Acuity of leadership should not see such a unique concept work 100% when customer buy manufactured items since they are created far away from access sales point and not exposed to the direct service platform. Any fault/failure with a created product must be returned to the point of manufacture to be corrected even when created of less quality. For service platforms, the creation of quality service is immediately useable at the point of contact, hence resolution of challenges requires critical thinking skills as well as astute risk management solutions to be satisfactorily resolved. The exception is when an unbalanced or unethical customer becomes vitriol and unrealistic in their expectations. This should be the exception instead of the rule of norm.
In an article for the Zendesk Blog, Erin Hueffner a staff writer verbalized the statement in this manner, “The customer is always right” is a time-honored business philosophy. But is it true? The argument presented a brief history of the origins and acceptance of the statement and presented sound points as to the stance taken on the statement to refute its essence in practicing excellent customer service. The belief by the writer is that “in the early 1900s, “The customer is always right” meant treating customers with respect and dignity, something that wasn’t commonplace, So, in comparison is it of any relevance in today’s customer management scenario? Read the 5 reasons given for this stance here
3 Powerful Reasons For “THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT”
I believe the statement has been twisted from its original meaning, and so to fully understand the original concept one should examine its essence in driving servitude in the hospitality industry.
The first reason why the customer is always right is the reality that they make and break a business. For instance, customer complaints can hurt your business when resolution is tardy and lack real-time solutions. Their complaints, feedback and opinions are invaluable for understanding your target market in terms of what they want and need in your service or product. While there is an emerging thought process among today’s leaders to the contrary, the complaints of customers even when misplaced (or downright wrong), gives CRM leaders opportunities to improve employee training to mitigate the risks. Saying the customer is always right does not make it true, especially when there are unrealistic expectations.
The second reason for stating customer is always right, is that it emphasizes the importance of providing the best possible customer service, so your patrons are satisfied and come back. No employee is expected when confronted by an unreasonable customer to respond in kind. Neither should leaders encourage unreasonable behaviors from customers. The leader’s actions must show support for employees when the customer is unreasonable, while providing a resolution to the problem. There are myriad of reasons why customers become irate, so it is incumbent on service providers to manage rude responses to toxic situations. Every team member must be at peak performance to remain engaged pointedly in serving customers.
The third point for focusing on this statement is the realization that unsatisfied customers, albeit for unscrupulous reasons, still exist in the marketplace. Just as good customers become dependable clients over time, bad customers become a threat within the same space. Since word of mouth is the best advertisement, it will take only a few negative utterances to see a negative effect on a business when care is not given to address these risks.
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Outstanding article! I truly appreciate the depth and quality of the content. Well done!