The Customer Is NOT Always Right

Conventional Wisdom

How often do we see companies who live by the noble creed:

The Customer is ALWAYS right?

Is it possible that this approach could be self-defeating by ultimately damaging the commitment of the very customer service people who they hope to inspire?

Who’s ‘Always Right’?

The Roman Catholic Church applies the always right or do no wrong concept to one living person, The Pope. By church doctrine, His Holiness is incapable of error in matters of faith and morals and is therefore infallible. History has shown that the infallibility of one person, no matter how qualified, can be difficult for some (like the Greek Orthodox) to embrace.

Yet, how many businesses grant infallibility status to ANYONE who pays them?

Makes your people wonder about what other leaps of faith that management might be requesting.

What’s wrong with the “always right” belief in business?

Customer infallibility is founded on the noble assumption that when a customer is happy, everybody wins. The unfortunate reality is that this philosophy often invites customers to exploit this belief creating “win-lose” scenarios. We succumb to unreasonable demands or even abuse of the people serving them. The customer may be King. But monarchical loyalty has its limitations.  Sometimes the emperor is naked.

The King is Dead. Long Live the King.

If customer infallibility is a myth, then how do we engage our people’s commitment to serve them? How about:

If you love your customers, they’ll love you back.

But, isn’t this equally untrue? Perhaps not, if we can recognize the occasional need for tough love. When and how might we dare to demonstrate tough love with our customers? When our relationship has evolved into a win for the customer and a consistent loser for us, shouldn’t this situation be communicated and remedied? If a remedy can not be found, it’s sometimes more effective for tough love to take the form of strategic loss of sales.

Who are your high-maintenance customers that repeatedly take more than they give? What if they became your competitor’s problem? If that happened, might you be better positioned to direct your limited resources toward those who do provide opportunities for mutual “win-win” relationships? Is it time for you to provide some tough love to your most exploiting customers?

Strategic Loss of Sales

Does some strategic loss of sales make sense for you? With whom have you been top-line wise and bottom line foolish? What is preventing you from cutting the cord?

Before we take this too far…

While the act of buying shouldn’t elevate anyone to Papal status, one critical fact remains.

If you don’t serve your customers with respect, empathy and even your love, they will seek someone else who will.

To replace the infallibility mindset and still effectively fight the battle for customer loyalty, I suggest two alternative axioms.

1. While the customer is NOT always right, we will always make the customer feel important.
2. The Right Customer is a Profitable Customer

Palatable precepts for practitioners of any denomination.

Happy Valentine’s Day and as you serve your customers remember…

 “All you need is love” – The Beatles

Related Posts

• A New Customer’s Final Plea
• Customer Connectivity Contrast: Are You More Like Google or Zappos?
• Under Promise and Over Deliver
• Overcoming “Breakup Reluctance”
• Avoiding Five Preventable Pitfalls to Solid Client Relationships
• Who Moved My Customers?