If you have ever worked in the service business, you have most likely seen this catch phase plastered on break room walls. The notion was conceived by an early-part-of-the-century retailer, and it’s so typical that a lot of businesses make it mandatory for their customer service teams. However, like any belief, “the customer is always right” should not be taken word for word.
On the outside, this customer relations doctrine is straightforward and appears to make sense. Customers, at the end of the day, are the reason we are in business. They help pay your employees’ salaries and spread the word when they start sending family and friends to your business. Without them, you would not have a business. Therefore, it seems sensible to keep them happy.
That, nevertheless, doesn’t mean your customer is always right. Eventually, it’s not sustainable to acknowledge every customer’s whim. There’s a more subtle way to approach your customer service tactics that that is going to serve you better. The following is why.
The Reason the Customer Is Not Always Right
Whereas the idea that customers deserve to be respected is obviously true, the reality is, the customer is occasionally mistaken. The following are a couple of grounds why “the customer is always right” can be a tricky customer service adage.
1. It Can Be Demoralizing to Team Culture
When bosses send the notion that customers are never in the wrong, it can put their service employees in a very uncomfortable position. Having heard that the customer is always going to get their way no matter what can come with extreme frustration and demoralization to a team. It can place management versus employees and be a culture assassin.
2. It Can Lead to Poor Customer Experiences
Furthermore, it can lead to a bad customer experience. When your employees are spread too thin trying to meet an unrealistic customer expectation, they are not going to have that time to devote to your other customers.
3. It Was Really Never Intended to Be Taken Word for Word
The truth of the matter is that this customer service doctrine was never intended to be taken word for word. It was not about allowing customers to get whatever they wanted, no matter what the circumstance. Instead, it provided employees with the opportunity to listen to their customers with understanding in a time when customer protections were practically non-existent. A lot has changed, and customers have a lot more power at present. Business can be held responsible for making deceptive claims concerning their products. Additionally, customers have more choices today than ever before, so they can take their business someplace else if they are unhappy with your service.
4. Customers Are Sometimes Just Wrong
Nobody can be right all the time, including your customers. Oftentimes, they are merely misinformed concerning how a product works. This is a chance for your business to be preemptively helpful answering any questions they may have, teaching customer service associates how to address common customer complaints, or correcting a puzzling product description.
However, often times a displeased customer can be impractical. Your team might be facing an abusive customer. Nobody should have to endure outright degradation or threats. When this occurs, management needs to step in to have the backs of its teams. If employees are continually being chided by customers and don’t receive support from the business, morale could take a nosedive. This can take an actual toll on your team, leading to high employee turnover and less than pleasant customer experience.
5. It Can Lead to Unreasonable Expectations and Set Your Team Up to Fail
Apart from that, simply saying the customer is always right does not make it true. Often times customers are in the wrong, and employees must be trained to address these sticky situations. Taking the responsibility of a problem the business is not accountable for can result in even more unreasonable expectations and set your team up to fail.
Is It Really Required?
Whereas on the surface this appears to be a remarkable customer service tale, adopting this mindset could be really bad for business. What is needed to approve these non-store returns at every store, each day? Are there any real benefits to these experiences, or is it going to cause a considerable revenue loss? What effect does this have on employee enjoyment working for you?
Tips For What to Do When the Customer Isn’t Right
There are a lot of situations in business when a customer is totally wrong, no matter if it’s in their treatment of your employees or their understanding of your product. Whereas it’s easy to take the defense, there are approaches to working with customers to help change the outcome. The following are some things you can do.
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Concentrate On Empathy
When customers are disgruntled, often times they just want to be listened to. Addressing a challenging situation with empathy can help to alleviate the anger. Meaning listening to what the customer is saying and taking their point of view. Therefore, it means caring about their concerns, not just concentrating on whether or not you think it’s genuine.
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Look Into the Issue Before Providing a Solution
Customers usually have a notion of what they need. However, if that notion is built on the wrong information, providing them with what they ask for forthright might not actually resolve the issue. If the issue is not an easy one, customer service employees should be authorized to help talk the customer through their requests to get to the origin of the issue. Afterwards, they can offer sympathy and possibly find an optional solution that is better suited.
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Notify Your Customer That They’re Wrong, But Do It with Compassion
There are cases when the best thing to do is kindly tell the customer they’re in the wrong. For instance, a customer might have bought an item from a different store but then asked to return it to your store or come in for a meeting on the wrong day. In those situations, letting the customer know they’re incorrect without pointing a finger at them is a good approach.
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Don’t Put Up with Improper Customer Behavior
If a customer is becoming verbally or physically abusive toward your employees, it’s time to say speak up. For instance, if a customer is yelling at your employees, asking for something that’s not legal, or cursing towards other customers, as a business owner you need to step in and let the customer know in no uncertain terms that this is unacceptable behavior. You have to be prepared to lose a customer to safeguard your integrity and the welfare of your employees.
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