why customer is always right essay

Is The Customer Always Right? [What It Means + Why It Matters]

Updated: February 24, 2023

Published: October 09, 2020

Is the customer always right?

If you’ve worked in a customer-facing role, I’m sure you’ve heard and experienced this notion first hand. And you likely know that the truth is, the customer isn’t always right.

But that doesn’t mean this phrase doesn’t hold any merit. Let’s discuss how the ‘customer is always right’ philosophy should (and shouldn’t) factor into your customer service strategy.

Continue reading or jump ahead:

Origin of ‘The Customer Is Always Right’

3 reasons why the customer is always right, how to maintain a customer-first mentality.

The short answer is no, but it’s important to remember that customer satisfaction is your ultimate goal. The phrase ‘the customer is always right’ shouldn’t imply that the customer is never wrong. Instead, your business should use this philosophy to ensure that the customer — and their needs — are always your first priority.

What does ‘the customer is always right’ mean?

While ‘always right’ usually translates to ‘never wrong’, this isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to customer service.

Customers aren’t going to be right in every situation. But they are entitled to having support and service teams do everything in their power (within reason) to satisfy their needs .

Here’s some more perspective on this age old question.

This concept originated in 1893 and was first adopted by retailers who believed that business success relied on customer happiness. It was later introduced in the hospitality industry where it became the early standard for customer service.

Who came up with ‘the customer is always right’?

Marshall Field first introduced the concept when he founded Chicago's first department store, Marshall Field’s, in 1893.

Overseas, Henry Gordon Selfridge followed suit when he opened the first department store in London.

Almost 100 years later, César Ritz introduced the motto to the hospitality industry when he founded The Ritz Carlton Hotels.

His mantra was "Le client n'a jamais tort," which means the customer is never wrong.

In all cases, these pioneers instructed their employees to give priority to customer satisfaction, no questions asked.

Although it was a novel idea at the time, their strategy worked. Customers were not used to being treated with that level of care, and they flocked to both these businesses in response.

Subscribing to the mindset that the customer is always right means that businesses shouldn't spend time questioning the legitimacy of customer complaints .

Instead, employees focus their energy on troubleshooting issues, and delighting customers with solutions.

• The customer always has the right to have their voice heard.
• The customer always deserves to have their issues resolved.
• The customer always has the privilege to feel empowered.

When you think of ‘the customer is always right’, don’t think of it in the context of ‘customers can do no wrong.’

Here are three reasons why this phrase should hold true.

1. The customer always has the right to have their voice heard.

Customers want to feel like you’re actively listening to their pain points and concerns. That’s why even the angriest of customers deserve to feel seen and heard by a business.

You should always give your customer the platform to share their opinions — both the positive and the negative. Customer feedback surveys are a great way to make this happen.

2. The customer always deserves to have their issues resolved.

Your job is to provide a seamless experience for your customers. If there’s too much friction throughout the customer journey , those customers are more likely to churn .

You should always strive to resolve customer issues quickly and effectively. Customer journey mapping can help you proactively mitigate these issues along the way.

3. The customer always has the privilege to feel empowered.

Empowered customers are happy customers. Happy customers are loyal customers. And loyal customers are most likely to stick around and promote your business to others.

You should always create an environment where customers feel comfortable using your products on their own. Knowledge bases and FAQs are two solid places to start.

The “customer is always right” way of thinking is all about the customer-first mentality.

Here are a few ways you can lead with this mindset at your business.

Set customers up for success.

Customer interactions shouldn’t revolve around who is right and who is wrong.

Instead, reps should center the conversation around guiding customers down the best path to success and showing them allyship.

In practice, this looks like:

• Sympathizing with customer pain points.
• Redirecting the conversation towards more achievable solutions.
• Acknowledging the customer's frustrations.
• Reaffirming that you're on their team.
• Offering up something you can solve.

For example: "I understand that you're not seeing the results you want here — I know that can be really frustrating. However, I really think we should consider X as an alternative solution."

Realign customer expectations.

Customers can sometimes have unrealistic expectations about how a product works. 

These misunderstandings can lead them to become frustrated because they feel like your product isn’t meeting their needs.

It’s important to make sure the customer has full knowledge about how a product is intended to operate and how they can make it work for them.

• Zooming out on the goal to ensure everyone's working together.
• Helping customers understand what they need to change to ensure their expectations are met.

For example: “It looks like you’re having trouble with our analytics tool. Can you clarify what you’re hoping to gain? Then we can figure out where the disconnect may be.”

Build a customer-centric culture.

Even if a customer is technically not correct, maintaining a customer-centric culture is crucial.

There are going to be times when the customer isn’t right, but it’s still important to understand where they are coming from.

• Aligning with them during customer calls.
• Provide insight and concrete action items you can take together.
• Putting their needs first regardless of right or wrong.

For example: “I understand you’re frustrated about this issue, and it’s not your fault. It’s us against the issue — let’s start with X so we can tackle this together.”

Be as straightforward as possible.

Dissatisfaction can sometimes stem from confusion.

A customer may not understand how to use a product, and their confusion can lead them to believe that it’s malfunctioning.

Situations like this require extreme clarity.

• Confirming whether or not the customer understands what’s going wrong.
• Taking the time to provide in-depth insights for the customer.
• Sharing helpful information and resources for further education.

For example: "I found this topic confusing at first, too, but this article was really helpful for me. If that doesn’t help, I have a couple of other resources we can try."

Understand that customer experiences can vary.

Every customer has a right to voice their thoughts, ideas, and opinions about whatever is frustrating them.

And in most cases, the customer has one idea based on their individual experience that is very real to them. It’s important to acknowledge that.

• Recognizing that each customer experience is real and valid.
• Actively listening to the specific issue or situation at hand.
• Not directly comparing one customer’s journey to another.

For example: “I see where you’re coming from, and you’re making some really good points. It sounds like X might make the most sense for you moving forward.”

The Bottom Line

There will always be a never-ending debate over the ‘customer is always right’ strategy. But it's a balance between taking time to understand customers’ issues and providing them with solutions that will bring the most success.

What was true for early retail pioneers is still true now: customer retention revolves around solving customer issues, even if they aren't always right.

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Is the Customer Always Right?

Introduction, the customer is always right.

In business, companies, managers, and employees strive to offer the best customer service because happy customers lead to more sales and higher profits. The “customer is always right” is a cliché statement that is used as a foundational philosophy for running successful businesses. It is an expression of how much companies value their customers as they are invaluable assets that are vital to the attainment of their goals. This phenomenon has existed for many centuries and has received widespread criticism and positive appraisals. Critics argue that it creates unhappy customers, and it gives undue advantage to undeserving customers. However, proponents believe that it is important because it is a crucial representation of positive business ethics and a commitment to provide products and services of high quality.

The proclamation is correct because customers make the business, it represents good business ethics, it promotes excellence in customer service, and it increases a business’s bottom line. The phrase was pioneered by two retailers, namely Gordon Selfridge, Marshall Field, and John Wanamaker. This came after the realization that the success of their stores was directly proportional to their customers’ degree of happiness. They believed that each business had the responsibility of addressing customer complaints seriously so that they could not feel deceived, manipulated, or cheated (Mendler, 2019). Some critics have faulted the slogan, arguing that some customers can be deceptive, dishonest, and unrealistic, thus hurting the business. In that regard, conducting thorough investigations into complaints is important.

An important reason why many companies uphold the mantra “the customer is always right” is because of their awareness of how invaluable customers are to their success. A firm that lacks customers is simply a group of people spending money, time, and energy to produce goods and services that have no consumers. The phenomenon has existed for a long time because the main goal of any business is to create customer satisfaction through quality products and services. Therefore, the major priority for any business should be the contentment of the consumer. Many businesses have crumbled because of customer dissatisfaction. In such cases, failure emanated from the loss of customers and decreased sales. Negative feedback or reviews from customers can erode the image or reputation of a business (Mendler, 2019). It is difficult for a company to recover from a destroyed image. For example, some companies spend billions of dollars on social responsibility programs in an effort to improve their images after scandals that push customers away.

Making customers the focus of a business is an example of positive business ethics. Attentive listening, quality services, timely feedback, and timely communication are actions that promote a business’ image and reputation. A customer should be treated with respect and compassion. A company that treats its clients well reaps several benefits that include loyalty, a positive image, and higher profits (Mendler, 2019). Satisfied customers are an asset to any company because they refer other people to the business. A goal that is common to all businesses is to grow their customer base. In today’s world of advanced technologies, satisfying customers is the key to growth and success because there are many platforms on which people share reviews of their experiences with different companies. Many shoppers read online reviews regarding certain products in order to make purchase decisions. It is beneficial for a business to have positive reviews because that would attract more people because of the excellent customer service and quality products they are likely to receive.

Believing that the customer is always right sets a high standard for customer service excellence. Research has established that the quality of customer experiences determines whether people remain loyal to a company or leave in search of better options (Mendler, 2019). Competitors capitalize on customer dissatisfaction to win new customers. Therefore, investing in customer satisfaction is less costly than losing them to other businesses. This could comprise creating loyalty programs to reward customers, offering discounts, and implementing after-sales services (Mendler, 2019). Excellence in customer service can be achieved in various ways. Examples include responding as quickly as possible, knowing customers through personalized interactions, taking responsibility for mistakes, fixing them, listening to customers, and thinking long term.

The “customer is always right” is a slogan that is common in the business world. It was pioneered by retailers Gordon Selfridge, Marshall Field, and John Wanamaker, who believed that their success was directly linked to customer happiness. The slogan promotes excellence in customer service, encourages the production of quality goods and services, and upholds positive business ethics. Customers are an important building block for businesses because they increase sales, increase customer numbers, and provide free marketing through the word of mouth. Satisfied customers refer their friends to businesses that provide excellent services and quality products. In addition, they write positive reviews online that are important in improving a company’s brand and reputation. Every business should make customer satisfaction their main goal because dissatisfied customers leave in search of better alternatives.

Mendler, A. (2019). Why the customer is always right. Forbes . Web.

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The Customer Is Always Right – Origin, Meaning & Explanation

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

If you have worked in retail, you’ve probably heard the age-old phrase, “The customer is always right.” Now, this adage has been repeated countless times by business owners, managers, and employees. However, you must understand its deeper meaning and implications. So, let’s take a look.

What Is the Meaning of “The Customer Is Always Right”?

“The customer is always right” is a pretty common saying used in the business world because it emphasizes the importance of providing the best possible customer service so your patrons are satisfied and come back.

It shows that we should prioritize customers’ needs and desires, even when those customers might be difficult or have unreasonable demands. It’s like a gentle reminder to always treat customers respectfully and prioritize their happiness and satisfaction. Without them, the business would fail.

The Customer Is Always Right Full Quote

Phrases like this are often shortened over time to be more concise and quicker to say, like “Jack of all trades, but a master of none.” The full phrase is actually, “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often better than a master of one.”

In this case, the full phrase is “Rule number one: the customer is always right. Rule number two: If the customer is wrong, please refer to rule number one.”

The full version just further emphasizes the intent behind it. The customer will always be right, no matter what. But, in my opinion, that can only go so far. I spent years in retail, and I can tell you some customers are just out of line. When they start approaching things that are racist, derogatory, etc., then I don’t consider them to be “right” at all.

Origin of “The Customer Is Always Right”

The timeless aphorism “The customer is always right” is widely attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge , the founder of the popular Selfridge’s department store located in London.

Wisconsin-born Selfridge introduced the phrase in the early 1900s to encourage employees to prioritize customer satisfaction and create an environment where customers felt valued and respected. It was all part of his marketing and brand establishment.

But, some sources also attribute the saying to other business magnates of the era, like César Ritz , who was the founder of the famous Ritz Hotel. He actually coined the phrase as “Le client n’a jamais tort,” which translates as “the customer is never wrong.”

The Customer Is Always Right Examples in a Sentence

• As the store manager, I follow the principle that the customer is always right, but I don’t condone violence.
• When they complained about the gross taste, I remembered that the customer is always right and offered a replacement meal.
• Our customer service policy is simple: the customer is always right. 
• Even when the customer doesn’t have a receipt, we make returns and exchanges because the customer is always right, and we want them to come back again.
• I hate that in retail, you have to live by the idea that the customer is always right because people can be so nasty, and it’s hard not to call them on it.
• The famous hotel’s excellent reputation was built on the principle that customers are always right, so guests always leave feeling very satisfied.

Are Customers Always Right?

Whether you agree with it or not, the phrase has acted as an adage for many years, and tons of successful businesses have built their reputations on it. So, whenever you hear the phrase, just remember that it means the customer should be treated as though they’re right, even if they’re not.

Check out some other articles we covered:

• First Come, First Served
• No Harm, No Foul
• Oldie But Goodie

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