Myth #1. The customer is always right
Stew Leonards has a very famous customer service story (circa 1969) that resulted in a giant rock that sits outside of his stores inscribed with the following:
Rule 1: The Customer is Always Right
Rule 2: If the Customer is ever Wrong, read Rule #1
This mantra is probably one of the most debated topics in the world of customer service. Is it better for business to satisfy every single customer or is it better to delight your good customers and sever ties with those that aren’t a fit?
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a movie theatre located in Austin, TX, opted for the latter. One day they received an irate voicemail from a customer who’d been thrown out for using her cell during a film. The response from the theatre didn’t include begging for forgiveness, issuing a refund or a letter of apology. Instead, they turned the customer’s message, laden with f-bombs, into a public-service announcement shown to audiences before the movie commences.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVz-fO7kxcQ
There are a number of reasons why bending over backwards to satisfy every single client can be a flawed system:
- Some customers can never be satisfied
- Some customers aren’t profitable
- Some customers weaken employee morale
- Some customers are not an ethical, moral or value-based fit for your business
When you invest time, energy and money into trying to satisfy the wrong customers, you reduce your ability to attract the right ones.
That doesn’t mean that we, as businesses, should throw out the notion of amazing customer service. On the contrary. In a time when one tweet can cost a business millions, delighting customers is simply the cost of doing business, not a value-add. However, it also emphasizes the need to do business with the right customers. Work with enough people who don’t get you, don’t appreciate what you do, don’t like you, and you’re creating your own detraction engine.
Now it’s time for you to weigh in. What do you think?
Photo via mikkime
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. RT @ladolcevitawed Great blog post by @ready2spark on Is the client is always right? | bit.ly/pY82uR
@ready2spark Love the honesty in the article…keep it up as I continue to read your blog when you post!
@ladolcevitawed Thank you for your kind words! Glad you enjoy the blog and the articles.
In the Spanish market, where customer service provider´s motto seems to be – ´customer service, why?´, we always feel that one point that makes us stand out is that our customers are always right.
It is nice to get some perspective again. Nice Post.