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The Customer is Not Always Right!
If you're shocked by the title of this article, that's a good thing. I purposely chose it to do just that. Now that I've got your attention, let me explain how you've been misled by having "the customer is always right" mantra repeated over and over again so that the vast majority of people that work either directly or indirectly with external customers will go to the most ridiculous lengths in order to keep a client happy. How is it possible that anyone, least of all me, a GM of a company in the service industry in China can possibly think that making such a bold statement can't but hurt my own reputation and that of my company? It's because the statement: "The Customer Is Always Right" is flat out false and believing this untruth has caused millions of people working in the Customer Service industry a lot of unnecessary grief and unhappiness. It's important to remember that customers are people just like you and I. And like all people, some of them are very pleasant to deal with. They respect us and treat us with dignity. They are truthful with us and wouldn't do anything to purposely deceive or mislead us. When we have customers like that, we love being able to work with them and provide them with the highest level of service that we can. It's a privilege to serve a client like that. However, there are also customers who are the proverbial "pain in the neck" (or a lower region of the human body). They are a nightmare to work for, as they have no communication skills. They do all of the talking and none of the listening. They are constantly complaining, insulting, and even threatening their vendors. They are never happy with the price, regardless of the level of service offered. They consume huge amounts of your time and energy, and each time you have to deal with these types of clients, you come away exhausted, frustrated, and happy that the interaction with them is over - until the next time.I know that all of you reading this article understand exactly what I'm talking about. So, how should you deal with the client from Hell? 1) Limit your contact - do not take the initiative to engage these types of clients. Let them call you when they need to order product or have some other reason (in their mind) to call you. You need not touch base with such clients on a regular basis. 2) Never offer such a customer a discount. The time, energy, and frustration required on your part in dealing with the type of clients that I have described above is worthy of your full fee/list price. I'm not suggesting you overcharge - as in rip them off - but they don't deserve discounts. Save those for your very best clients. 3) If the "pain in the neck" client threatens you by saying "I've got other vendors I'm considering and their fees are lower than yours and their product/service is just as good or better than yours, blah, blah, blah....." That's great! You let them go. You'll be happy that you don't have to deal with "pain in the neck" anymore. Chances are he/she is bluffing anyway or why else would he/she be on the phone trying to convince you to lower your price when there's a better company just a phone call away? If you've really been providing a great service/product, you'll likely find that this customer will come back to you shortly after threatening to use the competition. 4) Under no circumstances should you waste any of your valuable resources on such a client. This includes money and your or your employee's time and/or energy. See #1 above. In conclusion, I am not anti-customer service. I realize the importance of providing the very highest level of service and product. I am also not suggesting that you refer to your "pain in the neck" clients by that term in their presence. They should still be treated in a respectful way and dignified manner. But they should never be allowed to cause you to dread what you're doing for a living. Fortunately, most customers are great to deal with and for that we can all be grateful.
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More Customer Service Articles Happy Customers Pave the Way - An Introduction to Customer Service and Sales for Small Business Why No One Pays Extra For Rudeness - Building Relationship Capital Take Amazing Care of One Single Customer |
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