Customer Service Champs February 18, 2010, 5:00PM EST

USAA's Secret Sauce

No other company has rated as consistently high in our customer service rankings. Here's what keeps the San Antonio-based financial-services outfit ahead of the rank and file

Call center reps spend up to six months in training before manning the phones. The goal: understanding the lives of military customers.

Better employee benefits can spur better service. So USAA reps get generous health care, bonuses topping 18% of salary, and even relocation.

Mobile is king among USAA's customers. A pioneering service lets banking customers deposit checks by taking pictures using their smartphones.

Behind the scenes, USAA has rolled out high-tech software that lets reps view the same online screens its customers see on their PCs at home.

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