Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

"We do the right thing because it is the right thing to do," said Peacock. "It's about caring more than the competition-that is our business strategy. We are stronger together than we are apart and we serve you through each stage of life. We maintain trust with our employees and the employees maintain that trust bond with our members."

Peacock used the "Perfect Storm" of recent events to explain the increasing interactions with customers: The recession (people did not want to believe that it was coming), catastrophes (Hurricane Ike, wildfires, Hurricane Katrina, tsunami, etc.), and the market meltdown (Lehman Brothers failing).

He spoke about what happens after the storm. By managing basics, capitalizing on new market conditions, and focusing on members, USAA will continue to prosper and grow even more in the future. By relentlessly focusing on the members, USAA will be able to know its members well, engineer the experience, use member insight to drive innovation, unleash the passion in employees, and be authentic.

It is a closed-loop process; USAA needs to meet unique segment needs, manage channels and connect strategy.

"Our philosophy is channel of choice," said Peacock. "People should choose whatever channel they are most comfortable to communicate to USAA with."

He spoke about managing channels as a system: creating an integrated voice of customer, working primary channels in pairs, being aware (BEWARE) of expectations, and watching how people use technology-not the technology itself.

Peacock ended his presentation by informing the audience that, "Spending a little more money to take care of our members is worth it in the long run."