Customers can create panic. 13% of dissatisfied customers tell at least 15 people about their bad experience with a business.
This leads businesses to make drastic changes to their operations. They assume that the customer is always right, so they have to appeal to a few dissatisfied customers. This can cause a lot of stress.
Is the customer always right? Why might customers make mistakes about your business operations? How should you respond to customer complaints?
Answer these questions and you can prevent complaints from derailing your business operations. Here are five things you should know.
1. It Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
“The customer is always right” originated amongst retailers in the 1900s. They adopted the slogan as a way of showing that they respected customer complaints.
As time has gone on, the intent of the slogan has changed. Many people take the slogan literally, meaning that customers should get their way no matter what. This leads some customers to act out or make demands of businesses that they cannot meet.
2. Customers Are Human
If companies can make mistakes, customers can make mistakes as well. A customer may misread an instruction on a product and assume the product must be broken. They may lie about a dish, saying they didn’t like it so they could get it for free.
3. You Can’t Please Everyone
But some customers have genuine unhappiness at a company’s actions. This happens with all businesses because it is impossible to meet everyone’s needs.
Everyone has their own unique interests, including yourself. The job of your business is to engage in your interests and match them with other people’s. Attempting to cater to everyone makes your business lose its own identity.
4. Your Employees Matter
Customer service employees spend hours every day dealing with customer demands. Many of them encounter rude and obnoxious people.
Telling your customer service staff that the customer is always right will exhaust them. Give them an outlet to release the stress they encounter during a business day.
Prioritize their welfare in your business philosophies, giving them time off and mental health resources. Adopt an OGSM framework that focuses on something besides customer opinion.
5. You Can Act When a Customer Is Wrong
Never tell a client that they are wrong. But don’t tell a customer that they are right when they have made a mistake.
Respond to reviews with short yet clear messages. Reassure the upset customer that you value their opinion and that you are working on ways to prevent their experience from happening again. Describe a solution to their problem so you can seem attentive.
So Is the Customer Always Right?
Many companies ask themselves the question, “Is the customer always right?” The answer is no.
The term should encourage you to respect your customers and their complaints. But you shouldn’t adopt it as literal truth. Customers can make mistakes or lie about their problems.
You cannot appeal to everyone, so don’t try to do so. Prioritize the mental health of your employees and don’t force them to interact with ungrateful customers. Be brief and courteous when responding to bad reviews.
Customer service is very important. Improve your customer service operations by following our coverage.
