In 1909 Harry Gordon Selfridge coined the phrase, “The customer’s always right…” Marshall Field and John Wanamaker later adopted the phrase in their retail operations as a directive to their staff to satisfy customer complaints immediately, regardless of the circumstances. However, few people are aware that the second half of Selfridge’s phrase is, “in matters of taste.” He intended his phrase to say that if a customer wants to buy an item that businesses should let them buy what they want, regardless of their fashion sense or how ill advised it may be for them.
I was reminded of this phrase as I watched the hilarious video recently launched by the software company Teamwork.com. In the video there are scenes where a vendor must interact with a challenging customer. Watch the well produced 2-minute video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwpC2tGibqk
The reason the video is so funny is that it’s based on experiences that anyone who provides a product or service can relate to from their interactions with clients.
My background as a customer relations manager and later as a business growth consultant has exposed me to many of these situations. When I was an account manager for a fulfillment company, I had a marketing agency customer who called the office and if I didn’t answer the phone, she would have me paged. She fully embraced the concept that the customer’s always right. Each time I heard my name reverberate throughout the building speaker system I knew that specific client was on the phone. After a heavy week of paging, I’d finally had enough. When I got on the phone I said, with a strong voice of concern, “Sharon, are you okay, is everything alright?” She was taken aback. After she assured me she was fine I said, “I’m glad to hear that. When you had me paged, I thought there was an emergency.” After that conversation she only had me paged once, and that was for an actual time-sensitive need. I leveled the playing field by indicating that she didn’t really need to speak to me immediately for every situation. As a result we developed a strong working relationship.
What are some reasons for customer challenges?
1 – Misunderstandings
Oftentimes conflicts arise from a misunderstanding of the service that was purchased by the client. Once we received a 1-star Google review from a website design client. We called to follow-up on the negative review. “Hi John, we’re wondering why you gave us a 1-star review. We thought the project went well and that you are happy with the website.” He replied that he was very happy with the website, however he was having problems with his website hosting services. Once we explained that we are not his hosting company he apologized and changed his 1-star review to a 5-star review. It’s an example of why you should explore negative reviews to see if there was a misunderstanding or misalignment of expectations.
Some clients are driven by their personality style to communicate often and in a strong manner. Once they receive an explanation of why something happened or what should be expected they will often apologize, and everyone moves forward. However, if a client makes unrealistic demands for an extended period it may be time to recommend other providers who can serve him or her.
2 – Mistakes
Mistakes will happen. Sometimes a project requirement can be misinterpreted and then the implementation of that feature can be missing or incorrect. When mistakes occur it’s important to take ownership of the mistake and quickly resolve the error or omission.
3 – Inadequate Attention
Everyone wants to feel important, heard, and valued. When there is a gap in how the client perceives your view of their value to your organization they may do or say things to help you understand that they feel undervalued.
4 – Communication Issues.
The most frequent question I receive after a sale is, “what happens next.” Failure to communicate the game plan can cause anxiety or fear. This is especially true if they paid a deposit for services. Clarity in process steps provides comfort that you have a roadmap. I talk about our proven process and clients like to know that you have performed a process before. Nobody wants to be the first patient for a new doctor.
On the marketing side of our business one of the most frequently expressed frustrations that prospective clients say is that their current agency either doesn’t report their marketing results or doesn’t explain the results in a way the client understands.
5 – Billing Issues
Billing issues can be the result of miscalculation or a misunderstanding of what was purchased. Accounting errors should be corrected quickly and if a credit or refund is due get those to the client immediately. Misunderstanding requires a discussion with the client so they fully understand what they bought and why the billing is as stated.
6 – Inability To Get A Response
This is another area where I hear complaints from prospective clients. Communication styles differ. To provide great customer service it’s important to speak to clients in the way they like best. That can be via phone, email, text, chat, or other communication methods. This is challenging for some people to grasp and the disparity in communication styles becomes a large part of client dissatisfaction. Clients may not feel heard if they communicate with you one way (phone for example) and then you return their outreach a different way (email for example.) I love the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman because the message of the book is that what makes individuals happy can vary be person, so it’s important to speak their language.
7 – Lengthy project times
While a company can be lax in their project management sometimes project completion dates are caused when a client fails to understand their role in the process as well as their deadlines. As a web development company, we have had months pass while waiting for clients to get us images, video, or copy for a website.
Form a website design perspective our job as a website design and marketing provider is to help our clients understand industry best practices and how they can position themselves to grow their business past that of their competitors. However, “the customer’s always right, in matters of taste.” So, if you want something that’s different than what we recommend, we’re happy to accommodate you.
Reach out today to start the conversation about how we can help you elevate your brand to better reach your growth goals.