(Originally published 06/12/2013)
In the Jamaica Observer of Wednesday June 12, 2013, Yvonne Grinam-Nicholson penned an article entitled Is The Customer Always Right in which she suggested that the century old mantra may have run its course.
After all, if you’ve ever worked in customer service, you’ve no doubt met the customer from hell. Nevertheless, here’s an excerpt from Grinam-Nicholson’s article where she posits that there are times when taking a stance for customer service might be “ridiculous”.
“For example, if you are buying a product or service valued at under $1000, I am not sure how far we can sensibly push this penny if you are a dissatisfied customer. Sometimes it is best to let it go, step away from the cash register clutching your few dollars and move it along to the next store. I know there are persons who will disagree with this and will feel that even if they are spending even a measly ten cents in your business, they are justified in their demands. Circumstances, they say alter cases, but I do not agree. Barring the fact that you might be encountering a rude customer service representative, I do believe that if your expenditure is so low, then the company can definitely stand to lose your business. Yes, I realise the impact of the multiplier effect of a bad customer review, but there are those very few times when it might be a good idea to fire that one customer.”
Is the writer suggesting that the less money you spend, the less you should matter to a business? Should the level of customer service be dependent on the value in dollars you bring to a business? If a company takes the stance that they can afford to lose a JA$1000 (US$9) customer, what message does that send to employees about how management values its customers? And what guarantees are there that employees won’t transfer that attitude to your JA$100,000 (US$900) customer? The author acknowledges the impact of the multiplier effect of a bad customer review. Why then would any business owner think that they’re firing just “that one customer”?
I may be misinterpreting the author’s intentions behind this article. Granted I can agree that there will be times when the customer is definitely not right, but in the end it’s the customer who pays the bills and may in fact be right even when he/she is wrong!