Leadership | No, the customer isn't always right...

Regardless of the circumstances, when you work in a customer-facing industry, it’s drummed into your head that the customer is always right.

Even if they’re not, you’re told to force a smile, remain professional and deliver service to a high standard. When the tables turn and you are the disgruntled customer, you still expect this level of service from the employee serving you. You feel it is your divine right to get the outcome that you want because you are paying for a product or service. However, a Huffington Post contributor is calling on employers to get rid of this phrase on the proviso that it stamps out even worse customer service.

He offered five reasons why the ‘Customer is always right phrase’ is wrong:

Unhappy employees

It is inevitable that dealing with a disgruntled customer will dampen an employee’s mood. For this reason, he explained that management should be loyal to their employees. Gordon Bethune, a retired US airline executive said: “When we run into customers that we can’t reel back in, our loyalty is with our employees. They have to put up with this stuff every day. Just because you buy a ticket does not give you the right to abuse our employees…”