and for identifying ways to innovate. A year ago, CSI formalized a process for
gathering feedback, which it calls Voice of Customer. It has proven to be a
very effective method for raising issues that dissatisfy customers and giving
us a structured approach for resolving them.
The effort reinforced how cultural
differences require flexibility
from country to country. Japanese
cardmembers, for example, were
embarrassed when they encountered
a problem at the point of sale and
had to discuss the issue ­using the
merchant’s telephone.
Small business customers are often on
seasonal cycles, meaning they may require
more flexibility with credit. OPEN has tailored
products for them that offer options for
paying sooner and getting discounts,or deferring
payment in months when cash flow is slower.
“With our partners in Merchant Services, CSI implemented a new process
where we contact customers on their mobile phones instead of calling the
merchant. The customer can speak privately and not ‘lose face’ in front of
others,” says Nancy Carlin, vice president, CSI Customer Experience.
Working with partners in marketing, merchant servicing, risk manage-
ment and technologies, CSI colleagues are identifying and resolving the
biggest “pain points” of the customer experience in every market.
“The customer experience is not only about service over the phone but
about how we handle every touch point with the customer, including how
our products, policies and procedures actually work. Are they easy to under-
stand, and do they enable our customers to do what they desire, or are they
complicated and limiting?” Valles asks. Through Voice of Customer, we’re
listening and responding, and the results show it — more than a third of the
key issues identified have been resolved or improved.
Thinking like consultants
No matter where they are or what they do, American Express cardmembers
all expect great service, but they have different ideas of what that looks like.
Small business customers, for example, are often on seasonal cycles, meaning
they may require more flexibility with credit. OPEN has tailored products for
them, such as the Plum Card, that offer options for paying sooner and getting
discounts, or deferring payments in months when cash flow is slower.
Customer care professionals who serve OPEN cardmembers receive special-
ized training so they can better understand the specific needs of, and solutions
for, small businesses. For example, asking an established customer to provide
additional financial information when applying for a credit increase can some-
times be a difficult conversation, according to Bery. “We’re making sure that
our service professionals know how to have this more consultative conversa-
tion. So they can help the cardmember understand what they need to do and
how it benefits them, as well as why we need the information.”
From small businesses to larger corporate and business travel clients,
serving our customers means finding ways to help them grow and prosper.
“Especially in today’s uncertain economy, our corporate clients need us more
than ever to help them be successful,” says Kelly Fisher, vice president, Global
Strategic Partnerships, Global Commercial Card.
Often, that means customizing solutions, such as analyzing and packaging
data that companies are required to report, or even providing guidance on the
best way to improve business operations.
Fisher sees every challenge a client presents as an opportunity to differenti-
ate our services. “Because we treat these relationships like partnerships, we’re
not successful if they’re not successful,” she adds.

A pilot program for Centurion cardmembers
gives them access to a team of 10 to 15 travel
counselors, each with a defined specialty.
Making life easier for
business travelers
Our B2B client companies have high
expectations of American Express,
and so do their employees, who are
the end users of our products and
services. Business travelers today
often have more complex, multi-
country itineraries. Travel counsel-
ors need to be familiar with more
destinations than ever before, and
documentation requirements for
each country can challenge even the most seasoned traveler.
“Online booking tools are not particularly effective for complex, interna-
tional travel,” says Julie Bottner, senior vice president and general manager,
Global Operations for American Express Business Travel. “So it’s an opportu-
nity to differentiate American Express through the premium services of our
travel counselors. This has exponentially increased their skill requirements,
which is a challenge for us but also exciting for them.”
To meet that need, Business Travel is developing more sophisticated train-
ing and orientation programs to enhance travel counselors’ skills, both in
terms of booking expertise and destination knowledge.
Travelers are also dealing with more frequent disruptions as the airline
industry has cut flights and staff due to financial pressures. “Customers don’t
know all the reasons why things happen. All they know is that they need to
get to their destination, and they count on us to get them there,” Bottner adds.
Business Travel is working with airline partners to understand their inter-
nal operations and better coordinate logistics when flight disruptions occur.
“We want to know exactly what they will do and in what order. So when the
traveler calls us, we are in sync and can provide the best possible service to
our mutual customers,” Bottner says.
Dream specialists
The same is true in consumer travel, though here the challenges can be different.
“Many of our customers come to us to help plan their dream vacations,” says
Laurie Farquhar, vice president, Customer Experience and Service Capabilities,
Consumer Travel Network (CTN). “We spend a lot of time with them, either on
the phone or in person, and travel arrangements can be quite complex, requiring
a number of follow-ups. That relationship the travel counselor develops with the
customer is so critical to the overall American Express brand.”
PAGE _13
The business has developed travel options tailored to customer tastes,
ranging from simple transactions that can be done online to exclusive luxury
escapes complete with private jets, yachts and villas. CTN is also piloting a
program for Centurion cardmembers that gives them access to a team of 10
to 15 travel counselors, each with a defined specialty.
“Our customers expect our counselors to know every place in the world,”
Farquhar says. “A travel counselor may be booking a trip to somewhere
they’ve never been, like Dubai, for example. But their teammate has just
returned from an extensive tour and has the expertise that’s needed.”
The ultimate goal is to create lifelong advocates and customers of American
Express. “It’s not just about travel — it’s about creating an unequaled and
memorable experience for customers from start to finish.”
The journey continues
Our focus on improving the customer experience is already yielding
measurable results. Around the world, the percent of customers who rate
our service as excellent (and who would recommend American Express to a
friend) is significantly higher, retention of frontline employees is at industry-
leading levels, and operating expenses as a percentage of revenue are lower.
And feedback from our customer-facing professionals indicates they are
feeling more supported and engaged in their work.
We’re also hearing good things from independent sources. Last year,
American Express led all credit card issuers in customer satisfaction in a
J.D. Power survey. More recently, an MSN-Zogby survey of U.S. consumers
listed American Express among the top 10 service providers across a range
of industries.
“All of us at American Express identify deeply with our brand, and we’re
proud of our reputation for the way we take care of our customers,” says Jim
Bush. “At the same time, the vision of our company is to be the world’s most
respected service brand, not the world’s most respected credit card brand or the
world’s most respected financial services brand. We still have plenty to strive for.”
Cynthia Valles emphasizes, “Every interaction we have with our cardmem-
bers is an opportunity to influence the customer’s experience and reinforce
our brand. With the commitment of all of our International employees, CSI
is at the center of making this happen.”
So what will “service” look like down the road? Rohit Bery sees a day
when OPEN is routinely viewed by its customers as a key business advisor.
Laurie Farquhar has a vision of the CTN seamlessly anticipating customers’
vacation desires online, on the phone and in person. Julie Bottner imagines
delivering up-to-the-minute information right to travelers’ mobile devices.
Rosa Sabater adds that “this process of focusing on the end-to-end
experience really opened my eyes to what more we could do for our
company and our customers. I tell people all the time that I’m just awed
by the possibilities.”
PAGE _14

Both the BMW consumer

and corporate card
projects were intricate,
all-consuming efforts that
required the expertise
and coordination of many
American Express colleagues
in Germany and Austria.
Pictured, clockwise from
top: Simone Fischer,
manager, Membership
Rewards; Martin Ehret,
director, Acquisitions,
who led the consumer
cobrand project; and Heike
Hilf, director, Customer
Relationship Management.

4
 PAGE _15

Last August, when BMW decided to discontinue its cobranded consumer card with MasterCard
and Visa and partner with American Express, it was a major win for the Blue Box in Germany and
Austria. The signing significantly boosted our market share in a highly competitive, lucrative region.
“It was difficult to grow in this market without the dominant player, Lufthansa, as an airline
partner,” says Werner Decker, vice president and general manager for Germany and Austria. “With
the existing Visa and MasterCard portfolio, and the prospect of reaching the entire BMW customer
base, this deal now opens the door to a sizable opportunity for us.”
And while the sales coup is impressive, the real story is how many colleagues at American
Express worked together to beat a highly competitive field for the BMW win and, ultimately, deliver
the kind of superior customer experience that both brands are known for.
“Everyone at American Express in Germany and Austria at some point worked on the BMW card
project,” says Martin Ehret, the Frankfurt-based director who led the project. “It was an intricate,
all-consuming effort.”
For more than a year, these American Express colleagues, some client-facing, most not, got to see
a lot of each other at frequent meetings, both at their offices and at BMW’s headquarters in Munich.

DRiviNG SUccESS
Two ToP GLoBAL BRANDS coLLABoRATE
oN A cARD PRoGRAM BUiLT ARoUND THE
cUSToMER EXPERiENcE. b y J u l i e M o l i n e
Besides the scale of the migration — the term for transitioning Visa or MasterCard card-
holders into BMW/American Express cardmembers — the project involved a considerable
amount of customization, which in turn required significant adjustments in technology, mar-
keting and fulfillment before the first card could be embossed.
The complexity was as daunting as it was exciting, Ehret says, especially since the
migration of more than 100,000 cards in Germany was expected to be completed only four
months after signing. “To BMW, one of our advantages is our expertise in process manage-
ment,” he explains, “so they were confident we could pull it off. Another advantage was that our
partner is a German manufacturing company, which approaches everything it does with the
mind-set, and precision, of an engineer.”
PhOTOGRAPhY: Gaby Gerster

A network of project teams formed to address every aspect of the program and transition:
branding, manufacturing, integration, communications, marketing, Membership Rewards
(MR), finance, risk, legal, compliance, customer service, sales and relationship management.
Early in the program development stage, the network added a Global Commercial Card team
when BMW expressed interest in a cobranded corporate card (see sidebar on page 18).
 PAGE _16
Aligned brands, coordinated strategy
Both American Express and BMW have customers of sim-
ilar backgrounds, and both have strong brand reputations
— factors that made the card partnership a good fit. But it
was American Express’ approach to the customer experi-
ence that especially intrigued BMW.
For BMW, the customer isn’t just a person who drives
a fast, gorgeous car. The customer drives an emotional
relationship with the automaker. “The car is a particular
point of pride for owners,” Ehret says. “And anything with
BMW branding, whether it’s a keychain or a credit card, is a
reminder of what the brand stands for: superb engineering;
a product someone is proud to have and use every day; a
statement about lifestyle and taste.”
In essence, BMW was looking for a card that was an
extension of all of those things. That’s why the end product
would have to be more than a traditional loyalty or store
payment card, especially since BMW was looking to be
an active partner in everything from customer service to
experiential marketing.
Convincing BMW of American Express’ expertise was
one thing. Convincing potential customers of the merits
of the card was another, largely because most of the BMW
cardholders were being asked to switch over to a provider
they hadn’t originally opted for. In Austria, there was an
additional hurdle since cardholders needed to apply for the
card before they could be migrated.
BMW expected some push-back, Ehret says. Some
customers might be concerned about whether their cards
would be welcomed in as many places. Some would simply
be resistant to change. Some would resent paying a higher
annual fee for an American Express card than for a Visa or
MasterCard. Whatever hurdles BMW foresaw, it was up to the
American Express team to devise a way to surmount them.
Custom everything
Creating the optimal customer experience for the BMW/
American Express cardmember began with the plastic itself.
Since the accounts belonged to existing BMW customers,
BMW got the predominant branding. Instead of the words
American Express taking center stage, a close-up of the cir-
cular BMW logo dominates the card face, and the Blue Box
is in the lower right-hand corner. “It was important to put
aside the natural tendency to want to make the branding
more about us and recognize that the new cardmembers
would identify with BMW first,” Ehret explains.
Modifying the card design took some doing, since it
required sign-off from both the American Express branding
team and senior management, and this kind of “partner first”
imagery required an exception from our standard policy.
Refining product elements
One of the biggest challenges for cobrand developers
was determining the features and benefits that would
appeal especially to drivers — and BMW car lovers
in particular.
For example, the team created a schutzbrief — schutz
means protection in German — to enhance the insurance
offer for the premium cards (Silver, Gold and Carbon). If
a cardmember’s BMW gets a flat tire or breaks down, they
can call for fast and free roadside towing to the closest
dealer for repair. And, in a nod to a country where speeds
on the autobahn often exceed 160 kph (100 mph), another
perk is legal liability insurance, so if a cardmember is
involved in an accident and the case comes to court, then
the insurance company will pay for legal representation.
The teams also took special care to leverage Member-
ship Rewards, according to Simone Fischer, MR manager.
“We spent quite a bit of time determining what the BMW
customer would especially appreciate,” and that also would
benefit BMW (through customer loyalty), its network of
independent dealers (through relationship building with
drivers) and American Express (through spend stimulation).
To begin with, that meant switching the focus away from
frequent-flier rewards and toward frequent-driver rewards.
“We couldn’t just duplicate the MR program for the Gold
Card,” she said. “It had to connect the card’s value proposi-
tion to the BMW product, the car.”
That’s why cardmembers get double points for spending
related to fuel, car washes and parking. It’s also why the MR
team worked directly with BMW dealers to establish mean-
ingful offers, such as double points on accessories and regular
maintenance visits. Drivers may soon be able to put their
lease payments on their cards as well. (Several customers
have already charged their car purchases on an American
Express card, earning tens of thousands of MR points.)
Another way to connect MR rewards to BMW cardmem-
bers is through BMW-oriented redemptions for things like
accessories and for using points to attend BMW-sponsored
events, from Formula One racing to sailing regattas.
Involving dealers in developing the Membership Rewards
program was a high priority, too. Because they’re indepen-
 PAGE _17

Pictured, clockwise from top:

Peter Ostermoeller, director,
Customer Service Delivery for
Germany and Austria; Anita
Pruckner, head of consumer
card marketing for Austria;
and the Global Commercial
Card (GCC) team, BB Roy, vice
president of sales, GCC Europe;
Torsten Schimpf, director,
Sales; and Remco Flipsen,
director, Sales, who led the
commercial card initiative in
Germany.
PhOTO:Joseph Ford
 PAGE _18

dent rather than company-owned, each dealership Engineered with Precision:

can decide whether to accept American Express
cards, Ehret says. “It was essential we get their buy-in THE CORPORATE COMPONENT
to the whole cobrand idea, because it definitely
if signing the consumer card deal was all about brand alignment, the corporate card win was all
would have been a problem if a dealer didn’t accept
about expectation alignment — showing that American express could deliver to bmW precisely
the American Express card with a BMW logo on it.
what an outspoken rival said the company could not, and more.
But from what the Merchant Services team is telling
At first, it seemed that adding a corporate card component onto the cobranded consumer
us, the dealers are quite pleased.”
card program was out of the question. bmW had just renewed a five-year contract with
Dealers also are an important distribution
American express’ main corporate card competitor in germany, lufthansa Air plus. “basically,
channel for new cardmembers. “They are really
we were faced with a client who was highly motivated to stay with the incumbent,” says remco
part of the BMW owner’s experience, since they
flipsen, director of sales for global commercial card, europe.
regularly communicate and interact with owners,”
convincing bmW that American express could provide a superior customer experience
Ehret points out. “Having them promote the card
required deft powers of persuasion. flipsen and his team made the case for American
enhances our credibility and gives dealers a stake in
express’ global reach, an important asset for an organization with operations in more than 30
our success.”
countries. but what really helped win the client over was the team’s painstaking approach to
Since the loyalty program is such an essential
understanding bmW procurement and expense management needs.
part of the customer experience, “there’s a big drive
the American express team examined travel data with the same zeal and rigor that bmW’s
to encourage migration cardmembers to sign up for
engineers bring to their design process. that meant scrutinizing all of bmW’s corporate
MR right from the start,” Fischer says. That means
requirements for accounting, finance, tax reporting, staffing, travel management, procurement
including information about Membership Rewards
and labor relations (highly regulated in germany). members of cross-functional teams
in virtually every BMW cardmember communica-
ultimately demonstrated how American express could provide solutions more far-reaching,
tion, as well as coming up with enticing offers — like
and more practicable, than Air plus could ever hope to offer.
valuable vouchers that can be applied to purchases
When it became clear, for example, that American express needed to custom-design
at dealerships and even an option to redeem points
a software solution to improve the way data is integrated into bmW’s unique accounting
for a BMW car — to encourage spending on the card
systems, senior management approved the necessary funding — a move that resulted in other
and point redemption.
benefits, too, like a new suite of superior information management offerings for the broader
german market, says bb roy, vice president of sales, gcc europe.
substAnce … And gloss
“We worked point by point until everyone at bmW agreed that we would be able to match,
Long before the new BMW/American Express card
deliver and exceed all of its requirements for a corporate t&
t e card payment system,” flipsen says.
arrived in a specially designed, glossy jacket, cus-
the signing of a longtime holdout was sweet: With 22,000 employees, bmW is an important
tomers were well aware of what was coming.
new client, not just because of the value of the deal, but because of the automaker’s reputation
Migrating nearly 100,000 consumers would
for thorough vetting of suppliers.
require detailed explanations — not just the whys
“bmW wants to know how things work, in detail; they are focused first on perfection and
and wherefores of the switchover, but how the
then on money,” flipsen says. When it came to implementation, that perfectionism meant run-
migration would actually work, what the new card
ning a test to see how the business travel account and card accounts would work.
would offer and why it was so appealing.
All that focus on detail and testing paid off with an auspicious beginning to the bmW/American
BMW was especially concerned about the way the
express relationship — and one that roy says bmW is already interested in expanding.
customers would respond to having their card pro-
“it’s truly a partnership,” says philipp Arbter, product manager at bmW financial services.
vider switched, says Heike Hilf, director, Customer
“the American express team made it quite easy for us to work together. And we’re very
Relationship Management.
satisfied with the progress we are making and the response from our customers.”
Both partners collaborated closely on the
campaign. “Communication-wise, the effort
has been extraordinarily 360,” Hilf says. “We
ended up creating our own corporate identity
for joint communications from BMW and Amex.
Creative teams from both companies were

working from the same set of visual and copy
standards.” For continuity — and authenticity
— BMW gave American Express access to its
images and participated in every key marketing
communication decision.
“We all wanted to be very sure that these cus-
tomers weren’t swamped with information,” Hilf
says. An integrated marketing calendar outlined
the contact strategy for all kinds of cardmembers:
migration or new; an early rejecter of the new card;
a dealer or BMW employee; a cardmember with
a premium card. Then it delineated which party
— BMW Bank, which was relinquishing the card
business, BMW or American Express — would be
sending material.
To make a great first impression, the welcome
package included plenty of enticements. For migra-
tion customers, the carrot was a four-month series
of vouchers for up to 20 euros off purchases made
with the card at 10 upscale merchants. “Besides
the attractive incentive, there was another subtle
message here,” Ehret says. “We were looking for an
elegant way to tell customers about our wide variety
of merchant partners in the market.”
Merchant Services International colleagues
worked with the Customer Relationship Manage-
ment team to select the merchants for the premier
set of vouchers. They identified upscale providers
in categories like travel, sports, fashion, jewelry,
booksellers, dining, theater and department stores
to show cardmembers, rather than tell them, that
American Express is accepted everywhere they
would want to use their cards.
the personAl touch
And what of the customer experience when it comes
to customer service? There was an intense focus
on training in the call center in Germany, where
a number of service professionals were added to
handle the additional call volume.
“There was a lot of discussion not just about how
many rings before pickup were allowed, or about
content for scripts, but about the more subjective
aspects of a call,” says Peter Ostermoeller, a director
of customer service delivery for Germany and Aus-
tria. “Tone of voice, level of formality, even how to
say hello and goodbye, and when it is appropriate to
PAGE _19
engage the caller in conversation that’s not directly
related to the question or issue one was calling
about — we discussed all of this with our service
professionals, and BMW was very much involved.”
Properly setting the stage at the call center was
especially critical for the migration cardmembers,
who could activate their cards only with the assis-
tance of a service professional. The idea was to begin
the new customer relationship with highly personal-
ized service — making referrals to nearby merchants,
for example, or mentioning special offers.
One challenge to reckon with was that BMW and
American Express don’t measure service quality in
identical ways. Where we typically look at direct
feedback from customers, BMW wants to do the
testing itself — using secret shoppers, or posing
as cardmembers and calling the customer service
line. “In the end, we both made some adjustments,”
Ostermoeller says. “The goal was for the customer
experience to be of the same high quality whether
they are calling us or BMW.”
initiAl results: Wundervoll
While the “customer experience” may be something
of a qualitative concept, in this case, it is helping
drive the kind of hard data needed to measure
success. And, so far, early metrics have comfortably
exceeded projections from both American Express
and BMW. Activation is strong, and more than 70
percent of transferred cards have been used in the
first month. There’s low attrition, high Membership
Rewards opt-ins and healthy spend volume more
than 40 percent above initial expectations.
The new card is also attracting entirely new cus-
tomers, many through the dealer channel. And, already,
MR point fanatics are emerging — another sign that
the program is resonating with consumers, Hilf says.
Martin Ehret still has regular, weekly meetings
with his BMW colleagues. And, he says, this thriving
partnership has paid a bonus dividend: sparking the
interest of other German companies that want to
copy the BMW cobrand card story. “Whenever you
have a win like this, where a team pulls together to
produce a great result, it’s obviously very satisfying
for all involved,” Decker says. “But when we can rep-
licate and build on the experience, that’s invaluable.”
PAGE _20

B r a n d P ow e r : T h e N e x t G e n e r at i o n o f s e rv i c e
A Contex t series on the unique capabilities that make American Express
more than just a payments company.

C onsulting
the Cards
A new take on doing business with merchants.
by christine meyer - oertel
 PAGE _21

I f you were a merchant looking to expand your business, you’d probably be asking
yourself some very important questions: Do I really know who my customers are? Do
I fully understand what they most want and need? How much of their business are my
competitors getting — and why?
To help bring the answers to light, you could hire consultants who are marketing
experts. Then again, they may know little about your particular business or customers.
Or you could contact an unexpected resource: your card com-
pany — that is, if you’re a merchant that welcomes American
Express cards. s e a s o n s 52
Last year, the Global Information Insights (GI2) team helped A G r a n d Op e n i n g

W
thousands of businesses learn more about their customers
and their opportunities for growth. The source of these new
insights is a comprehensive set of reports that represent the hen Seasons 52, an upscale casual dining chain, was deciding on new locations
next generation of services American Express can provide to for expansion last summer, it turned to American Express for advice. The restau-
merchant partners. rant, which offers a seasonal, lower-calorie, fresh grill menu, had already opened
“We’ve created a unique space in terms of the information seven locations in Florida and Georgia, and was set to add three new locations a year.
we collect and what we’re able to do with it,” says Vice Presi- Having selected 15 markets for consideration, the CEO had two questions: Where should we
dent Ayesha Almeida, who heads the GI team within Global
2
expand, and how should the chain position itself in those new markets? Answering these ques-
Merchant Services. tions involved a “full immersion into their operations and their business goals,” says Joe Kosta,
The information she’s referring to comes from four sources director, Business Insights, who led the project.
— cardmembers, transactions, merchants and publicly avail- First, the team looked at existing Seasons 52 restaurants to determine customers’ average
able sources — and it’s a potent advantage of our closed-loop drive time to those locations. This information was the basis for mapping out trade areas, a
network. Since we have relationships with both cardmem- perimeter around proposed locations to help determine which have the highest concentration
bers and merchants, we get information from both sides of of potential customers. Within each area, they analyzed the number of card accounts most
a transaction. Information that helps us understand where, likely to dine at upscale casual restaurants; the total spending at full-service restaurants near
when and how often cardmembers spend, whether with the proposed locations; and the total spending from local cardmembers in those cities.
American Express products or with other forms of payment. The team also analyzed the competition in each market. Offering a fresh grill menu, Seasons
“We still provide marketing tools to help drive customers 52 is not easily categorized, Kosta found. “Because the chain straddles two dining categories,
to a merchant, as we’ve done for a long time, but the role we mapped two groups of competitors: upscale casual dining and fine dining /steakhouse
we’re now playing adds so much more value — and mer- restaurants.” This gave Seasons 52 an understanding of which markets could support their
chants can see it,” Almeida says. restaurant and which were oversaturated with similar types of restaurants.
The site analysis revealed four cities that offered the best opportunities. It also confirmed
What merchants want to know Seasons 52’s upscale marketing strategy with a recommendation to open restaurants near
S ince 2 0 0 6 , small merchants with a dedicated account high-end grocery and clothing stores, since Seasons 52 customers have a high affinity for
manager have been able to request one of several standard- these two retail categories. Opportunities to develop joint marketing programs between the
restaurant and the upscale retailers were also flagged.
“Seasons 52 valued our suggestions because of American
Retailers can analyze profiles of
ILLUSTRATION: National Forest

Express’ brand reputation and the trust we were able to build,”

customers who shop “down the street” Kosta notes. The CEO is now reviewing the recommendations with
the board of directors. The positive feedback on this project has

and learn how to win more of their also spread within Seasons 52 parent Darden Restaurants, one
of the world’s largest casual dining chains, which also includes
business. popular venues such as Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
 PAGE _22

ized reports that offer insights into cardmember spending patterns, industry trends,
effective marketing channels, characteristics of potential customers, and the market-
places that represent the best opportunities for growth.
These reports are available at no charge, in less than 24 hours. Account managers typi-
cally deliver results in person or over the phone.
Large merchants looking for answers to specific questions can take a deeper dive into
the data with a more sophisticated set of customized reports. For example, retailers can
analyze profiles of customers who shop “down the street” and learn how to win more of
their business. Or a merchant with multiple brands can see whether customers have any
affinity, or common attraction, across those brands.

Asking for more

As merchants have become more familiar with our data
na pa va l l e y v i n t n e r s a ss o c i at i o n capabilities and the insights American Express can provide,

D
A Taste of Wine Country they have asked for even more. Not simply more informa-
tion, but more help in analyzing the specific business issues
ata has proven to be a dynamic relationship builder for American Express in Napa Val- they’re facing. And they are willing to pay for that help.
ley, California. This region is home to more than 300 wineries, ranging in size from small, Enter the GI2 Business Insights team, which focuses mainly
family-owned vineyards to comparatively large-scale operations like Beringer Vineyards on retail, emerging industries, travel and entertainment.
and Robert Mondavi Winery. Marketing Napa Valley as a region for wine experts and a tourist desti- Last year, the team produced custom analyses for 100 U.S.
nation, the Napa Valley vintners form a tight-knit community. They’re also aligned in their interest to merchants and more than a dozen merchants outside the
know more about their customers and prospects. U.S. — and demand is increasing.
In recent years, wine sales directly shipped to consumers, whether bought online or at the winery, To date, team members have advised a major retailer on
have been expanding across the U.S. American Express Merchant Services recommended Global where to open a new store, helped an association of mer-
Information Insights to help the vintners better understand their customers and how they purchase. chants understand customer buying patterns and shown a
“Being a nonprofit organization, we don’t have the kinds of resources needed for research,” says retail giant how its online customers differ from its in-store
Stacey Dolan Capitani, marketing and promotions managing director for the Napa Valley Vintners shoppers. The group has also been instrumental in helping
Association. “So this was a fabulous opportunity to get key information that we could pass on to our sign and retain merchants. Contracts for both a major super-
members and use to reach customers more effectively.” market chain and a discount retailer included obligations for
The report showed the vintners their top local customer segments and other retail brands that American Express to deliver in-depth customer analyses.
were attracting the same type of customer — useful information for determining possible joint mar- Working closely with client management teams, GI2
keting initiatives. concentrates on large accounts — merchants that tend to
Although the majority of cardmembers purchased at the wineries, customers who purchased have resources dedicated to growth strategies. “They may
both on-site and online had a much higher transaction size. These “dual shoppers” represented only be making a $30 million investment to open new locations,
11 percent of the vintners’ client base but accounted for 41 percent of
spending. A targeted marketing campaign directed to those individuals
would make sense, the report concluded.
American Express representatives have since been headliners
Globalization offers an obvious
at local conferences to share the findings. “At one presentation, we expansion path. This advance will make
spoke to about 200 wineries, only about 15 percent of which were
not merchant partners.” Kosta recalls. “It was practically a sales it possible to offer merchants a global
presentation for them since we were showing them what American
Express can offer.” Since then, many of those vintners now accept our
analysis of their entire American Express
cards. Capitani adds that the study was so well received the association’s spending and opportunity.
members are eager for even more of this kind of information.
 PAGE _23

for example, and they’re looking to us for advice,” says Ryan Manville, vice president,
Business Insights. “In the past, we might have talked to them about a one-time mar-
keting initiative. Now the scale of what we’re doing is much greater and significantly
more valuable to the merchant.”
As the GI2 effort has expanded in the U.S., there’s also been a steady groundswell
of interest among merchants in other markets, Almeida says. Established last year,
the International team now offers automated reports in 17 markets, with most of the
analytical work supported by a team based in Singapore. The more customized studies
have been limited to select merchants in Australia and the U.K. This will change soon,
as the team expands its technology capabilities.
“We know there’s tremendous opportunity in expanding internationally,” says
Nadine Davey-Rogers, vice president, International Information Insights. “Already,
we’ve seen huge benefits in Australia and the European market.”

On the horizon
Future initiatives point to many more I’s: more informa-
tion, more insights, more international, more innovation. m ay b o u r n e h o t e l g r o u p
Data collection and analysis is slated to become more Hotel Accommodations

H
automated, which will lead to better, deeper information to
feed the core and custom studies. “With continued automa-
tion, we can expand the number of merchants we influence,
focus our people on the most customized of custom products
and deliver strategic consulting,” Almeida says.
Globalization offers an obvious expansion path. This
advance will make it possible to offer merchant partners a
global analysis of their entire American Express spending
and opportunity.
Other ideas that are taking shape include aggregating
data across a specific industry and providing deep analyses
of spending trends that groups of merchants can leverage.
This project, which has received an initial round of funding
from Ken Chenault’s Innovation Fund, is one of many long-
term strategies that aim to enhance the value of our informa-
tion management.
However the expansion projects play out, it’s clear that
our data capabilities are moving from the back office to
the front desk. Analysts within GI2 are doing more than
crunching numbers. They’re helping merchants make sense
of the results, deepening relationships and even creating a
new revenue stream in the process.
“Information management has always been a strong asset
for American Express because of our closed loop,” Almeida
says. “The more we work with our data, the more we realize
that there’s so much more the numbers can tell us — and that’s
really exciting for both us and our partners.”
aving received an in-depth customer analysis from American Express in 2006, Maybourne
Hotel Group turned to Global Information Insights once again last fall. Its objective: growth
opportunities for premium properties in London, a competitive upscale hotel environment. The
company wanted to ensure it was targeting the right customers, finding opportunities to capture more of
the business of existing American Express customers, and exploring ways to attract new cardmembers.
The International team’s analysis offered detailed demographics for three of the hotel group’s
properties: Claridges, The Berkley and The Connaught. The results confirmed much of Maybourne’s
internal analysis of its customer demographics, but it also yielded some new insights.
In analyzing the potential for new customers, the team was able to show that the properties were
attracting slightly different client bases. Although guests from the U.S. represented the largest
customer group for all three hotels, The Berkley appealed to a large proportion of guests from Brazil
and Hong Kong. Knowing where its customers are from can help inform how to tailor services, as
well as where to invest in marketing promotions.
“One interesting finding was that their customers tend to be loyal to one property, which is driven
by the character of the hotel,” says Christine Chia, director of Customer Insights who supervised the
project. “It reaffirmed for them that there is value in maintaining and marketing that distinct character.”
An analysis of “industry outspend” — where customers spend when they leave those hotels —
­indicated a number of retail categories, notably high-end department stores, that are proving to fit
well as promotional partners. The analysis also showed that customers are spending in other local
hotels, so incentives encouraging guests to dine more often or stay longer at one of the Maybourne
hotels might be very effective.
“The insights about customers’ spending with competitors and in other industries have been par-
ticularly valuable,” says Nicki Granger, Customer Relationship Management for Maybourne Hotel
Group. “We are about to launch a joint marketing promotion with two of London’s top department
stores, which is something we wouldn’t have been able to do without this research.”
 PAGE _24

ask M I T H OO MA L A N I
Customer Care Professional
Risk Customer Servicing Network
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

me
M i t h o o j o i n e d A m e r i c a n E x p re s s i n 2 0 0 5.
H e wo r k s a s a c re d i t A n a l ys t i n t h e R i s k
c u s t o m e r S e r v i c i n g N e t wo r k , w h e re h e
m a ke s a u t h o r i z a t i o n d e c i s i o n s t o s u p p o r t
o u r c a rd m e m b e rs a n d t h e c o m p a ny.

how
i
care
Two American Express customer care
professionals — one long-tenured, one
newer to the company — talk to each other
about the customer care experience.

MITHOO: Well, Carmen, I’m curious
to hear about what it was like when
you started at American Express.
What changes have you seen over
the years?
cArmen: in the old days, American
Express had only three products, all
charge cards. Now we have many —
charge, credit, small business cards. i
have to know all of my products inside
out because i never know which one
the cardmember is calling about.
it’s also important to be able to tell
customers what other products or
services may be suitable for them.
Here’s another big difference.
when i started out in the Risk
customer Servicing Network,
everything was paper-based. So
things like setting up a dispute or
removing a hold on an account
or even something as simple as
changing an address took a lot
longer. Now everything is done
online. Say a cardmember calls
to check if a charge has hit their
statement. Before, we would have
to pull the file and send them a copy
of the statement, which could have
taken up to a week or more. Now
i can check their account while
they’re on the phone. i’m able to walk
them through step-by-step to make
sure they have what they need. And
they can print out their statements
whenever they want. Being able to
help them so quickly makes them
PhOTOGRAPhY: Jeffery Salter
happier, more satisfied customers.
PAGE _25
cArmen suArez
Customer Care Professional
Customer Focused Sales
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
c a r m e n wo r k s i n c u s t o m e r fo c u s e d
S a l e s , w h e re s h e h e l p s h ig h - s p e n d i n g
c a rd m e m b e rs w i t h i s s u e s re l a t i n g t o
d o z e n s o f c a rd p ro d u c t s . S h e h a s s e r ve d
o u r c u s t o m e rs fo r 2 2 ye a rs .
MITHOO: Are there any changes
that have been particularly
challenging?
cArmen: one thing we have today
that we didn’t years ago is our
TBASS survey. it’s sometimes a
challenge to be measured for every
interaction by how satisfied the
customer is, par ticularly when
you’re dealing with a difficult
situation. in a very shor t time
frame, we’re expected to get to
know our customers, adapt to
their needs and solve their issues.
Sometimes that doesn’t go as
smoothly as we would like. But
it’s impor tant to do what we can
to make sure our customers are
satisfied. it directly affects the
well-being of our company and
how we can be better than the
competition.
And i can honestly say my past
seven years in customer focused
Sales have been the best time
of my career here at American
Express. Every interaction i have
with a customer is a chance to help
them. And by introducing them to
other products or services that are
beneficial to them, we’re increasing
the likelihood that they’ll choose
American Express every time they
pull out their wallet.
 PAGE _26

Mithoo: How have you been

able to keep your skills fresh
through the years, without relying
so much on “This is how we’ve
always done it”?
Ca r m e n : Change can be difficult.
I think it’s important to keep an open
mind. That’s the only way you can
continue to grow. In my job, the
more I know, the more successful
I am. If I don’t know my products
and their benefits, or don’t under­
stand how a change is import­a nt —
not only to the company but to
the customer — then I’m not doing
my job.
Mithoo: I had a fair amount of
work experience before coming to
American Express, and possibly
have been in the workforce longer
than you. But whenever you move
to a new company, you’re always
looking for someone who can
show you the ropes. You started
out in credit operations where
I am now, so you know what it’s
like and how it has changed. If
you were my mentor, what advice
would you give me to help me be
Ca r m e n : When you’re dealing with
customers every day, you’re faced
with such a variety of personalities in
sometimes stressful situations. And
different customers have different
expectations. You have to learn to
adapt to each person and really
listen to what they need. That’s such
an important factor to the success
of the call.
The customer has to know that we
empathize with them and value their
business whether times are good or
bad. When they are having difficulties,
we want to show them that we are
willing to work with them. We want to
keep the relationship strong. When
you’re in the situation where you’re
collecting money, whether it’s a bad
check or the account is late, it’s
likely that customer may have other
accounts that are overdue. By making
a connection with them and helping
them, hopefully they will want to pay
their American Express bill first....and
ultimately still have that card in their
wallet when their situation is better.
Mithoo: That’s a good point.
It’s very important to keep the
business relationship with our
cardmembers especially when they
are going through a ­difficult time.
That’s so true in ­today’s economy
when more people are having trou-
“ I really appreciate the authority I have to
make decisions about how to help the customer.
Cardmembers call us when they have a problem
using their card. If I think it’s appropriate, I can
authorize a one-time charge even though there is
a hold on the account. It makes me feel good to be
able to do that.” — mit h o o m a l a ni
even though we understand there time charge for a cardmember
are reasons for their situation even though there is a hold on the
and will work with them, we still account. Maybe the cardmember
have a responsibility to ­collect the is trying to rent a car to get to an
funds. It’s important they show us important meeting. I can allow
they are making a good faith effort that charge to go through if I
to pay us. think it’s appropriate. It makes
me feel good to be able to do that.
Ca r m e n : What I have found has You said earlier that you try to
helped me is to remember that I’m adapt to each cardmember and
also a cardmember and to try to look really listen to their needs in
at the situation like a customer. I order to best help them. Have you
might say, “I have an account, too. found that humor comes in handy
I know exactly how you feel right in a difficult situation?
now. I’ve had this happen before.
We want to help you, but you also Ca r m e n : I’m not comfortable being
have to realize that we have to the one to initiate humor, because
make decisions that are best for you never know how the customer
the company as well. So you need is going to take it. But when the
to show us that you are willing to cardmember interjects humor,
work with us.” I think the best thing I really enjoy it and I’ll reciprocate.
we can do is let them know we I find those to be the best calls you
are on their side and to help them can have in a day.
understand what they need to do to
correct the situation. Mithoo: I try to use humor as
much as I can when it’s appropri-
Mithoo: Yes. And I really appreci- ate. I might have a cardmember

‘
more effective? ble paying their bills. However, ate the authority I have to make who is angry, and I still have to
decisions about how to help the update their account information,
customer. Cardmembers call us their phone numbers, their
When you’re dealing with customers every day, when they have a problem using e-mail, as well as collect their
you’re faced with such a variety of personalities their card. They don’t really payment. However, they just want
in sometimes stressful situations. And different care if the system is down or if a to get off the phone once they
customers have different expectations. You have payment hasn’t hit their account have authorized their payment.
to learn to adapt to each person and really listen to yet. They want to know how soon So it helps to use some humor to
what they need. That’s such an important factor they will be able to make that make them willing to take the
to the success of the call.” — carmen suarez purchase. I can authorize a one- time to update their information.
 PAGE _27

I’ll say, “Wow, you and I make a
good team. Look how much we’ve
accomplished together. You can
use your card, and your informa-
tion is now current. Thanks.”
I also speak different languag-
es. If I detect that the cardmem-
ber is from India, for example, I
can talk to them in several differ-
ent dialects. It helps make them
feel more comfortable, especially
if they’re distressed. And I speak
Spanish as well.
cArmen: Mithoo, when you think
about the training you’ve gotten at
American Express, what stands out
the most for you? what’s been the
most helpful?
MITHOO: I was very lucky when I
started at American Express. The
trainer I had really enjoyed what
he was doing and was very knowl-
edgeable. That made it easier to
learn from him.
Overall, what impressed me the
most was the amount of time the
company invests in training from
the beginning. We all go through
an extensive training program
over a three-month period. The
company wants to make absolutely
sure we’re fully prepared to serve
the customer. That showed me
that American Express not only
cares about the cardmember, but
it cares about me and wants me to
succeed. And training and learn-
ing is a continuous process. As a
matter of fact, I’ll be in another
training session tomorrow.
It’s a constant learning process,
and things are always changing.
Have you found that our custom-
ers’ expectations have changed
over the years? Do they expect
more from us?
cArmen: Absolutely. it’s a very tough
marketplace out there with so many
offers from so many competitors.
More than ever, we have to prove
ourselves to our customers every
day by providing excellent service.
And bad news travels faster than
good news. So we always want to
leave a customer with a memorable
experience that they’re going to
share with family and friends.
MITHOO: My experience at
American Express is that we’re
willing to explore new avenues or
new solutions. We regularly ask
our cardmembers and employees
for their feedback, and we invest
a lot of resources in honestly
evaluating what they have to say
to make the appropriate changes.
You hear about companies all the
time that have been resistant to
change. From what I’ve seen and
experienced at American Express,
change is the norm. We’ve been
around for more than 150 years,
and that kind of longevity has
been possible because we’re
willing to take risks and make
changes.
cArmen: oK, now you sound like a
true American Express veteran!

cArmen suArez / carmen began her career at American Express 22 years ago. Today, in
customer focused Sales (cfS), she helps high-spending cardmembers with issues related to
dozens of different charge and lending products. She is also responsible for enhancing our
relationships with cardmembers by offering them additional products and services. carmen
has been recognized as a cfS top performer for quality and sales, and has won the Achievers’ circle Award
twice. Prior to joining cfS in 2001, she held several positions in credit operations. carmen is married, with
two daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family, travel and spin cycling at the gym.

MITHOO MALANI / Mithoo embarked on a second career when he joined American

meet our Express as a customer care professional in 2005. Prior to that, he enjoyed a successful
career in computer and information technology as an engineer, and in product market-

customer care
ing and management with U.S. companies in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and India.
ILLUSTRATION: Peter Arkle

Mithoo currently works in the Return Check Department within the Risk Customer Servicing
Network (formerly known as Credit Operations). He has also held positions as a credit analyst with

Professionals
the High-Spending Cardmember unit and the Deceased Accounts Resolution Team. Mithoo was
born and raised in India. He and his wife, Myriam, have been married for more than 30 years. They
have two grown sons and two grandchildren, with another on the way. Mithoo enjoys travel, chess,
photography and eBay.
 PAGE _28
How NoT
to wow
the
c ustomer
customer
we all have them. those pet
peeves about poor service
we’ve experienced in shops
and restaurants, and on the
phone. in a discussion on in
the loop, we asked you to tell
us what bugs you the most.
here’s what you had to say.
Lo o K w h o ’ s
T h e r e s a a d k i n s Phoenix
i would have to say the voice response systems irritate the &%$&* out of me. it is so
annoying to have to keep pressing buttons to get where you want to go, when all you really
w a n t t o d o i s t a l k t o a H U M A N ! A n d o n c e y o u g e t t h a t h u m a n , f o r g o o d n e s s s a k e , p ra y t h e y
have a personality!
J a s o n B u r a k N e w Yo r k
i had an experience where the person behind the counter walked away to argue with a
c o w o r k e r o v e r w h o h a d / h a d n ’ t c l e a n e d u p a c o u n t e r. S h e t h e n c a m e b a c k , t o o k my o r d e r,
ra n g i t u p a n d w a l k e d a w a y a g a i n t o c o n t i n u e t h e a r g u m e n t . S h e c a m e b a c k y e t a g a i n t o
c o n f i r m m y o r d e r a n d t h e n w a l k e d a w a y a g a i n t o a r g u e f u r t h e r. A f t e r t h r e e m i n u t e s , i
w a l k e d o u t o f t h e s t o r e g l a d i h a d n ’ t p a i d a ny $ .
a m o l m e h t a Delhi, india
M a ny c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s d o n o t a t t e m p t t o l i s t e n t o t h e c u s t o m e r a n d
i n t e r r u p t , b e l i e v i n g t h a t t h e y k n o w w h a t t h e c u s t o m e r w a n t s . To m e , h a l f t h e b a t t l e i s w o n
i f y o u h e a r o u t t h e c u s t o m e r ’s g r i e v a n c e w i t h d u e a t t e n t i o n .
r o b i n r a k e s Greensboro, North carolina
R e g a r d l e s s o f w h e t h e r i ’m d e a l i n g w i t h s o m e o n e i n p e r s o n o r o v e r t h e p h o n e , i d e t e s t t h e
f e e l i n g t h a t i a m s o m e h o w b o t h e r i n g t h e m . R a t h e r t h a n c o p a n a t t i t u d e my s e l f, i t r y t o m a k e
t h e p e r s o n a w a r e o f h o w t h e y a r e c o m i n g a c r o s s . i ’ l l a s k i f t h e y ’r e h a v i n g a b a d d a y o r a s k
how to pronounce their name as a way to engage them. . . eye contact, a smile, a pulse!
a m i e l r o s a r i o S yd n ey, A u s t ra l i a
w h a t i r e a l l y h a t e a r e a u t o m a t o n s . i ’m t a l k i n g a b o u t t h o s e w h o j u s t s a y a n d d o t h i n g s o u t
o f r e f l e x w i t h o u t r e a l l y m e a n i n g a ny o f i t . T h e y s a y, “ t h a n k s , ” s a n s e y e c o n t a c t , o r w o r s e ,
“ H a v e a g o o d d a y, ” a n d i t ’s 8 p . m . !
J i l l w a l t h e w London
i ’ v e h a d t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f w a i t i n g i n l i n e , g e t t i n g t o t h e c o u n t e r, a n d t h e n t h e a s s i s t a n t
t u r n s a w a y t o a n s w e r t h e p h o n e . P r i o r i t y s h o u l d b e g i v e n t o y o u r fa c e - t o - fa c e c u s t o m e r s .
Now i just put back my purchases and leave if this happens.
Thanks to everyone who took part in the discussion. To read everyone’s comments or to add your
own, head over to In the Loop on AmexWeb.
Ta l K i n G
 CORRespondents
Argentina_Geraldine C Campbell United Kingdom_Deepa Bose
Office 54.11.4310.3507 Office 44.207.976.467 7
Fax 54.11.4328.8275 Fax 44.207.233.0873

Australia_Luisa S Megale United States

Office 612.9271.2070
Ft. Lauderdale, FL_Stacey Orange
Fax 612.9271.2554
Office 954.503.9519

CONTE X T
Canada_Alina Chernin Fax 954.503.3056
Office 905.474.8531
Greensboro, NC_Tyler J Cox
Fax 905.474.8363
Office 336.668.5824
France_Beatrice Hervieu Fax 336.668.5696
Office 33.1.47.7 7.78.45
New York, NY_Cynthia Aquila
Fax 33.1.47.7 7.7 7.83
Office 212.640.5917
Germany_Ursula E Hellstern Fax 212.640.0331
Office 49.69.9797.2332
Phoenix, AZ_Mindy J Adams
Fax 49.69.9797.2919
Office 623.492.7412
india_Vibha B Bajaj Fax 623.492.7411
Office 91.124.680.1590
Salt Lake City, UT_Steve Allnatt
Fax 91.124.639.8304
Office 801.945.5268
Italy_Luciana B Strippoli Fax 801.945.5675
Office 39.06.722.80.756
Fax 39.06.722.80.424

Japan_Sheena S Yu
Office 81.3.3220 6329
Fax 81.3.3391.7611

Mexico_Adriana A Rivera
Got a story idea? Office 525.55.209.7310
We welcome
welcomeyour yourthoughts
thoughtsononitems
items and
and Fax 525.55.209.7317
people
people we coverininContext
wecover Context features
features and
and
in theinfollowing
the following departments:
departments: new zealand_Brenda Newth
Office 64.9.583.8137
Update_Whatever happened to...? Fax 64.9.583.8126

Behind the Scenes_How did we score Singapore_Loh Weilin

that big win? Office 65.6880.1236
Fax 65.6294.0516
At Work_American Express employees
and the jobs they do spain_Luis B Dupuy
Office 34.91.743.7229
Corporate Citizens_Putting a face
Fax 34.902.195.111
on philanthropy
Taiwan_Tiffany T Chen
The Numbers_Quantifying our success
Office 886.2.2514.3930
Time Capsule_Mining the archives for Fax 886.2.8712.3836
158-year history
reminders of our 157-year history
Thailand_Peera Pomkaew
Please contact any of the Context corre­ Office 66.2.273.5019
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