IS THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS RIGHT?
“The customer is always right”.
If we all got a dollar for every time we heard this, we would probably be in contention with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos for the world’s richest. What should you do when a customer calls in with an unreasonable and practically unnecessary complaint or request? Should you drop all you are doing to attend to them or should you forget them and move on because you will have other customers in the future? Let’s go!
As an entrepreneur, especially a first-timer, there is that feeling to scramble to suit the desire of every customer. It is easy to be pulled in every direction, satisfying every need and fulfilling every wish. To be fair, some customers have genuine complaints and desires. However, like several entrepreneurs of the past have seen, going with the crowd is not always a good idea. A lot of times, doing a lot doesn’t mean you are getting a lot more done, neither does it mean you are making progress.
Customers are only human, but while they are one of the most important people you have to work with as an entrepreneur, they are also not the only people you need to consider. This is not to say that how your customer feels is not important or relevant. It only means that you should never think to build your venture in such a way that you want to do everything for every single customer. This will take you in too many directions at once and leave you tired, financially drained and still without any progress.
There is a misconception that believing the customer is always right is the bedrock of great customer relations and customer service. This misconception actually damages customer service and relations in the long-term as always doing what they want will weaken your ability (and that of your employees — if you have them) to act in the way they believe is in the best interest of your company and your company goals. Sometimes, it is even better, cheaper and more productive to let really problematic customers go.
So what should you do?
The best advice is to keep in mind that, if you are solving a problem for your customers in a way that is foreign or strange to them, they do not have any past experience to draw from and every strange feeling can lead to a complaint. When you address these complaints, look at them from your customers’ perspective. Are they reacting negatively because they don’t know better or are they reacting negatively because of something fundamental and rejecting your offering as a result?
Use these reactions to redesign your product or service. Customers’ reactions and complaints can sometimes be very rich sources of insights into product/service improvements and upgrades. Those upgrades don’t have to be massive. They could be little tweaks that make your product/service easier to use and interact with. Customers’ reactions and complaints could also be the source of inspiration or the main focus of creative advertising campaigns. It all depends on how well you play your cards.
Also, ensure that when you (or your staff) are dealing with customer complaints, you understand the rules and tactics of expert negotiation and interpersonal communication and relationships.
A Final Word
Finally, remember this: customers don’t come to you because they are right, they come to you because they believe you have what is right for them.
