Already you have heard the quote “the customer is always right”. That was constituted by Harry Gorden Selfridge in 1908. This popular phrase is using as a slogan in many businesses.
When running out a business or an industry, there might be some misorders or misunderstandings. You must understand that what exactly happened without reaching to the decision employees are never right or the customer is never right.
On the other, if you think that customer is right you need to think the reasons why the customer is always right.
It is accurate that, giving customer satisfaction is a goal in business. But is it the highest priority? Absolutely No! If your answer is Yes, Where is the balance? There is a moment to stand up for your employees instead of your customers. Because there are some situations not to blame for your employees.
You have to find why the customer is wrong. Below are three main incidents that not to blame your employees.
Main situations that not to blame to your employees
When the fault is on your customers
We all are human beings, so there are no omniscient. As human beings, customers also doing mistakes. There are some occasions that they behave annoyingly. In such situations, some customers use the phrase “the customers are always right” as a weapon against the employees and business.
Whether some customers are not knowing anything, some may try to signify that they know better than employees. On such occasions, you should stand up for your employees because the customers are wrong.
When your employees are wrong
In businesses, employees are also a great asset as well as your customers. If you blame your customers for them in every mistake, they will be dissatisfied with your business. Then they will do more and more mistakes.
Before blame on their every mistake, think on their side and understand their situation. If your employees are happy, it will positively impact your business.
According to the researches, there is a positive interrelationship between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. If your employees are happy, they will make sure to keep your customers happy.
No one is wrong
There may be some occasions, both your customers or employees are not wrong. The problem is in their relationship. On such occasions, don’t blame to your employees.
Reasons Why the Customer is Not Always Right
01. Businesses have limited resources
Both of you and your employees have limited resources. Time, money, energy, and even patience too. There may be some customers who will never satisfy through anything.
That is why the customer isn’t always right. They request for unrealistic things sometimes. It’s hard to accept but have to accept. Those customers will never care how much you dedicate your time, how far you bend over.
It doesn’t matter for them. They are unhappy through all you and your employees’ service. You shouldn’t feel guilty about moving on if you have done the best for their issues.
02. Employees will be Dejected
If you are working with the “Customer is always right” attitude, definitely, it will impact your employees negatively. Because there will always be abrasive customers. That is why the customer is not always right.
If you met 100 customers in one day, at least there are 10 of them will abrasive. It is unfair if you always stand up with customers even if they are abrasive. You have to balance both sides. Let them know, while you value the customers, you won’t let them ill-treat your employees.
03. Customers are not Specialists about your business
You and your employees are the resource persons on your products or services. There are some customers that try to express they are the experts and they know everything. They may sometimes request idiotic and unrealistic things.
If your employees or you say them that you have no such products, they may blame your employees or you. Not only that, they will also advise you and your employees on how to run your business.
Some of their requests seem like they hope to shoot like a laser gun from a mobile phone.
So, in such situations how could you say that the customer is always right? You or your employees have to explain and advise how your business run and about the services or products.
04. It impresses management and customers against employees
With the idea of “Customers are always right”, it becomes a great issue for the employees. Because, whether the issue is on the customers, management will stand against employees. With that idea, customers always come to the top. This leads to tons of problems. Not only that, this reflects the lack of faith in your employees. So, believing the customer is always right unknowingly employees’ impression on management will be crashing down.
05. Customers hate to the different
Some customers want to keep going with the standard. They don’t love to face a change. Anytime a business makes a change, the customers will be displeased with them. While the difference may lead you towards success, some of the customers are not ready to approve it. They hate to different. With the idea of “the customer is always right”, a businessman could not be able to make a healthy improvement. Because bad customers will discourage them with bad feedbacks.
So, customers are not always right.
06. Bad experience
A bad customer can add a bad experience to all. They cause your employees’ bad experience and they will ruin your customer base. Think, if a customer argues with your employees in a busy situation. Everyone will feel uncomfortable and they will try to get out of your store as soon as possible. In such a situation, if you or your employees behave badly, that stressful situation affects your customer base. So, employees should have the right to deal with such customers appropriate way. Customers are not right always.
07. When customers’ opinions dragging you down
There may be 10% of your customers that will don’t seem good at all. If you are going to do something in your business with the improvement, some customers will leave negative feedback on you. But, it may be the turning point of your success. In a such situation, if you believe your customer’s opinion how could you improve your business? Customer’s opinions will discourage you sometimes.
08. When Customers exhaust more than time and money than they are worth
There are some customers that are not worth having. It is true that we have to deal with them at least once a time. Those who act unreasonably, don’t pay on time, always arguing with your employees are some of the abrasive customers and they exhaust more time and money than they are worth. Those customers are a negative impact on your brand name too.
09. Unreasonably customers will waste your time
Every company and employee has its own limitations. If the customer will never satisfy through your best, don’t care about that and move on. Don’t waste your time and resources to satisfy them. The truth is you can’t please everyone. You have to avoid that opinion that the customer is always right.
For example, I love to share my personal experience with you. Once I received an order to design a logo. I did many revisions for that logo over two months. My client rejected one by one because of various reasons. Sometimes he said that his father is not like to logo, and sometimes his mother rejecting the logo and many many problems he said. But, after wasting two months he finally said that the first logo is suitable and he wants it. He wasted my time and resource unreasonably. So, how can someone say that the customers are always right?
10. Money isn’t Everything
Money is important, but it’s not everything. It doesn’t make you rich. If you treat your employees badly, because of money, definitely you will ruin your brand name too. If you see the customer’s fault and you blame for your employee for it, because of money, the employee may be unhappy about you.
11. It gives an unfair advantage for abrasive customers
When you are believing that the customer is always right, it will be an advantage to abrasive customers too. You may have the experience of an abrasive customer. You couldn’t make them happy whether you do your best. So, if you are treating all the customers the same, it will be an advantage for the abrasive customers that they don’t deserve. Therefore, consider that customers are not always right.
12. You Don’t need every customer
It is hard to accept that, not all customers are necessitous for businesses. It is better to neglect the customer who is complaining constantly. Because he/she creates only stress among employees. Annoying customers blemish employees’ spirits. Though it is sensible to lose a customer you have to do so. Getting free from a bad customer is healthier in the long term goals of the business. Simply, you have to fire a customer before he/she fires to your business.
Conclusion:
Believing the “Customer is always right” principle, ultimately undermine your business by creating unhappy employees and giving power to offensive, abrasive customers. By believing this opinion deeply, you will kill your employee morale. So, before deciding the guilt, it is better to have a look on the problem. Think about both sides. In this article, I don’t mean that all the customers are wrong. There are some customers behaving rudely. I hope you have an understanding of this. Put your employees first, then they will keep your customers first. Keep these 12 points in mind have a long journey with your business.
It allows rude customers to take advantage
Challenging customers always point out the adage “the customer is always right” to demand just about anything they want. Which unfortunately usually results in these customers receiving better service, leaving your loyal customers to take the hit. However, because you want to avoid undervaluing your faithful customers, you need to understand that challenging customers are not above reason. The next time you encounter such customer, confidently help them know that they must pay for the value they receive.
Customers control the norm
Customers love to maintain the norm, especially if they think that they’re always right. However, incremental and slight changes are necessary to be successful in the long term. Therefore, if you allow your customers to think they’re always right, you will struggle to implement new, beneficial changes. Sure, you’ll receive some initial backlash, but that is far better than never making healthy improvements.
You don’t want every customer
Incredibly, there are some customers that you don’t want and for a good reason. Disgruntled and persistently challenging customers whittle away at your employees’ morale, increase stress levels and cause your company-wide momentum to slow down. As a result, these customers just aren’t worth the time and hassle. While it may cause a slight drop in revenue for the short term, it’s beneficial overall to your company and team in the long term.
suggestion(Tale of Wrong customers
Let me give you a situation here. A customer bought a sofa and wants a 100% refund on it that costs $500 due to it being uncomfortable. Now comfort can be a really subjective thing to decide. Something which is comfortable for you may not be the same for me.
Is this particular customer right in this case? The customer may simply be looking to get a full refund and better yet keep the sofa chair free of charge since many furniture sellers will not request the customer return the item. If the customer is always right in the above scenario, the sofa chair business would quickly lose expensive inventory without turning a profit.
You know your products the best? Is it you and your staff or it is the customers? Also, in any business know that there is a difference between a right and wrong customer. Not all the customers you get are worth shedding a dime for.)