Founded in 1850, American Express is a company that has survived recessions, The Great Depression, and every kind of financial disaster known to modern society. BusinessWeek and Interbrand ranked American Express as the 22nd most valuable brand in the world, estimating the brand to be worth US$14.97 billion.

So, what's the secret to the company's success?

I'm not an American Express member, so I can't personally speak on their customer service, but I will say that they must be doing something right to be able to stay in business so long. A quick Google search for "American Express Customer Service" revealed that the company was ranked #1 in the 2010 Credit Card Satisfaction Study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates.

I do like that whoever is in charge of their Twitter account (@AmericanExpress) is engaging and answers tweets.  They're not like other companies who simply use it as a message board to post sales or tell people how awesome their company is - not that there is actually anything wrong with that, but when it comes to social media, people love being acknowledged.  If I tweet about American Express and they answer back, it's like, Wow, they're listening and paying attention.

If you want to learn more in-depth about what American Express is doing to get that #1 spot, check out Service Untitled's interview with Doria Camaraza, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Fort Lauderdale Service Center for American Express.

What has been your experience with American Express customer service?