You have probably heard and used the term, “The customer is always right.” Its origination dates back over 100 years ago and is still used to convey the message that no matter what the circumstance, everything possible must be done to keep the customer happy in the hopes of keeping them as a customer. No one would argue with the statement that customer service is a critical part of any business. Without the customer, there is no business, but is the customer always right?
No matter what product or service you provide and no matter how customer service- oriented your organization is, there will come a time when you will have an unhappy customer, with the variables being how unhappy they are and the cause for that unhappiness. It is important to closely evaluate each of these types of situations and try to offer a solution that is beneficial to all parties. The question “Is the customer always right?” should be answered from two points of view: as a vendor to a customer and as an employer to an employee.
Let’s be reasonable
Anytime a transaction does not go as planned, promised or expected, regardless of fault, there is potential for friction between the vendor and the customer. It is how both parties handle that friction that can be the difference between a satisfied customer or a bitter end to that relationship. As vendors, we must recognize that regardless of who made the mistake, these issues can cause the customer stress and aggravation as they try to fulfill their responsibilities. It is our job as vendors to try and make a resolution as easy and beneficial as possible to our customer. As customers, we must realize that while we are needed by the vendor, that doesn’t give us the right to be abusive, threatening or unreasonable in what we believe to be the resolution to the issue. As customers, if we do not believe that an issue was resolved properly, then we always have the right to seek another alternative vendor. However, before doing so, it is important to ask ourselves if the solution offered was reasonable — even if it wasn’t what we were hoping for. We must remember that both parties are vested in the relationship, and being reasonable with one another generally resolves the issue.
Trust your employees
I strongly believe employees are the most important asset to a company and the customer must be the priority of our overall daily focus. If we are spending resources to properly train and retain quality employees, then we must trust them to make decisions that are beneficial to the company and to the customer. Our employees are generally on the front line of any customer satisfaction issue that may arise and usually have a good understanding of the customer involved and the details of the issue. In most cases, well trained and loyal employees will make sound decisions, but management must let them do it. Repeatedly overriding the opinions or decisions of employees in customer satisfaction-related issues can kill morale by telling the customer that our employee is secondary and all decisions are made by management. Management should work behind the scenes to train and retain loyal employees and trust them to do their jobs. In the occasional case of an unreasonable customer, we are generally better served to stand behind our employees than to give in to threats and unreasonable behavior. Good employees keep good customers happy.
I have a friend who jokingly says he “is often wrong, but never in doubt.” This concept can often be seen in both sides of a customer satisfaction issue, where a party may have some or complete fault in the matter, but neither party is willing to compromise. If a customer is being abusive to your employee, are they always right? If they are not holding up their end of an agreement, are they always right? If we are reasonable in our assessment of the situation, value our customer, and trust our employees to be loyal to us and the customer, then in most cases customers will feel they were treated fairly and appreciate the effort given.
For more information, visit www.spirstar.com or call (281) 664-7800.