Is The Customer Always Right?

     Is The Customer Always Right? I don't believe it is a matter of the customer always being right. The company or business just never wants the customer to tell them their wrong. As a business telling the customer their wrong is never right either. "Could you explain the problem you saw?" The process or procedure is just a method we use. This is not the only method available there are three options that could have been used in this case. The staff felt this was the process or procedure for this instance. If the process is able to be modified at this point to better suit your needs let's proceed with that process. Forty years ago, I was a waiter at Meadow Brook Country Club. I was serving food to the members, and a man approached me and said, "I am watching the magic happen." I smiled though confused and we talked briefly. That man's name is Shep Hyken.  I thought it was strange but said nothing about how I found it strange talking to him about the magic that was happening. 

      Twenty years ago Mr. Hyken who likes to be called Shep according to his preference said hello and asked if I had read the book Watching the Magic Happen. I had seen do a few magic tricks at the Country Club. He handed me a copy of the book when I said I had not read it yet. The book is The Cult of the Customer by Shep Hyken. I looked at the cover and was flushed with confusion once again. "What no magic tricks?" "The trick is getting you to read it." I read the back of the book looked at it and asked for a little time to get through it. "230 pages is it hard to read?" "Why?" "Give me a week maybe two weeks and I'll make it happen." "What?" "The magic." 

     I have since read the book twice and I am considering reading a third time. The first time I read the book The Cult of the Customer I was a Salesperson at a Service By Air. I lived the magic every chance I had to make magic happen. I think I need to explain what the magic is at this point. The magic is customer satisfaction. Seeing happy customers is the magic. What you to show them the trick makes you the magician. No, Shep made the red ball disappear, he showed slide of hand, and I think evaporating water in mid-air. If you have not read the book. You got it a must read for Customer Service Representative. Mr. Hyken (Shep) travels often so he saw the thing he found magical often. What it says is that there is a standard that is strived for in business. It works like this a hotel has a guest that forgot his or her favorite shampoo. The guest is staying there for a week. They ask if the shampoo is in the area. The answer is yes or no. The hotel working takes the time and effort to get the shampoo for the guest in one or two days. Customer satisfaction is the magic. The customer doesn't have to always be right. However, a satisfied customer should be the goal whenever possible. 

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By Darren Dwayne Frazier

By Highland Productions LLC