Customers Are Not Always Right

“Treat everyone you come in contact with as if they were a wealthy relative, who you hope to be included in their will. Never regret treating people very well. It’s the best deal in every way.”

-David Shwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

Every successful company on this planet is run by entrepreneurs who have understood and respect this simple but very important principle: treat everyone as if they were the best customer in your business.

And we must never forget that our clients are and will always be the company’s reason for being. It is they who generate the profit, who pay for our services and therefore end up paying the salaries of all employees. It is the clients who give life to the organization and without them our business would not exist.

Understanding the deepest needs of our clients and having the ability to respond to them even in times of stress where complaints arise is part of the success of building a business.

Many entrepreneurs with great ideas fail for the simple fact of not giving first place to that person who, as it is well said, can build or destroy our company. That person is the customer.

The Digital Customer Phenomenon

Today, in the XXI century, it is even more important to understand the importance of the client, because in addition to the known demands in terms of service, speed and quality of attention, the fact of the power of the Internet and social networks is added.

Today we “face” a much more informed customer. Knowledgeable about the digital environment and with the ability to investigate ourselves and get references about our business even before visiting our business premises.

East digital client go through the web and compare other providers before calling you, it also has the power to complain on their social networks, comment on our business and weaken our online reputation, especially in cases where the service has been deficient.

Today, it is essential to have online crisis management policies that allow us to act quickly to avoid an avalanche of criticism on the Internet.

Importance of a Customer Service Policy

Not having a careful policy of Customer Support or simply allow our collaborators to decide “discretion” who they should treat better is a bad bet on the future of our business.

On multiple occasions I have discussed this ancient concept of: “The customer is always right“And to my surprise the reactions are diverse.

There are those who believe that abuse or mistreatment by conflicting clients should not be tolerated – and I agree with it – although I believe that a disturbed client also has a reason that must be discovered.

There are also entrepreneurs who believe that the client should always be treated well despite the circumstances and try to keep them as a client at any cost.

Personally, I have had to deal with difficult clients many times who make complaints about aspects that would seem unfair and even absurd. And I do not deny that it is something very annoying and complicated to solve.

However, I believe that we should treat these clients equally well and with the highest sense of education because even in that instant of complaints there is an opportunity.

Therefore, for my own having, I usually use the following phrase:

“The customer is not always right, but we must always make him feel as if he is.” -Edwin Amaya [twitéalo]

Thinking this way allows me to keep my focus on a high standard of service and helps me not lose track of good reputation of my business for a moment of tension, anger or defending who is right.

Finally, you can be proud of being right about a claim but with the high cost to your company of losing a customer.

If you understand this, surely you can transmit it to your collaborators as an emotional intelligence strategy, which I assure you, it works.

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