Why The Customer Is Not Always Right

‘The customer is always right’ is an old adage. It started over a hundred years ago in London as a slogan for Selfridges. Surprisingly, there are reasons why the customer is not always right. You cannot accept difficult customers giving you a hard time just because you have to follow that unrealistic and old-fashioned customer care rule.

Customers cannot always come before employees

If you get used to undermining your employees’ authority at the place of work, slowly they may start to have hard feelings about their job and develop trust issues with your judgment.

Your employees may start getting the feeling that they are of less value to you than the customers. In the face of difficult customers, supporting your employees will inevitably help them cultivate happiness, trust, and security. You will need to understand that the customer is not always right.

You end up wasting resources and time on unreasonable customers

All businesses have their own limitations, including all its staff regardless of whether it is energy, time or money.

This is why the customer is not always right. An unsatisfied customer will not appreciate what you are offering them, despite all what you try. It is not worth spending your limited resources on them in the hope that they get satisfied. You should move on. No business exists for the sole satisfaction of just one customer.

Your business can’t really please everyone.

You do not require to retain EVERY customer

You won’t reach ultimate success or make more revenue just by having and keeping all customers you could possibly want. It is not ideal trying to please and keep the extremely rude and abusive ones.

They annoy your employees and break their morale. If you are in business for the long-term benefits, you might have to accept that the customer is not always right.

Unhappy employees and poor customer care are not ideal for business

Treat your employees well and they shall treat your customers in a good way. A solid mutual trust relationship between you and your employees rubs off on customers in a way that it gives the positive perception of your business.

They might come to the realization that even though you value them, they won’t benefit from getting into ugly confrontations with your employees.

Bad customers spark off bad experiences for others

Some characters intentionally do irrational acts so as to gain an advantage over employees to challenge their confidence.

Unbearable customers should not be allowed to turn into nightmares. Carefully put into place measures that will prevent these customers’ behavior from negatively affecting other customers.

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Why the customer is not always right; is the customer always right? Are there situations in which you can ignore a customer? Do customers always have to come first? How to treat rude customers; how to treat arrogant clients; are all customers important to a business?