The following is guest blog post by Steve Coscia of Coscia Communications, Inc. I first met Steve a few months ago and he shared his thoughts with me on what could change customer service in America. He's a great speaker!
Is the Customer Always Right?
Some customers behave badly and these encounters usually result in a MOMENT OF TRUTH. As a customer service professional, a moment of truth occurs when training and preparation are put to the test. It is a situation when rational thinking, a calm demeanor, and a deliberate response must prevail.
Most importantly, you only get one chance to get it right. If give even a hint of rolling eyes, snippy retaliation, or apathy, then encounters with customers can escalate out of control. Remaining calm is not easy, but it is achievable with practice and application even in the midst of a personal attack.
What causes some customers to behave so badly? It may be that they have been rewarded in the past for their bad behavior with special treatment or immediate service. These customers have learned the cause and effect relationship between their exaggerated behavior and exclusive accommodation.
Some believe that being a customer entitles them to be demanding and condescending. And still others either don't think before they actor they're just plain ignorant.
The challenge for service professionals is to remain calm, think rationally, and to not take things personally when customers imply blame or make their criticism personal. The ability to detach oneself from a situation in tandem with preserving the self-esteem of the customer is a key part of rational thinking.
The likelihood of a mutually satisfying resolution increases if a service professional can maintain good composure, respond appropriately, and show genuine empathy for the customer. However, once the self esteem of a customer is damaged with an inappropriate response, the offended party might become defensive or, worse yet, play the victim with even more reason to carry on.
The maxim "The customer is always right" unfortunately has confused some service professionals due to an apparent incongruity between one's perception and the reality of a given situation. This uncertainty might give some service professionals cause to focus on and attempt to fix a customer's behavior.
Service professionals must strive to resolve problems and not fix bad behavior. To remedy a customer's objectionable behavior, the service professional must determine its root cause. Conversely, when a customer is in the wrong, it is important for the service professional to contain the situation so it does not deteriorate.
These types of customer service situations can be difficult for handle for most business owners. When you were trained to run your business, this is one area often overlooked. Fortunately, there are is solid advice on improving your business operations -- Advice that will help you make more money in the long run by retaining more customers...
Find out more about Steve Coscia and his customer service programs!
the trite statement "The customer is always right" is often used to summarise a policy on customer care, but I believe is rarely useful as a guiding principle as, quite patently, if we take it literally, it is just plain false. I find statements like this tend only to be a distraction or a cop-out from taking the hard decision of taking the customer relationship to pieces, figuring out how it really works and designing satisfaction into the process where it matters. It is slogans like this that have convinced some that provided they dish up their crap with enough sugary over-the-top couresies and (where necessary) apologies, they can get away with all manner of mediocrity
No the customer is not always right, but he is king. That is the one truth of customer satisfaction, perception is reality. If they ain't satisfied (even if they are wrong) they ain't satisfied
Shaun
Posted by: shaun sayers | March 29, 2008 5:12 AM | Permalink to Comment