You’ve probably heard the phrase, “The customer is always right.” As a customer, you probably felt that this catchy phrase applied to you. Harry Gordon Selfridge popularized this phrase in the early 1900s, but it is simply incorrect.
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The goal of this phrase is to instill a sense of quality customer service. It can also be used as a training mantra to encourage employees to make decisions that benefit customers to promote loyalty and trust. However, I’ve discovered that this customer-centric ideology is now out of date and irrelevant. It may be putting a significant obstacle in the way of truly exceptional customer service.
I understand that this statement would seem unusual. However, there are compelling reasons to give up this century-old Business maxim. Five reasons why it’s not true that “customers are always right.”
The “Customer Is Always Right” adage is wrong because
- Some customers are wrong.
Simply stating that the customer is always right does not imply that this is the case. Customers sometimes make mistakes, and employees must be prepared to handle them appropriately. Taking responsibility for an error for which the company is not responsible is a slippery slope.
A customer requests a full refund on a $500 sofa chair because it is unsatisfactory. Isn’t it true that comfort is a subjective concept? Is this customer the one you’re looking for? Many furniture sellers will not require the customer to return the item, so the customer may simply be looking for a refund and keep the sofa chair free of charge.
In the above scenario, if the customer is always right, the sofa chair business will quickly lose expensive inventory without profit. To combat this, employees must change their customer service mantra from “the customer is always right” to “the customer is sometimes wrong.”
- You don’t back up your employees.
A “customer is always right” attitude can be disadvantageous to your customer service team’s morale. How? Customers who contact your customer service team will always be obnoxious and rude. These customers are challenging to deal with, and a successful outcome is not always possible despite your team’s best efforts. When you side with these types of customers, you run the risk of alienating your employees.
When workers are happy with their jobs, they provide better customer service:
- They are more concerned about others, including customers
- They are more energetic
- They are more concerned about others, including customers
- They are more concerned about others, including customers
- They are more enthusiastic
When, on the other hand, the firm and management continuously side with customers rather than with employees, it sends a clear message that the firm and management do not value employees:
- Employees are undervalued
- Employees are underestimated
- Fair treatment of employees is not significant
- Employees have no right to customer respect
- Employees must put up with anything from customers
Retaining quality employees with whom you have faith should be your top priority. If the customer is always right, employees must accept customer abuse with no support from management. What comes next? Employees seek out less stressful opportunities. Support your team first, then your customers.
- Customer service is not about ‘the customer is right’.
In my experience, having a ” client is right” mantra in place damages customer service. I know this may seem a bit strange, but consider this: If your customer support team is constantly criticized by customers but has nowhere to turn for management support, your team will eventually turn against you. It is like rebelling aboard a ship.
Working situations and company culture play a significant role in keeping employees satisfied, productive and engaged. When negativity upsets the equilibrium in the workplace, employees become disengaged. The negativity then extends to customers who are among those you aim to satisfy. Not good.
- Not all customers are worth keeping.
Usually, businesses think that “the more clients, the better.” But some customers are pretty merely bad for business. Unruly and uncooperative customers are inescapable when doing business, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep doing deals with them. Many customers are not worth having, including unreasonable customers, don’t pay on time, micromanage, abuse, and consume a lot of valuable time.
Time is a valuable resource and often overlooked when working with clients. For example, if you have a limited, micromanaging customer draining company resources, you may lose customers you like.
As well as that, abusive people get better treatment and conditions than nice ones. For me, it makes more sense to be friendly to lovely customers and keep them coming back.
When is it acceptable to let a customer go? Using the Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, you can detect which customers cause the most trouble. This mindset will allow you and your staff to give up the “customer is always right” mantra forever.
- There is no way to please everyone.
When you apply “the customer is always right” to your business, you assume you can satisfy every customer 24/7. It’s a fool’s errand. Even the biggest and most successful brands know this is impossible, and so should you. Every person is unique. Each of us has different tastes in fashion, food, cars, and homes, so if you try to please every customer, your business will soon fail.
By pleasing everyone, you are also saying that everyone is your customer. This alone is a bad business model. It is said, “If everyone is your customer, you don’t have any.” Why is that? You cannot market to a target audience if you want your product or service in the hands of every human on the planet. Chaos results from it.
Let customers be wrong
– it’s okay.
Many centuries-old business phrases are still in use today. It is in some ways ingrained in owner’s mindsets, making them part of the everyday workflow. However, they should be closely examined. Ensure you know what makes sense for your company and get rid of the rest to ensure maximum growth and success. Let customers be wrong.
Therefore, any business must put its people first – and watch them put the customers first.
