IS THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS RIGHT?

 

Image credit: freepik.com

1. Do you agree or disagree with the statement "The customer is always right"? Provide reasons to support your opinion, and share any personal experiences that influenced your viewpoint.

2. In your opinion, what are the potential drawbacks or limitations of adhering strictly to the idea that "The customer is always right" in a business or service-oriented context?

3. How might cultural differences and varying customer expectations impact the applicability of the phrase "The customer is always right" in different regions or industries? Give examples to illustrate your point.

4. Can you think of situations where prioritizing customer satisfaction over other factors, such as employee well-being or ethical considerations, may be problematic? Explain your reasoning and provide examples if possible.

5. Explore the concept of balance in customer service. Is it possible to maintain a balance between meeting customer expectations and upholding the values and standards of a business or organization? Share your thoughts on how this balance can be achieved and whether there are situations where it becomes challenging.

Q&A with Ron Kaufman: Is the 

Customer Always Right?

One question I’m often asked is, “Is the customer always right?” Sometimes the customer is right, but sometimes they can be wrong. How can you turn an instance of the customer being wrong into a win-win situation? Make the customer "feel right" by agreeing with them on the importance of what they value. 

Here are some examples. Better service uplifts us all. Spark a service culture transformation by sharing this video! 

Ron Kaufman is an expert in Leadership Training, developing Customer Experience, and Service Culture. He is also a renowned motivational Keynote Speaker and New York Times Bestselling Author for the book “UPLIFTING SERVICE". 

For decades Ron has been leading a business consultancy that helps companies on every continent build a positive culture of uplifting service to deliver real business results. 

He focuses on creating productive, uplifting service experiences to inspire your customers, energize your team, and transform your organization. If you would like to invite Ron Kaufman to train your leadership team or give a motivational keynote speech at your organization, please contact us at https://RonKaufman.com/Contact/

Listen to Ron Kaufman, read along the script and then do the following exercises. 

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOTqJBUGIHA&t=7s

Fair use notice

Due to the educational nature of this website, this content may make use of copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the content is offered publicly and without profit, to the public users of the internet for comment and nonprofit educational and informational purposes. The following content should be shared, is free and only for educational purposes.

One of the questions I'm often asked is, "Is the customer always right?" Well, sometimes the customer is right. They've done their homework; they know what they're talking about. But sometimes the customer is not right. They're wrong.

Customers get confused; they make mistakes; sometimes they exaggerate. And customers have even been known to lie. What do you do in a case where the customer is wrong? Tell them that they're wrong? No, that's not a win for either party.

What you can do is make them feel right, and the way to do that is by agreeing with them on the importance of what it is that they value. But the catch is, they won't always tell you what they value. You have to do the work to listen carefully, figure out what they really value, and then agree with them on the importance of that.  

Let me give you an example. Let's say a customer complains and says your service is so slow. So you look into it, and it turns out that at every point and promise, you've delivered right on time. In fact, in one case, you were even early. So when the customer says your service is so slow, you could respond like this: 

💬"You know you've got a very good point. Speed is important, especially in today's busy world. Let me be the one to help you quickly get this resolved."

What if a customer says your product is unreliable? So you do the research, and it turns out the customer is using the product incorrectly. You can still make them feel right. How do you do that? When they say your product is unreliable, you could reply:

💬 "You know what"? Reliable performance is absolutely important. Let's look into this together.

"They say your staff is rude". What do they value? Courtesy and respect. 

"They complain that you're rigid and bureaucratic." What do they want? Some flexibility. 

"Your price is too high." They appreciate value for money. 

"They say your website is so hard to use." What is it that they're right about that they value? User-friendly systems.  

"Is the customer always right? No. But can you always make the customer feel right? Yes, you can. And how do you do that? Agree with them on the importance of what they value, make them feel right, and you will keep things moving in the right direction for you and your customers.

Grammar Quiz on the Text

Question 1: Which sentence from the text demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?

a) "Customers gets confused; they make mistakes."

b) "Customers get confused; they make mistakes."

c) "Customer get confused; they makes mistakes."

Question 2: Choose the correct punctuation for the following sentence:

a)"You know you've got a very good point. Speed is important, especially in today's busy world."

b)"You know you've got a very good point, speed is important especially in today's busy world."

c) "You know you've got a very good point; speed is important especially in today's busy world."

Question 3: Complete the sentence with the appropriate modal verb:

"What you __ do is make them feel right."

a) can

b) should

c) may

Question 4: Identify the relative clause in the following sentence:

"Let me give you an example that illustrates the importance of customer satisfaction."

a) "Let me give you an example"

b) "of customer satisfaction"

c) "that illustrates the importance"

Question 5: Create a conditional sentence based on the text:

"If a customer complains about the product, _____________."

a) you could respond by agreeing with them on the importance of what they value.

b) they must be wrong.

c) they can't be satisfied.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer Key:

1. b) "Customers get confused; they make mistakes."
2. a) "You know you've got a very good point. Speed is important, especially in today's busy world."
3. a) "What you can do is make them feel right."
4. c) "that illustrates the importance"
5. a) "you could respond by agreeing with them on the importance of what they value."

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiz on "The Customer is Always Right"

Question 1: Is the customer always right, according to the text?

a) Yes, always.

b) No, not always.

c) It depends on the situation.

Question 2: How does the text suggest handling a situation where the customer is wrong?

a) Point out their mistake directly.

b) Agree with them on the importance of what they value.

c) Ignore the customer's complaint.

Question 3: What does the text recommend when a customer complains about the speed of service, even though the service has been consistently on time?

a) Argue with the customer.

b) Agree with the customer and promise faster service.

c) Investigate the perception and agree with the importance of speed.

Question 4: In the scenario where a customer claims a product is unreliable, but research shows they are using it incorrectly, what is the suggested response?

a) Tell the customer they are using the product incorrectly.

b) Agree with the customer on the importance of reliable performance and investigate together.

c) Ignore the customer's complaint.

Question 5: According to the text, what is the key to making the customer feel right, even when they are wrong?

a) Always agreeing with the customer.

b) Pointing out their mistakes.

c) Agreeing with them on the importance of what they value.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer Key:

1. b) No, not always.
2. b) Agree with them on the importance of what they value.
3. c) Investigate the perception and agree with the importance of speed.
4. b) Agree with the customer on the importance of reliable performance and investigate together.
5. c) Agreeing with them on the importance of what they value.

===============================================================

Learn English with an EXPERT!

⮚¿Did you like this lesson? No meu blog você encontrará outras lições para te auxiliar no aprendizado do inglês. Abaixo há dicas de lições que você pode estar fazendo para aperfeiçoar seus conhecimentos.

➤➤➤ VOCABULARY LESSON

➤➤➤ THE PARADOX OF CHOICE

➤➤➤ IDIOMS RELATED TO ANIMALS - BUSINESS CONVERSATIONS

⏩ SITE: www.seabraidiomas.com.br
⏩ BLOG: https://seabraidiomasingles.blogspot.com/
⏩ LINKTREE: http://linktree.com/seabraidiomas
⏩ INSTAGRAM: @seabraidiomas
⏩ TIKTOK: @seabraidiomas