Bank of America, second on our list, can't resist making acquisition after acquisition, setting in motion a painful process for its acquired customers. Just Monday, Bank of America said it would pay $21 billion for Chicago's LaSalle Bank, a deal The Wall Street Journal said would raise Bank of America's share of U.S. deposits to 10%. The less choice you have, the less pressure companies will feel to offer quality service.

The less choice you have, the less pressure companies will feel to offer quality service.

I think this is one area where insurance companies stand apart. While there are some major captive agencies dominating the playing field, competition is alive and very much kicking in this industry. In fact, customer service is one way in which agencies—especially smaller outfits—can distinguish themselves from their competitors.

At InsureMe, we take a lot of pride in our customer service and have found the positive feedback about our service to be a great selling point when we're talking to providers about our service. You'll see our poll numbers touted on "About Us" literature (ahem, 96% "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their customer service rep), and we're fond of saying our response time rivals 911.

Of course, all of this builds brand love and loyalty. It also builds internal evangelism. Because when your customers are happy, employees are happy and motivated to keep them that way.

For more good customer service fodder, check out MSN's Customer Service Hall of Fame, which details how larger corporations train their service members to empathize with customers. It's a fun, inspiring read.