Cases

How can a technology update be used to re-establish brand values?

Revitalizing enthusiasm for quality customer service.

American Express has the ambition to be the world’s most respected service brand.  As concierge to the company’s most valuable customers, operators at the call center for the Centurion card were keenly aware of company’s commitment to customer service. Charged with procuring the finest tables, the most sought-after tickets and access to the inaccessible – their job was to be responsive, knowledgeable, and courteous to some of the company’s most demanding customers.

Technology, however had not been treating them kind. A dated system required the operator to scroll through pages of data in order to find relevant information, making it difficult to assist customers in a timely manner. To amend the situation, American Express planned to introduce a new application that would improve the process and simplify their ability to serve their customers.

While learning how to use the new technology was comparatively intuitive, American Express recognized the technology update as a unique opportunity to revitalize enthusiasm for the American Express Brand. They wanted to recalibrate the connection between the top level card members and the American Express representative in a full-week training course based on brand discovery. It was up to Ogilvy PR to make it compelling.

Looking to engage participants in the conversation, the team opted for a kinesthetic format, rather one that relied simply upon lectures and demonstrations. Participants were divided into small groups and, using handheld camcorders, asked to create their own short video on a variety of selected topics – customer service, quality control, difficult customers, etc. These video then became the platform for team discussions and idea-generations sessions.

The response and enthusiasm for the program was astounding. By comparing and contrasting their experiences, participants gained a renewed sense of confidence for their work. They learned new solutions for working through challenges and developed their own ongoing network for learning that bore relevance to their workplace. As the new software rolled out into the different markets, this approach was later replicated for use round the world.