Instead of evaluating service reps mainly by how quickly they got customers off the phone, as many companies still do, he switched to the net promoter score developed by Bain's Fred Reichheld. It's based on one question: would you recommend this company to a friend? AmEx's score has risen significantly under Bush's direction, and he was right - it pays off.
Customer spending is up, attrition is down. As AmEx's executive VP of world service, he oversees some 20,000 employees, about a third of the company's total. In a Q&A with Geoff Colvin, he talks about how the company has changed the way it trains service employees, the power of personality, turning collection calls into positive experiences, and much more.
Read the CNN article (so cool).
