{"id":53911,"date":"2023-10-04T06:00:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T06:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/?p=53911"},"modified":"2023-12-18T15:50:37","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T15:50:37","slug":"customer-is-not-always-right-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-strategies\/customer-is-not-always-right-again\/","title":{"rendered":"The Customer Is NOT Always Right \u2013 Again!"},"content":{"rendered":"\"TheWhoever said \u201cthe customer is always right\u201d didn\u2019t hear this about this story. <\/span>Fox News<\/span><\/a> just posted an update to a 2021 story about a man arrested for pointing an AK-47 at an employee at a pizza shop in Knoxville, Tennessee.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe short version of the story is this. A customer walked into a Little Caesars restaurant and became angry when he was told he would have to wait a few minutes for a pizza. He left the store and came back with a rifle. According to an employee, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t even a 10-minute wait when he came in with his gun. If he would have not come in with the gun and waited another two, maybe three minutes, it would have been boxed and in his hands.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe customer admitted to pointing the rifle at an employee, has pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated assault, and will have been sentenced by the time this is posted.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

The customer is NOT always right.<\/h3>\r\nI\u2019ve said it before \u2013 I don\u2019t agree with the saying that the customer is <\/span>always <\/span><\/i>right. Actually, I believe in the opposite, and it\u2019s one of the concepts we teach in our <\/span>customer service training workshops<\/span><\/a>. It is this:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe customer is NOT always right. \u2026 But, they are always the customer, so let them be wrong with dignity and respect.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAfter reading the Fox News article, I\u2019ll add that this is a great concept to practice in<\/span> almost<\/span><\/i> every case, with the exception being behavior that is not worthy of \u201cdignity and respect,\u201d which includes putting others in danger and\/or breaking the law.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nEven an angry customer who yells or curses at an employee should be treated in such a way that the response doesn\u2019t escalate the problem. While it may appear you\u2019re giving that \u201cbad customer\u201d respect, you\u2019re actually respecting the situation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBy the way, our annual <\/span>customer experience research<\/span><\/a> found that 32% of American customers have yelled at a customer service agent, and 24% admit to cursing. The best people working with customers on the \u201cfront line\u201d know how to de-escalate anger and can even turn an angry customer into a fan when managed correctly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nYes, there are <\/span>some customers who aren\u2019t worth doing business with<\/span><\/a>, so let them go. Fire them as a customer. As they leave, keep the metaphorical door cracked open ever so slightly, giving them a chance to return under the right circumstances \u2013 unless they are breaking the law or putting others in danger.<\/span>\r\n\r\n