Is the customer always right?

ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIPTION CENTRE | ADVERTISE | SITEMAP

MAGAZINE

MARKETPLACE

COMMUNITY

RESOURCES

	Is the customer always right?
Written by Amanda Ryder

I just finished reading an article in Nova Scotia's The Chronicle Herald that explored how the age old mantra 'the customer is always right' may actually be bad for business. The article reports that some human resource experts believe it can hurt the bottom line to preach to staff that the customer is always right, especially when that customer is behaving badly.

One expert says that by blindly following 'the customer is always right' philosophy, you could risk losing employees if they don't feel backed-up or valued. He says that sometimes customers are in fact wrong and retaining these abrasive customers can actually act as a disservice for the business.

So what do you think of the 'customer is always right' policy? Do you enact this policy at your centre? How do you deal with unhappy customers?

COMMENTS

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Written by Guest on 2009-05-09 13:44:14

i never point out the fact iam right. i just talk to my customers like a friend and joke around and laugh. it makes them more comfortable knowing that i am not laughing at them or yelling inside.

doing this my customers love me, and i get repeated customers or they refer me to their families and friends, all the time.

customers love to be around positive attitude people to take their minds of stress sometimes, like brides who is planning a wedding.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Written by Neville on 2008-08-02 10:32:38

When a client is totally WRONG, I try to let them know gently, which is so out of character for me! Meeting them half way is a good way to avoid a lot of confrontation also, and can deflate a possible arguement. A smile usually works well,too, so long as you aren't laughing at them!(Like when they call a gerbera daisy a GERBER! That's a baby food for goodness sake!)

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Written by Lidy on 2008-06-05 13:26:19

We respectfully let the customer know WHAT is right, not WHO is right. Avoid confrontation, but not at all cost. If customer likes to argue? Well, we all have a bad day at times... That does not make it right. Staff do need to be valued and backed-up

POST A COMMENT

Name:
E-mail Address:
Comment:

Enter the code above:

[ Back ]

Recent Comments
by Bob Hatcher \| 04/28 dorina@sympatico.ca by Dorina Idvorian \| 05/19 vhf@telusplanet.net by Valley Houseof Flowers Drayton \| 05/26 gifts@brantflorist.com by Guest \| 06/05 info@amsterdamgreenhouses.com by Lidy \| 06/05

Recent Posts
Welcome by Amanda Ryder \| 12/31 Streetside florist by Amanda Ryder \| 12/31 Celebrate Earth Day by Amanda Ryder \| 12/31 Report on Mother's Day 2008 by Amanda Ryder \| 12/31 Is the customer always right? by Amanda Ryder \| 12/31