Discover Card Ranked #1 for Online Customer Experience in the Credit Card Industry

Discover Financial Services LLC, a business unit of Morgan Stanley, 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.