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Discover® Card Ranked #1 For Online Customer Experience In The Credit Card Industry
Keynote Systems Recognizes Discover for Easiest Online Account Management and Card Application Processes
March 28, 2006
Riverwoods, IL, March 28, 2006 – Discover Financial
Services LLC, a business unit of Morgan Stanley
(NYSE: MS), today announced that Discovercard.com
has been ranked number one in online customer
experience in a recent study performed by Keynote
Systems, The Internet Performance Authority®.
The interactive Web site study, performed in January
2006, examined the online behavior and satisfaction
of consumers as they performed searches and accomplished
tasks on leading credit card Web sites.
Discover’s lead ranking in Keynote’s interactive
Web site study builds upon the other best-in-class
distinctions Discover has recently received, including
the January 2006 Credit Card Monitor Report for
Best Online Fraud Protection Service and Information
and the Brand Keys Loyalty Award for Customer
Service, which the Company has won eight years
in a row. This consistent recognition by independent
industry organizations underscores Discover’s
commitment to Cardmembers’ needs and ongoing leadership
role in customer service and fraud protection.
“We really value this distinction from
Keynote because our top priority is serving Discover
Cardmembers by anticipating and caring for their
needs online or by phone, any time of day or night,”
said Carlos Minetti, Executive Vice President
of Cardmember Services at Discover Financial Services
LLC. “We will continue to build upon our strengths
and are committed to providing the easiest and
most effective online customer service experience
of any credit card company. Our Cardmembers have
come to expect that from Discover Card.”
The Keynote study evaluated the experience
of 2,000 prospective credit card customers, using
over 250 criteria to analyze the leading credit
card Web sites in terms of the overall customer
experience and technical service issues, such
as site responsiveness and reliability. According
to the study, almost two-thirds of study participants
(71 percent) cited Discover as the easiest credit
card company to deal with online as well as the
easiest credit card to apply for online.
“With more than half (52%) of study participants
indicating that online account management services
were very or extremely important when selecting
a new credit card, credit card companies are placing
greater emphasis on the online experience,” said
Bonny Brown, director of research at Keynote.
“Those that can simplify the card application
process and provide real value online will ultimately
impact consumer choice.”
Discover was
the first credit card company to introduce live
24/7 customer support. In addition to its online
services, the company operates an industry-leading
call center system, connecting Cardmembers with
a customer service representative in 60 seconds
or less. Discover’s award-winning customer service
includes features such as:
·
Discovercard.com: Discover provides the
easiest self-service options that put Cardmembers
in complete control of their Accounts – making
payments, redeeming rewards, setting up email
alerts, etc. Emails sent to Discover Card, some
50,000 a month, are answered on average in less
than two hours.
· Customization:
Cardmembers can personalize their experience by
signing up for helpful and timely e-mail reminders
that help them avoid fees, manage their budgets
and use credit wisely.
· Highly
Skilled Agents: Discover Card’s customer
service agents, all based in the U.S., on average
have the longest tenure in the industry, nearly
twice as long as competitors with a lower rate
of attrition. They are measured not by how fast
they get off the phone, but on how effectively
they resolve customer needs.
·
Fast and Easy: Nearly every inquiry to
Discover Card customer service is resolved in
a single phone call. Cardmembers can speak with
a customer representative in less than a minute,
or start using the automated voice-response system
even faster.
The Extra Mile:
Discover Card customer service agents routinely
go “above and beyond” to help Cardmembers in any
situation, from routine credit line extensions
to overnight delivery of a replacement card to
a vacationer’s hotel.
An abstract of
Keystone’s study of credit card Web sites can
be found at:
www.keynote.com/downloads/cem/Keynote_CreditCard_abstract06.pdf
About Discover Financial Services
LLC
Discover Financial Services LLC,
a business unit of Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS),
operates the Discover Card with more than 50 million
Cardmembers, and the Discover Network, which is
the largest proprietary credit card network in
the U.S. with more than 4 million merchant and
cash access locations. Discover Financial Services
also operates the PULSE ATM/debit network, which
serves over 4,200 financial institutions and includes
almost 250,000 ATMs and approximately 3.4 million
POS terminals. For more information, visit www.discovercard.com,
www.discovernetwork.com or www.pulse-eft.com.
Media Contact
Laura Gingiss
Senior Manager, Public Relations
Discover Financial Services LLC
(224)
405-0185
lauragingiss@discoverfinancial.com
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