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By Sallie Komitor, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, Alliance Data Card Services

People are always curious about the “special sauce” that sets Alliance Data apart from our competitors – and they’re always surprised that I’m so willing to share it. Truth is I’m happy to, because the things that make us who we are as a brand simply can’t be duplicated. To me, it comes down to two key elements: the unique retail heritage that defines how we approach our brand partners and our cardmembers, and our outstanding pool of talented people.

1. Make Customer Care the Root for Your Success

Our retail heritage has always been a critical component of our care strategy. In the beginning, our understanding of the retail market – its cycles and constant change – helped us show our brand partners that we “got it” – their concerns were our concerns. Whether it was an interaction in the store or on the phone with one of our associates, customers had expectations of their favorite brands. Time and time again we delivered an experience that met or exceeded those expectations, acting as a true extension of our partners’ brands, and it helped set the foundation for who we are today. We spoke a common language and earned the trust of our brand partners to take care of their most important asset: their customers.

So much of who we are today is based on those early days. We’ve continued to evolve along with the industry, which is more competitive than ever; our partners are looking for new ideas to help keep their brands fresh and relevant. Our marketing and loyalty expertise, coupled with our strong focus on the customer experience, helps us deliver solutions and opportunities. We’ve made it our business to know the customer better than anyone – and we use that knowledge to create end-to-end customer experiences that complement the brands’ promise.

2. More Empowered Associates = More Positive Customer Experiences

We work to establish the right rapport with every customer, weaving in the necessities of regulatory scripting without disrupting the fluidity of the call. I make it sound easy, but it’s really only possible – and successful – because each and every one of our Care Center associates completes a thorough series of customer service skills training sessions, which begin as soon as they join the Alliance Data team. Those behaviors are constantly reinforced through call listening, customer satisfaction feedback, and supervisor and peer-to-peer coaching. Once those skills are engrained, we encourage our associates to make the most of who they are, letting their personality shine through. It’s great to see consistency enhanced by individuality.

Developing the right culture for customer care is critical to success, but has to be genuine, with the right people in place, and the right expertise. That ‘secret sauce’ is why Alliance Data Customer Care Centers have been certified as “Centers of Excellence” an industry-leading ten times.

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