I got inspired by these 5 reasons about why “The customer is always right” is wrong. I have thought about 3 reasons why customer service representatives who complain about their customers are crap.
1. You have failed to acknowledge your place in the system
Your job is to help the customer. Not to go around and think about how superior you are to them or that “if I just worked a little harder, I would not be there.” The customer is the boss, and he loves it when you are happy to understand and serve him.
2. The customer IS right
Customers would not bother to wait 50 minutes in a telephone to speak to you if they doubted they had a valid request or complaint.
3. If you can not fullfil a request, do not be a jerk, explain!
Most customers are in fact quite sophisticated and intelligent. They know you have a boss, they know you are part of a big big greedy company. I would much rather have you say:
“Unfortunelately, because of the new regulations from the top management, I am not allowed to decide if you can get your money back for the stupid bike with three wheels. I am only paid $6 an hour and even though I am a sensible and intelligent person, they would not delegate such responsibility to me. Please let me refer you to my supervisor. Can you hold on please?”
Than:
“Sorry, can’t do it. Just can’t do it. Gotta talk to my boss to do that.”
In the first example, anger and frustrations are transferred from you to the stupid company. You team up with your customer. In the second example you are just being a jerk.
Interesting blog posts about “The customer is always right”
Some common sense from Seth Godin
How hard is it to cancel AOL - The now famous customer service experience.
Excellent customer service experience delivered by American Apparel North America (but not the UK division, they do not even answer e-mails. Will blog about that another time.)
Funny look on life as a customer representative: “The customer is usually wrong”
I think you’re generalizing too much on #3. This does not work in all customer service fields. For example, when I worked in a call center for a government agency, the customers would never believe that I couldn’t do anything they wanted me to do; if I didn’t do it, it wasn’t because of regulations, it was because I didn’t want to help them. I was part of the big, faceless government. There was no “teaming up”; I was always part of “the enemy”.
That’s why I left that job; it wasn’t because I wasn’t willing to help the callers (because I was), or because my co-workers and managers were bad (they generally were wonderful people), it was because I was tired of working in a field where the customers weren’t willing to come part of the way to work with me, instead, treating me like I’d personally did this to them.
Interesting input. Towards government the callers may feel hostility from the beginning and you will be unable to “team up with them” no matter how hard you try.
pertaining to #3:Maybe you should try working in retail for a day. Then you would find out that when you do explain why this is this or that is that, there are some people who just are not satisfied. They want their way, right then, and now, or “heads will roll!” I always welcome the customer to complain to our home office if they’re unhappy, because after quoting the rule book and clauses that apply, there is nothing I can do about it.
If they’re acting like a jerk, I tell them quite frankly they’re welcome to leave instead of keeping me from waiting on my “good” customers. Oh yes, they always say “Don’t worry, I’ll call it in!” They never do. By the way, my percentage of business has always been up from last year’s figures. I seem to be gaining business despite standing my ground, not to mention a nice raise based on my performance. Yes, I know my place. And if you act like an asshole on my shift, I will put you in yours.
I have worked in retail for a little over a year. Customers are annoying, self-absorbed, and overbearing. They don’t give you a chance to explain. They want to return $3 dollar items. I don’t understand why it is so hard to get that– If I am working 8 hrs a day… you are not the only one I have had to deal with. I cannot drop everything I am doing to be at your beckon call! I am glad I am just working retail as a student. If I didn’t have a future, I would probably kill myself. These customers deserve nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Dear Marie
I hope you do have a future, and do not end up in the circumstances where $3 maybe very important to you. One day you may be paying your bills and the next that $3 is milk for you child. So you return a $3 pair of earrings…I believe the truth in how our circumstances change quickly in this world is explain in Wil Smiths Persuit of Hapiness. Since you are going to be the customer one day.. I hope you realize.. you deserve nothing. Bad charma girl! But a few year will probably give you some perspective and more respect for those around you. Peace out sister.
Treat the $3 return like it’s a $1000 and you may find a bigger payback than you realize, both personally and for those you work for and with. May you never work for my business.
Nys
Really late comment but–do you honestly believe this?
I have worked in customer service, off and on, for several years. There are many customers (not all, but quite a few) who will not believe that you can’t help them because that’s policy (as Selma describes). And no, they are not all government workers; regular citizens can be just as unreasonable. (Not to mention that saying ‘my boss doesn’t trust me to have this responsibility’ is often against company policy and could get you in trouble!)
Also, the vast majority of customer service representatives don’t think of themselves as superior to the customers. However, I have had many customers who clearly think of me as inferior–as hardly a human being at all, in fact–and treat me in an extremely nasty and degrading manner. And I bet if you polled customer service workers, you would find that customers with superiority complexes are far more common than CSRs with the same.
Finally–it may be true that the customer feels that they have a valid complaint. However, what the customer thinks is not automatically the truth. If a customer orders something at 11 PM with next day shipping, and calls to yell at me the next morning at 8 AM because they haven’t yet received the product (it’s happened to me), that’s not my fault, or the customer’s fault. Will I be rude? No. But will I fall all over myself apologizing because the customer doesn’t understand things like when shipping companies pick up packages or what hours warehouses tend to be open? No.
Sorry for the long comment, but as as CSR who always tries to give the best service possible to sometimes great but sometimes EXTREMELY unreasonable customers–this article annoyed me.
**in my previous comment, in the second to last paragraph, the second sentence should read “If a customer orders something at 11 PM with next day shipping, and calls to yell at me the next morning at 8 AM because they haven’t yet received the product (it’s happened to me), that’s not my fault, or the COMPANY’s fault.”
1. Customer service employees are people too. We are not lower class scum whose life goal is to serve the almighty customer. It’s our job. We act politely to uphold company policy and they pay us for it. One day you may be making us coffee every morning. I will be sure to bring it back each day and insist that it be remade as I’m sure this cannot be skim milk like I asked for! Subservient coffee-maker, I demand a new cup with extra foam!
2. Or maybe a customer would wait 50 minutes on hold if they wanted to scream about the long wait and get credits to their phone/gas/electric bill. Because they were on hold too long. But why did they call? No other reason. Why do customers return used clothing and expect a full refund? “I can see that you’ve been using this t-shirt, it’s fading a bit at the edges… Oh, you don’t like it anymore? Okay, sure you can exchange it for a new one!” Cue the store going bankrupt.
3. You want to return an item that you broke? “Sorry, we don’t refund items in an unsellable condition. Store policy.” You want to know why the store doesn’t stock your favourite brand of peanut butter anymore? They just don’t! That’s how it is! There’s not always someone to be mad at. Why do you need to be mad about not being allowed to return your 6-month-old broken camera? Just contact the manufacturer. 99% chance they gave you a 12-month warranty. No need to scream at us. Yes, I’ll get you my manager, but she’ll tell you the same thing.
In conclusion, most customers are reasonable and actually treat customer service employees like real people (unlike the author of this article, apparently). Some are rude and skip a reasonable explanation in favour of yelling and screaming until they get their way. The original “Top 5 Reasons why “The Customer is Always Right” Is Wrong” article was fair to both customers and employees. It did not stereotype either group of people to be lazy or rude. This article just makes service employees sound bad.
1. As a call center employee, yes I know my place… my job is to help the callers, and I do a good job at it. No, I don’t think I’m better than my callers, though sometimes I think I am more educated in the industry than them… because, well I am, I’ve been doing what I do 40 hours a week for over a year now, some of our callers are just doing this the first time. And I’ll be honest, I could care less if you know nothing, as long as you are calling in admitting that you don’t know everything there is to know and want some help to learn… if you call in with the attitude that you know everything when you don’t, well I’m sorry, you are the one with the superiority complex.
2. Nope, customer isn’t always right… at least once a day I’ll get a customer who will admit to not even reading the terms and conditions on the website before clicking submit then get upset when it doesn’t work in their favor… I’m sorry, when you click that box that says I agree, you have jut entered into a contract and if you try to violate that contract you are WRONG… even if you don’t try to violate it, if you are dumb enough not to read the fine print before arguing with a CSR you are WRONG.
3. I can tell with your post that you have never worked in customer service… we are not allowed to “team up” with the customer… companies are very strict on what you are allowed to tell customers… I’ve before gotten in trouble for telling a caller my actual location rather than the location my phone popped up saying I was supposed to be at. If something that miner will result in action by the company what do you think would happen if I told a caller that I thought the company was wrong and they were right… I might not have a job after that. Oh and you do realize that what you suggested the CSR say is extremely dehumanizing… you’re asking us to admit to you that we are the stereotype you have of us… and sorry, but we aren’t.
I can tell that you have never worked in a customer service position.
We haven’t “acknowledged our place”? It makes us sound sub-human.
I have TRIED both the short and long answers you give examples of in #3. And neither one usually works. If you don’t explain, they WANT an explanation so they can yell some more about how stupid you/policy/your company is. If you DO explain, they’ll say, “That’s not MY problem.” CSRs cannot win.
Try a customer service job for a couple weeks. You’ll cry by the time it’s over.
I think it’s ridiculous how CSR’s are subserviently treated. We just had to deal with a guy who we went way above and beyond for, including fixing his problem. He still wasn’t satisfied and said we’d “fleeced” him and that our service was poor. We spent more time trying to fix his errors and explain to him what he did; but he would have none of it. It is absurd to think that the customer is always right - because some people refuse to be satisfied no matter WHAT you do for them.
As for what was said about us working for a big greedy company - that in itself shows no empathy for your fellow human beings who work long hours for table scraps compared to those who RUN the company. People who work in service can’t be everything to everyone, and those who cannot be satisfied are a waste of time and money that could be spent on another customer who needs assistance.
The customer is the boss, and he loves it when you are happy to understand and serve him.
No - my boss is my boss. You customers help me stay in business. I will respect your needs if you respect mine in return. Yelling and threats don’t get anywhere, and thinking of me as a minion who is there to serve your every whim is unrealistic. You look down on me and talk to me like I am beneath you, the last thing I want to do is help.
Overall, I agree with the other posters here.
This article generalizes customers as well as those in customer service. I will gladly agree that most customers are polite and, well, ideal. But it cannot be denied that some are absolutely NOT polite, some ARE abusive, and some ARE bad for business, and yes my dear, some of these customers are unmistakeably, irrefutably wrong. Those are the customers that the other article was more concerned about. That article did not attack customers for having special needs or needing something done a certain way, and it CERTAINLY did not say that employees are “better” or “superior” to customers, it was about companies needing to VALUE their employees (more than irate, incorrect and downright horrible customers), which would in turn make them happier and more considerate and excel more at really great customer service. That other article made very excellent, true points and stated them in a tactful way. THIS article was written with a very narrow, very opinionated point of view that undermines and generalizes customer service employees as rude and unwilling to help any customers. And don’t even get me started on the “superiority complex” hypocrisy here.
@Marie…I am also a student working part-time in a retail store, and I will have a very nice future myself once I am out of college. But that’s besides the point. Yes, we get the occasional rude and abusive customers where I work, but I would never, EVER say that all customers deserve nothing. If someone wants to return an item and there’s nothing prohibiting them from returning it, then let them return the item and don’t concern yourself over how much it is. Honestly, their personal reasons for doing so aren’t your business, you just handle the transaction. If a customer takes loads of time, then just grin and bear it and move on. Taking time out of your day to help them means you’re going to keep that person, which is a good thing if they’re not the rude and abusive customers that we all could do without. Either way, don’t dwell on it. If this job isn’t your life career, it isn’t for forever and it’s not something you should dwell on. Doing so hurts a lot of people who don’t deserve it.
I work at a retail store with “policies.” My store will adjust a price if a previously a purchased item goes on sale within 7 days of the purchase. I sell shoes and we don’t accept shoes that have been worn on hard surfaces or outside. We staple these “policies” to every receipt we hand out. My store takes back or gives money back that go against these “policies” everyday I work. I do have to call a manager to let this happen. These customers that are breaking the rules and still get their way still give attitude and are not happy. It seems that the customer is always right at my job but they are still not happy. At the mere mention of what the criteria for returning something is most customers become jerks. Sometimes I do think I am better than my customers because I am not a cheat. There are rules and laws and I abide by them. I think most customers that complain think they are better than the system and me. I agree that abusive customers act like children. I wish I could give them a spanking but instead they take down my name and call and complain that I reiterated what I learned about “Return policy” the first week on the job. It still makes me look bad. Final point I think people that have worked customer service can be the worst of all. I couldn’t count the number of people who have told me they work in customer service and their store wouldn’t do it that way. I guess every store except mine gives customers the coupon discount even if they don’t have one, takes back merchandise that can’t be resold, adjust prices past the adjustment point and do it without calling their manager.
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