Origin
Plastered above the punch card, on the store room wall, behind the counter, this phrase echoes in every service worker’s mind.
Claimed to be coined by Harry Gordon Selfridge, the infamous slogan becomes a framework for service workers to put customers first above anything else.
Little did we know in the 1900’s during Selfridge’s era, it was rare to see customers being treated with respect and courtesy. Thus, the reason “customer is always right” became a revolutionary concept in the retail world.
What does it actually mean?
The notion does make sense in the business world because happy customers help to multiply our profit. One bad review from a customer, then it tarnishes our brand reputation.
Therefore, most retailers swore by this phrase in giving utmost excellent customer service.
But the phrase is not meant to be taken and used as-is, though the customer’s need is indeed our priority.
“Customer is always right” means our customers have the biggest influence on buying decisions, and we have to make them feel their needs heard and met.
This expression is a top strategy in customer retention because we will strive to satisfy our customer’s needs. By putting customers as the center of our service, it helps us to shape a customer experience that works right for them.
Yes, we should use philosophy as a benchmark in making our service customer-centric, as well as constantly improving our system with the greatest clarity and logic for them.
Is it still relevant?
Every entrepreneur wants their customers to walk out from their store with a smile on their face. But customers are bound to make mistakes too, and that’s completely normal.
Yet it doesn’t mean the expression should be totally dismissed.
In case our customer was certainly wrong, it’s an indicator that there might be a gap in the customer experience we designed.
So whenever our customers appear with complaints or misunderstandings, it’s an opportunity to investigate lacking in our service that caused such issues apart from just providing mere solutions.
From there, we pinpoint the problems and improve our service to keep the phrase “customer is always right” is relevant.
But be mindful,
Though the phrase only mentions “customer”, it also indirectly influences our workforce.
Our obsession on customer satisfaction over the worker’s wellbeing can misfire our business. Therefore, the phrase should be held onto in moderation.
Being told the customer is never wrong implies that we don’t trust our own team and can demoralize their working spirit.
We shouldn’t always tolerate irrational customer behavior. Sometimes customers are just wrong and deliberately unreasonable to your employees.
While we want to provide excellent customer service, listening to our workers is also important. Stepping in as a leader during customer relations and listening to both sides demonstrate our integrity in running business.
