What Real People Actually Recommend to Other Real People: Charles Schwab

We’re coming up on the end of year here, and in the background of all the holiday cheer and activity, you might be secretly asking yourself when you’re finally going to get to planning your finances for 2018. Or maybe for the first time ever.

We’ve all got our different tools—money-management apps for the modern man or woman, Excel spreadsheets for the old school—but sometimes what we really need is just a good partner. Not one who’s going to make you rich; just one who’s going to put you first.

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From our very own, Steve Swanson:

When the management of a company sets policies that put their customers first, it shows.

It could be as simple as picking up the phone when someone calls instead of an automated attendant telling you that your call is important, or that they are experiencing unusually high call volumes. It could be empowering their front-line employees to handle situations without hesitation. Or, maybe they hired and trained their employees so well, that each customer not only feels like their issue is important to the person on the other end of the line, but that they have a friend helping them get it resolved.

Charles Schwab is one company that seems to have put all of these pieces together, and has been my gold standard of customer service over the past decade. I use them for online banking, and no matter the issue, no matter the agent, empathy seems to be the common thread that ties it all together. Whether dealing with a fraudulent charge, identity theft, or just a question on my account, they listen, understand and have a solution for me in less time than it takes for other companies to pick up the phone. Instead of telling me why they can’t do something, every statement and action is geared toward what they can do to help resolve whatever issue is at hand.

I have commonly recommended Charles Schwab to all of my friends and family because I have no doubt that if they choose to use them, they will be very well taken care of. Even in conversations with acquaintances, if it turns to customer service, Charles Schwab will always be the example I share as the organization committed to their customers. In the electronic age of FAQ and blog customer service, automated responders, and off-shore call centers, Charles Schwab has opted out of the short-term financial gain that digital alienation appears to give. Instead, they focus on the long-term investment in customer service and retain their customers for a lifetime.

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