As a customer service expert it is my duty and my pleasure to acknowledge amazing service when I receive it, as I recently did from American Express. An Amex customer service representative called me to verify some charges to my card. The company had detected a pattern of activity that appeared to be fraudulent charges in the preceding 12-hour period.

And unfortunately, it turned out that their suspicions were correct. There were about a dozen charges from the other side of the world on my account. Someone had "stolen" my number and was using it for an online spending spree.

The Amex representative informed me that the account would be closed, I would not be responsible for the fraudulent charges, and I would receive a new card within 24 hours. Amazing service, right? But, it gets even better — I was away from home at the time, staying in a hotel in Dallas preparing to give a speech the next day. That was not a problem at all. She said the new card could be sent to the hotel, and it would be there before 10:30 a.m. at the front desk.

WOW!

There are several lessons to be learned from this amazing customer service:

1. Be proactive — American Express took the initiative in solving the problem before I even knew it existed. If the fraudulent charges hadn't been discovered until I received my next bill, who knows how large the problem could have grown?

2. Take ownership of the problem — I did not have to seek their help in solving the problem. They took care of everything.

3. Offer a solution quickly — Almost immediately (by the next morning), I had a new card in hand with a new account number, even though I was away from home at the time.

4. Make amazing customer service "business as usual" — This was not a one-time event; American Express does this all of the time for its cardholders. The system is in place to protect its members, and the system is working.

This is customer service that goes above and beyond — it creates confidence. How do we gain our customers' confidence? They must trust in our company and our products. From experience they know that we offer great service and a quality product that works the way it should ... all the time. Only then will the customer be able to "own" the experience and will we be in the zone of Amazing customer service, just like American Express!