Think nothing good can come out of having your credit card number stolen? I would have thought the same before having my Wells Fargo Visa Check Card number swiped just before the New Year. Sitting here at my desk going about the daily flurry of work, the phone ran and my caller ID revealed it was Wells Fargo. “Uh oh,” my gut muttered. I picked up quickly and discovered, much to my surprise, that Wells Fargo had detected “unusual activity” with my card number. Within a few minutes, the diligent Wells Fargo representative and I came to the conclusion that my card number had been stolen (given that my day’s activities hadn’t included making multiple unsuccessful attempts to set up Yahoo! Personals accounts and I hadn’t charged $1.62 to an attorney in Portland, Oregon.) Within seconds, my card number was deactivated and the thief’s buying power was disabled.

While this experience temporarily rattled me (since my physical card was securely in my wallet), it enhanced my faith in banking with Wells Fargo. Sure, I’ve read their marketing materials for the WellsProtect^® program that claims I’m automatically covered at no extra cost and not responsible for unauthorized charges if reported promptly. But this comfort-instilling marketing message was really brought to life by experiencing this service in action. And let’s not forget, it was the Wells Fargo representative who alerted me to potential trouble, ensuring that prompt action was indeed taken.

Last week, Pat Henning blogged about the benefits of having a shared values culture for achieving business results. One of Wells Fargo’s internal brand promises is that they will “wow” customers to retain their existing base and grow, at least in part, by word of mouth. While I’m not privy to precisely how Wells Fargo has informed, involved and inspired its employees (the Inside-Out Model SCG uses for  internal communications programs) to be their ambassadors of this brand promise, one word most aptly describes my recent experience with Wells Fargo—Wow!

-Steph Haugan

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