Amazon, Walmart, Target, Apple & More

What are your favorite brands to do business with? That’s what we asked more than 1,000 U.S. consumers in our annual customer experience research sponsored by Five9. Specifically, we asked, “What are the top three companies or brands that come to mind when you think of an excellent customer service experience in today’s world?” And the winners are:

1. Amazon

2. Walmart

3. Target

4. Apple

5. Chick-fil-A

6. Costco

7. Best Buy

8. T-Mobile

9. Kohl’s

10. Google

Most of these brand names shouldn’t surprise you. There will be naysayers who believe, based on their personal experience, that some of these companies don’t belong on the list. This was a popularity vote. For example, even though many of the customers we surveyed selected Amazon as their first choice, there were some who didn’t.

That Google made it into the Top 10 intrigues me, mostly because it has very little to no customer service. For the record, Google is one of the most amazing companies on the planet. Its product, a search engine, manages 40,000 searches every second, which is more than 3.7 billion searches every day and 1.2 trillion searches every year! Users (consumers) use Google frequently, even daily—or multiple times throughout the day. If you happen to be an advertiser, Google does offer support, but the people who moved Google into the Top 10 are the ones who enjoy the Google search experience.

Retail seems to be the most popular category. Five retailers (Walmart, Target, Costco, Best Buy and Kohl’s) represent half of the list. You could add Amazon, but I see Amazon in a class of its own. One could argue that Apple belongs on a list of retailers, but it represents technology with retail to support the sales and customer service.

Best Buy has done a magnificent job of being recognized as a retailer that offers a specific type of service, and that’s knowledgeable service. In addition to friendly employees, if you have questions about computers, washing machines, TVs or any of their technology products, they have well-trained people to answer all of your questions.

But it doesn’t always take knowledgeable people in a retail store to get you in the Top 10. Walmart and Target may not be known for having product experts and employees in every aisle to help you and answer questions. What they offer instead is a total value experience that includes a large product selection, low prices and friendly employees.

And who doesn’t love the friendly and engaging experience of Chick-fil-A? I love that when you thank them for their great service, their employees respond with, “My pleasure,” instead of, “No problem.” Of course, there’s more than those two words that got them on the list. I recently experienced the drive-through lane during lunchtime, which is a peak time. There were four lanes of traffic flowing into the single lane where the food is picked up. Extra employees worked the lot to ensure their guests had minimal wait time compared to other quick-service restaurant drive-throughs. I was impressed. And, by the way, the food was great, too!

If there were any major surprises in the results, it had to do with the companies and brands that didn’t make the list. They may have been chosen by many of the people surveyed, but they didn’t have enough “votes” to get them to the Top 10. Companies like Ikea, Nordstrom and other well-known brands in the customer service and experience world aren’t included on the list, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t rock stars.

Finally, these Top 10 companies, voted for by more than 1,000 consumers, reflect the power of “amazing” customer service and value. While some may question the inclusion of certain brands, it’s important to remember this is based on a popularity vote representing a diverse range of consumers. Ultimately, this list serves as a testament to the diverse preferences and experiences of today’s consumers.