Customer Service Champs 2008

In Depth

Consumer Vigilantes

Memo to Corporate America: Hell now hath no fury like a customer scorned

• Slide Show: Customer Service Standouts

The 2008 Winners

Overall, customer service has dipped, perhaps a victim of spending cutbacks. But there's good news, too

• Interactive Table: The Customer Service Elite
• Plus: USAA: Better Service for Those Who Serve

Rebel with a Stalled Cause

How GetHuman.com, a customer empowerment crusade, lost steam

Sprint's Wake-Up Call

Reversing a miserable service reputation after the Nextel merger will be key to the company's turnaround

Love the Customers Who Hate You

Their online gripes—and don't fool yourself, they have them—will help you reinvent your business

Slide Show: Customer Service By The Numbers

No government agency is less popular than the IRS. Employees who deal directly with customers are paid poorly. Call center staff in Europe get the most coaching

Slide Show: Service Standouts

Our second annual ranking of the best 50 providers of customer service highlights the stand-out brands in 15 different categories.

Customer Service Champs: You Rank the Companies

Forum: The Best and Worst Customer Service

We've created this forum to encourage readers to share their most recent customer service experiences—good or bad.

Trader Joe's Recipe for Success

By limiting its stock to specialty products at low prices, Trader Joe's sells twice as much per square foot than other supermarkets

Nowhere to Go But Up

Why Charter Communications ranked last in our annual customer service survey—and what the cable provider is doing to improve its reputation

A Better Better Business Bureau

While online "gripe sites" can help wronged customers blow off steam, the BBB now wants to help companies solve problems before they start

Customer Service Case Histories

We followed up on some stories from our readers to illustrate what typically goes horribly wrong and to show how easy it can be to get service really right

Customer Service Goes Local

Take the locally grown trend one step further by trying to ensure you offer clients an emotional connection and sense of community