Ever lost your credit card and called your card’s customer service line only to get someone who is overseas, likely underpaid, and is clearly reading from a script?
It isn’t pleasant and just leaves you more frustrated than you were when you first called.
Discover believes that customer service calls should actually help the customer. That’s why they promise 100%, U.S.-based customer service to all of their cardholders.
Let’s take a closer look at whether or not they keep their promise.
What’s Ahead:
“We treat you like you’d treat you.”
Discover commercials boast this as their service model. And if you’re like me, you’re probably thinking that’s about as true as Burger King’s: “have it your way” slogan (as a Burger King employee in high school, I can tell you obnoxious, specialized orders didn’t go over well).
But, Discover’s customer experience reviews are mostly positive, and the many awards they’ve won show that the employees actually want to help customers. In fact, Discover won the JD Power 2016 US Credit Card Satisfaction Study.
Jim Miller, director of banking services at J.D. Power (the market research company that gives product and customer service awards) said,
Personal finance is personal. So when you have to call up a real person to deal with whatever financial hardship may have occurred, getting someone who’s reading off a script feels impersonal and uncomfortable.
24/7 call centers
While Discover’s customer service is U.S.-based, you aren’t limited to the nine-to-five window to call. If you find out that your card has been lost or stolen at one in the morning, you can call and reach a real person.
Or use Discover’s new freeze it option on your account, which automatically freezes your account if you misplace your card.
Not only do Discover service representatives quickly answer your questions, but they also respond quickly to questions and concerns on social media.
Discover even offers a live-chat option.
Forgiveness on first late payment
Other than to report lost cards, a typical reason people call customer service is to ask forgiveness for late payments. Discover already has a built-in forgiveness program.
Typically, late payment fees run upwards of $35. But, with Discover, if it’s your first late payment you won’t have to pay any late fee and your credit report won’t be affected.
Employees enjoy their job
Working in a call center isn’t the most glamorous job in the world, but Discover employees tend to give positive reviews about their work environment.
Disgruntled employees don’t make for the best customer service (see my Burger King example). So the fact that Discover employees rave about a good work community helps everyone.
Summary
With 100% U.S.-based customer service, you’d be hard-pressed to find better customer service than Discover offers. That coupled with the late payment forgiveness program and considerable cash back, anyone looking for a great all-around credit card should seriously consider Discover.
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