USAA knows something other companies don’t

I used a long drive to Northern California this week to catch up with my insurance company, USAA. I had a laundry list of things to cover from a birth to a death and from selling a motorcycle to buying a new car. These administrative changes can take a long time and involve being passed around an organization in the best of circumstances.

Instead, I worked with a single individual, Cheryl, who managed every step of the process expertly. Cheryl added, subtracted and even suggested a lower auto loan rate at just the right moment. She had access to the full breadth of my customer information from banking to life and auto insurance. Cheryl executed her end of the call expertly, even offering to follow up the next day on the things we couldn’t complete. And she did.

And Cheryl told me she was a new employee. It was remarkable.

Did you know each other?

But what really struck me was the comment my wife made after the call. I was on hands-free and she heard the whole thing. As I disconnected, she asked me, “Did you two know each other?” I laughed and said, “No, why?” She said, “Because you both talked to each other like you did.” What my wife heard was just my latest customer experience in my 23 years of investment in USAA and their investment in Cheryl and in me. After 23 years, I know them and they know me. Every time I call, I’m met with the red carpet and the velvet rope opens to excellent customer service delivered in a highly personalized way.

What USAA knows is that the call center is the greatest marketing asset they have. While banks and airlines outsourced to cheaper states and countries, USAA instead doubled down on their human and technology investment in the call center. As a software guy, I know that USAA invested in integration technologies that bring together all of the right data and processes at the right moments that allow even a new employee to be excellent.

I can’t imagine not being a USAA customer. In fact, I’m eager to give more of my money to them as they expand what they offer. I’m a fan of a bank and insurance company and I’d even wear their t-shirt if they offered. Think about that. That’s remarkable.

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Christopher Taylor