Is the customer always right? The fact is, the phrase isn’t intended to be taken seriously. While doing business with customers you have to remember that your customer should be your top priority but is the customer always right? Well in some cases, you must decide whether your customers are worth the extra effort. But from where the customer is always right full quotes came from let's see the history first.
Marshall Field, Harry Gordon Selfridge, and John Wanamaker introduce the popular phrase in the early 1900s. Marshall founded the store Marshall Field and Company in Chicago, while John opened the first department store in Philadelphia. Gordon owned London’s Selfridges store and is credited with inventing the slogan in the UK.
It’s still uncertain who was the first person to coin the phrase. But it’s clear that these successful retailers all had one thing in common: they succeeded in giving the importance of putting the customer first and realized the impact satisfied customers have on the bottom line of the very business.
Here are a few reasons why the phrase is still relevant today
1. Meeting customers’ expectations is very important for your business's good image in the market. Customers are willing to give their opinion to other people regarding your business. If their expectations aren’t met they are free to share their bad experience with others. And they would switch to your competitor after just one bad customer service experience.
2. Happy customers can help you seeking customers, lead to growth, can boost retention and increase sales among your existing customer base. Good customer service improves customer retention and plays a vital role in customer retention. Once the customer is happy with your service or product, it will also increase your sales and revenue.
3. Happy customers can help you attract new customers, too, providing excellent customer service and always focusing on the fact that the customer is always right will help grow your customer list. And through this, your customer base will grow organically as loyal customers recommend you to their family, friends or colleagues.
4. Loyal customers will help you during your difficult times. When businesses invest in your customer's service and make them feel like a priority, you can build customers healthy relationships that last through difficult times.
Tips for what you can do when the customer isn’t right
There will be many situations in business when a customer is completely wrong, whether in their treatment of your employees or their knowledge of your product or yourself. Here are some options you can do.
1) Empathy and patience are the keys
When a customer is upset, sometimes they just want to be heard from your side. Reach customers about a tough situation. You can empathize with them and it can help to control their anger. That means listening to what the customer is saying with all your patience is key. And, it means caring about their concern, not just focusing on whether or not you think it’s valid can help you to come up with a solution.
2) Let the customer know where they’re wrong, but in a polite manner
There are times when the best thing to do is to be gently or you can speak politely or show some kindness while telling the customer they’re wrong.
3) Don’t tolerate inappropriate customer behaviour
If a customer is becoming verbally aggressive or physically abusive toward your staff, it’s time to say something and says goodbye As a business owner you need to step in and tell the customer in no uncertain terms that this is not acceptable behaviour in some case you need to protect your integrity and the wellbeing of your staff and business more than a customer.
4) You cannot satisfy every single customer's needs so be calm and let it go
Here is the customer is always right example if a customer complains to you about a product feature that they cannot use on your product. And they say it in a rude way, they will tell everyone that your product is bad and not good enough for anyone.
Then, they post it on social media, creating negative publicity for your business. In case you just let go if you can't help such customers, it will be good for your business as well if you cannot, be straightforward with them and tell them there is nothing you can do. Always put your case politely and be calm.
Summary
The Customer is Always Right. The introduction is correct because customers make the business, represent good business ethics, promote excellence in customer service, and increase a business's bottom line. The phrase was pioneered by two retailers, namely Gordon Selfridge, Marshall Field, and John Wanamaker. In this article, you learn more about it.
FAQ's on Customer:
Harry Gordon Selfridge, founder of the luxury store that bears his name, summed up the importance of flawless service when he reportedly coined the phrase “the customer is always right” at the start of the 20th century.
Customers play the most significant part in business. In fact, the customer is the actual boss in a deal and is responsible for the actual profit for the organization.
Customers don't actually know what they want. First they will do research and discuss their options with their friends, and family but still they don’t get what they want.
