“The customer is always right” is as played out as the Hammer pants you were in the early 1990s as an MC Hammer fan. It’s outdated and in today’s economy, causes more problems for a business than it’s worth. Customers frequently chase a product rather than allow their product to come to them. Why bend over backward to fix a problem when a customer isn’t likely to return again in the first place?
It’s time to think outside the box and do things differently at your business. When you change your ‘the customer is always right’ attitude, it reduced workforce demoralization and the penalties that come with that.
Reasons To Drop The Poilcy: “Customer Is Always Right”
Four of the top reasons to adapt your attitude and drop the ‘customer is always right’ policy:
1. It’s Unfair to Employees
If an employee feels like their voice is never heard and that the customer is right in every situation, they may not hang around your company for a long period of time. We all want our voices to be heard, especially at work where we spend and devote a large amount of our time. Your employee should have the opportunity to tell their side of the story and to be heard. Do not allow a disgruntled customer to affect relationships with your employees.
2. Limited Resources
It makes little sense to waste time on an unreasonable customer. If you focus on one customer when you’ve done all that you can do to make them happy, you’re only wasting the resources that you have. You simply cannot please everyone, all the time, and some people are never pleased at all. Do not let yourself succumb to such an experience and move on quickly.
3. Take Care of Employees
When you take care of employees, they return the favor by way of excellent customer service. Sure, there are always bad apples out there, but most employees who feel appreciated at a company will go above and beyond to provide customers with a pleasant experience. Make sure you take care of employees by leaving the ‘customer is always right’ policy in the 1990s where it belongs.
4. More Than Money
You want customers to spend their money with you, of course. But, it’s not always about the money. Sometimes, establishing relationships with customers via the products/ services you offer is more important. If you give your customers superior service and they’re still unsatisfied, the problem lies within them, not your company and not your employees. Don’t be afraid to cut ties and cut losses with a customer who simply refuses to be happy.
Sometimes, the customer is right. But at other times, your employee is also right. Make sure to adapt your attitude to reflect both situations, and your business thrives. It’s time to ditch the ‘customer is always right’ attitude and take on a more modern -and realistic- approach to your business needs.
