The Customer Is Always Right … and Five Other Lies

This article answers the question: Is the customer always right? And what other customer service sayings are outdated or no longer true?

Answer: Many traditional customer service sayings are outdated or incomplete because great service and CX today are less about always agreeing with customers, exceeding expectations, or simply satisfying them, and more about respecting customers, empowering employees, delivering consistent experiences, and earning loyalty.

If you’ve been following my work, you know I don’t believe the customer is always right. Sayings like that have been around for a very long time, but some have become outdated or are just plain wrong. Okay, calling them “lies” may be a slight exaggeration, but I got your attention. Here are six customer service sayings that deserve an update. 

1. The customer is always right. It’s simply not true. If that’s what we’re taught and the customer is wrong, what do we do? It’s not about who’s right. It’s more about how to handle a disagreement that preserves the relationship. Consider this alternative: The customer is not always right, but they are always the customer. So, if they are wrong, let them be wrong with dignity. 

2. The customer service department handles problems and complaints. This isn’t a lie, but it’s a partial truth. Yes, the people in the customer service “department” may handle complaints and questions, but everyone has a role in the customer experience. Even employees who never interact directly with customers make decisions or perform work that eventually impacts the customer. So here’s the alternative: Customer service is not a department. It’s a philosophy to be embraced by every member of an organization.      

3. No news is good news. Just because a customer doesn’t complain doesn’t mean they’re happy. Whether the experience is good or bad, many customers won’t tell you. And, “satisfied” customers don’t complain. The experience isn’t great, but it’s not terrible, and complaining isn’t worth the effort. So remember: No news from a customer doesn’t mean they’re happy.  

4. Go above and beyond for every customer. Above and beyond sounds great, but it creates an unrealistic standard. You can’t “blow the customer away” at every interaction. They don’t need a WOW moment every time. You can, however, consistently meet their expectations. Always be helpful. Always be friendly. Always return calls quickly. You get the idea. So, instead of always trying to exceed expectations: Be consistently and predictably good.  

5. The customer comes first. It’s nice to say, but is it practical? A customer-first mindset matters, but remember, it really begins with employees. What happens inside an organization will be felt on the outside by customers. I’ve often talked about the Employee Golden Rule: Do unto employees as you want done unto your customers, if not even better. Leadership must put employees first by creating the right culture and giving them the training and tools they need to take care of customers. Employees come first, so they can put the customer first.   

6. We want satisfied customers. No, you don’t. What you want are loyal customers. There’s a difference. Satisfactory is a rating. Loyalty is an emotion. Satisfaction can mean average. More importantly, my 2026 annual CX research found that nearly one in four customers (23%) who rated a business satisfactory didn’t return. So, make it clear to all employees: We don’t want satisfied customers. We want loyal customers.  

These sayings aren’t necessarily wrong. They’ve become incomplete. Customer service has evolved, so perhaps it’s time for the language we use to describe it to evolve, too.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.