“The customer is always right” is a well-known saying. But contrary to popular belief, it’s neither a law nor regulation of any kind.
That phrase seems to have gotten its start at least 112 years ago as part of a customer service policy of Marshall Field & Company, a Chicago department store.
A 1905 US newspaper published an article about Marshall Field & Company in which it seemingly quoted what Marshall Field taught his employees, namely that the customer is always right.
A year later in 1906, Harry Selfridge, a department store executive who worked for Marshall Field, moved to London where he soon opened his Selfridges & Company department store. He, too, used the phrase “the customer is always right.”
Over the years, it seems a number of other businesses at one time or another adopted a similar policy.
Of course, the customer is not always right. In fact, the customer can sometimes be outright wrong! What is true is that the customer is always right in how they feel.
If a customer feels upset because they think they’ve been somehow cheated or shortchanged then they are correct in feeling how they feel.
Who’s Right?
You should remember that “customer service” is a verb. Should a customer be unhappy after a photography job, you need to take action. Customer service is defined by what you do.
What is the (perceived) problem, why did it occur and who is at fault? The customer usually won’t care who’s at fault. They just want the issue fixed.
The cause may be a misunderstanding or a miscommunication. This may very well be your fault. Did you fully and properly detail what you were going to shoot and how you were going to do it? Did you explain what you were going to deliver and when you would do it? Did you do all of this in writing before the job started?
Even if you dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s, some customers simply don’t read your estimate or your terms and conditions. They just look at the price. This may happen more with retail customers rather than with corporate customers. But some corporate customers will assume that your terms and conditions are just “yadda yadda” and won’t bother reading it. When you send a quote, always politely include something like, “Please read our business terms.”
You may have completed the job exactly as you promised. But for some customers that may not be good enough. Now what?
Making It Right
The best way to resolve a problem with a customer is also probably the least comfortable – by phone. Live conversation is more personal and minimizes any chance of more misunderstandings.
Start the conversation with two important words: I’m sorry. For example, “I’m sorry you’re not happy with the pictures . . . ”
As the person is explaining the problem, always agree with them: “Yes, I understand”, “Yes, I see.” Don’t argue or dispute how they think.
Listen carefully to the customer. Exactly what do they mean? This might be different from what they’re saying.
Ask how they want the issue to be resolved: “Okay, what can we do to fix this?” If a solution is obvious, you could suggest, “Okay, what if I . . .?”
In any case, offer a solution rather than forcing one on the customer. Don’t say, “I can only give you . . .” or “The best I can do is . . .” These come across as a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
If a customer complains by e-mail, the best route is to ask if you can phone them to discuss the issue. If this isn’t possible, return the customer’s e-mail and ask for more information, if applicable, or return the e-mail with your understanding of the problem and ask the customer if your interpretation is correct.
It’s important you show that you understand the customer and that you want to help.
Maybe the problem can be resolved with a re-edit or by delivering a few more pictures. Maybe another photo shoot has to be done.
You might have to return, not refund, the money. “Refund” sounds like something went wrong or you made a mistake.
Always follow up to make sure the customer is happy with the resolution.
How much you enforce your terms and conditions and how far you’ll go to resolve an issue depends on you and your customer. There’s a big difference between an unhappy customer and a difficult or demanding customer. The former is important and maybe worth keeping, the latter not so much.
Should it come to dumping a customer, before you tell them to get lost (in a nice way, of course), be very sure that you fulfilled your part of the job. The customer may not always be right but you, as the business owner, have to be.
