Are the customers always right?
Hi! My dear WA willing souls and helping hands, Good morning.
Before opening my mouth to say something, I would need your forgiveness for speaking my heart, which may be politically incorrect and be the most effective way for being distanced and even banished out of a beloved community like WA.
The saying of "The customers are always right." has become a sure maxim of commercialism, which has been respected and even worshiped as a goddess.
To assure this notion, I have interviewed and asked many PR personnel of clients advocates of various organizations and companies.
Here has been the constant scene in interviews: Smilling cordially ... shaking the heads ... "no,..." In response to why we always say so, the interviewees answered, "Well, (another smile), I have to do and keep my job..." I can perceive they are powerless and helpless in succumbing to the pressure of money-making for survival. As a result, many of such personnel are depressed despite delivering smile on their faces. What does hide behind the scene?
Here comes my political incorrectness, which I want to spit out. Again, forgive me please.
In what I feel in the deep spot of my heart, this commercial maxim clearly represents the highest point of personal and social corruption by betraying the honesty and integrity. But do not get or take me wrong, it is nothing wrong to be polite and smiling, but we oblige to share the truth and facts of life so to reciprocating the balance between asserting the rights and fulfilling the obligations, by which personal and social harmony could be genuinely initiated, maintained, and sustained. If not, unhappiness inside the hearts prevails and make the servers act like performing mental masturbation.
I hope what I mean in this post may and can help those who have been victimized by this commercial practice. And then they can take control of their life in a constructive, sensible way and take a breath. This attests that the first step to effectively solve dilemma or woes in life is to realize, understand, and accept the available truth and facts of life. Without such, all the talk will be off the true target and the real issues will never be solved, but just serving the distorted demand for political correctness and commercialism.
That is sad, but that is my thought to share. How do you think?
I welcome your comments so I can do better in the future, but please, I beg your pardon and please do not expel me out of the beloved WA community; I love you.
Here comes my best wish to all for succeeding in E-marketing adventure.
James
Recent Comments
14
I agree with what seems to be the Customer is not always right - it is our role to educate, therin, lies our opportunity to bring value.
That is correct. May I further specifics toward where bureaucracy lies, rules, and overrules the available truth and facts of life? In the usual service sector, honesty, courtesy, and education for the clients are the keys to winning over their business; likewise, we do the same for online business. We work as a service person, not fraudsters.
Thank you for sharing your view.
James
I've been in customer service for 14 years and I still to this day can not go by "customer is always right". They are not right if they don't know what they are talking about. I always felt that you need to educate that person so they will understand how things work.
Hi! Eric,
You are absolutely right, especially in the service sector, in which we use knowledge and courtesy to convey what is right for the customers and assure them that what they bought is good and well worth for them - of course, not coercing but with the facts. We should do the same. So, we are in agreement.
Yet, at the moment and location when and where bureaucracy oftentimes rules and overrules the truth and facts of life, like many politicians over-asserting the rights and downplaying the obligations so to please voters at the expense of others. In short, if kindness and generosity are accomplished at the expense of others' pain, suffering, and loss, that sort of kindness and generosity are not genuine but abuse of power for self-interest. So, I hope I make my points clearer than before so to avoid political incorrectness.
Thank you for sharing what you sensed, and we are ready to move on our E-marketing adventure indefinitely.
Welcome back to work online.
Best to health and success,
James
Interesting question, the short answer might be; yes but with a grain of salt. With almost fifteen years in sales I've got the answer but I try to keep it to myself. Thanks for stimulating our minds.
I believe that the customer must be treated with respect and courtesy even though he could be wrong!
Thanks, James for bringing this up. Since honesty and consistency are important in building trusting relationships between coworkers, customers, suppliers and others, we need more than empty slogans. Since confusion, hyperbole and hypocrisy serve to torpedo the best intentions and hard work we put into our businesses, clarity is essential.
In this day and age, customers, hackers, thieves and bystanders all have opportunities to do us harm. If we are to serve the legitimate customers well, we must be careful of the actions of those other customers whose mistakes or bad intentions will cause us problems, if we allow them to do so.
If we apply the sentiment "The customer is always right" in keeping with the intent behind it, then we go the extra mile to accommodate customer requests, and to give the customer the benefit of the doubt. The problem is the word 'ALWAYS' in that such absolutes are ALWAYS a problem when they are taken literally. Clearly, a customer who wants routine access to the cash register is making an unreasonable request, but if she is "always right" then she obviously has a great reason for cash drawer access, so we step aside - that's insane, so it doesn't happen.
Maybe a practical interpretation of this overstated rule would be:
"Our first priority must be to listen to customers and do our best to help them as much as possible without jeopardizing the enterprise" This is more rational, and does not require that we lie or deny reality.
Cheers,
Steve
Steve, that is absolutely right by not betraying honesty and integrity by manipulating others' ignorance, anxiety, and fear.
Oh! I am glad that you did not expel me; thank you.
Keep in touch and best to health and success,
James
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Your post reminded me of a sticker I noticed displayed on the cash register of a local eatery in San Diego - clearly in bold and ALL CAPS - "Customers are NOT always right!" I see it every time I visit and brings me to ponder that statement - "NOT". Well, that just took the "Customer is Always Right" and slapped it with "NOT". LOL! Ingenious post James! :) Carrie