The Customer is Usually a Moron (So What?)

[Image Credit: NBC]

"An employee is told the customer is always right…in fact, the customer is usually a moron and an asshole."

As customer care professionals, we can surely relate to Larry David’s words of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" wisdom.

On the one hand, we are conditioned to blindly accept—and espouse—the notion that the "customer is always right."

On the other hand, actual experiences with customers confirm otherwise.

In Larry David’s case, he witnessed a frozen yogurt patron abusing her "sampling privileges." Instead of trying one or two flavors before making her purchase, she seemingly sampled the entire assortment – before ultimately settling on vanilla.

Not simply frustrated by the woman holding up the line, David also sympathized with the employee. She was likely as annoyed as he was with this woman’s behavior, but because she is told "the customer is always right," she had no ground for demonstrating her annoyance. She had to comply, smile, and pretend everything was rosy.

For other customer care professionals, the "wrong" may come in the form of a customer attempting to use an expired coupon. It may come in the form of a customer refusing to take accountability for purchasing the wrong product. It may come in the form of a customer berating an agent who is doing everything in his power to help.

Whichever the example, one reality is clear: the customer is not always right. And while it may be unfair to say the customer is"usually a moron and an asshole," it is very accurate to say that many are.

As professionals who regularly interact with rude or misguided customers, we know this. Humans who have previously worked in a customer service role or have previously witnessed a customer in the wrong also know this.

"The customer is always right," nonetheless continues to represent a fundamental customer service credo.

How should we reconcile these concepts? How should we balance our "customer is always right" ideology with the "customer is often wrong" reality?

Accept that the customer is always right – about how he feels and what he wants

"The customer is always right" is not a statement of universal, unequivocal fact. The intent was never to present it as such.

It, instead, represents the mindset to which a business should adhere when engaging customers.

Of course everything a customer says or does is not always right.

The customer is, however, always right about how he feels. He is always right about what he wants.

And insofar as the customer’s sentiment and demand are the business/agent’s biggest priorities during an interaction, it behooves the business to simply accept the customer as right.

An agent may be able to factually prove the customer wrong about why the issue occurred. He may be able to convincingly absolve his organization of blame for the problem. He may be able to compellingly argue that the customer’s behavior is belligerent. None of those lines of argumentation, however, carries any relevance to the core objectives: solving the customer’s problem – and boosting his overall satisfaction.

It is also highly unlikely a business will convince a customer that he is wrong about how he feels. It is highly unlikely a business will convince a customer that he is wrong to expect a resolution.

Consequently, it is highly unproductive to approach a customer service engagement from an argumentative standpoint. Accept that the customer knows how he feels and knows what he wants. Accept that your job is not to debate the customer but to deliver for the customer.

The goal of a service interaction is to do right by the customer. It is not to prove yourself right.

What the customer says goes

The factual circumstances of a matter are all but irrelevant when it comes to the customer service experience. What caused an issue to emerge is of little consequence. What the business will do to remedy the issue is of paramount importance.

But even if a factual debate did seem relevant, it is futile in circumstance. The customer, not the business, wields all the power in the service relationship. It is the customer who chooses whether or not to accept an outcome as satisfactory. It is the customer who chooses whether or not to afford a business his loyalty based on the experience. It is the customer who chooses whether or not to repurchase. It is the customer who chooses whether or not to advocate for the brand on social media.

Unless the business is explicitly willing to "fire" the customer, it is thus at the mercy of the customer’s judgment. Objectively winning an argument is a worthless task; the customer chooses who is right and who is wrong regardless.

The second the customer expresses his view is the second the argument is effectively over. The customer, as judge, has declared himself the winner. You can retroactively debate that decision – and risk annoying the judge in the process – or you can accept the outcome and provide a more productive, customer-centric response.

Improve – don’t oppose

Debates over "the customer is always right" often adopt a combative tone. We, noting that the "customer is usually a moron," focus on how the customer will rudely engage the agent, inappropriately blame the business and unfairly demand certain outcomes. We debate whether it is the business’ prerogative to fight back.

Within that context, we advise the business to back down. Since the customer is always right about how he feels and what he wants – and those represent the top priorities for the customer service experience – it is futile to argue.

In reality, the issue is not always combative. The response should not always be one of black-and-white submission.

The customer may be right about how he feels and what he wants, but thanks to an inequity of information, he may not be right about how best to improve his emotional state or how best to achieve what he wants.

The customer is often acting on impulse and frustration; the business is acting on a bottomless pool of experiential insight and procedural know-how. It is very possible – and often probable – that the agent is more "right" than the customer when it comes to the execution of the customer service interaction.

Right-channeling epitomizes this notion. The customer issues a channel preference based on his limited pool of information. The business, however, has a fuller understanding of which channel is actually best for a certain customer with a certain issue in a certain circumstance.

"Force" is a strong word in this concept, but a business should not feel shy about directing a customer to the more valuable channel. It should not hesitate to give the customer more than that for which he bargained.

Combating an incorrect customer is never acceptable. Accepting the core of the customer’s "argument" – but finding a more appropriate pathway to a more valuable resolution – is absolutely advisable.

Belief that a customer is a "moron" is never an excuse to offer an inferior or contentious service experience. It can, however, be an invitation to provide one superior to that demanded or anticipated by the customer.

Know the stakes

There will be some situations in which a business really does not want to concede an argument.

Some customers are so rude and misinformed that accepting their demands and treatment would serve to demean the customer support agents – and affect the experiences of other customers.

In such cases, instinct may say to dispute the customer. It may say to dwell on the blaming, factual issues and demeanor businesses are conditioned to avoid. It may say to decry the customer’s sentiment and demand as invalid.

The business is free to indulge such instincts. When doing so, however, it needs to appreciate the stakes.

Arguing with a customer may serve to alienate that customer or prompt him to complain on social media.

Those consequences, therefore, must factor into the company’s initial decision. If it is not okay with losing a customer – or creating a public enemy—it probably should refrain from engaging in an argument.

If it is confident it stance will contribute positively to the business and customer experience, however, it should break with the golden rule. It should tell the customer he is wrong.