The Customer is Always Wrong?

The pendulum has swung from the customer is always right to the customer is always wrong.

Doesn’t it seem like that lately? A lot of businesses seem to have forgotten the only reason they are in business is because of the customer. The only reason employees have a job is because of the customer. The customer is not an interruption to your day.

Now, I’m not saying the customer is never wrong, but there are signs out there, literally, showing an attitude of arrogance and impatience on the part of some companies.

For example, have you noticed all the signs up in hospitals and doctor’s offices stating they will not tolerate aggressive behavior, etc. That has translated to “never complain”. Perhaps if patients were treated better, they wouldn’t complain.

I worked in a surgeon’s office for several years. A patient came in one day, very angry, complaining about wait time. I listened. When he came in for a subsequent appointment, I went out into the lobby and sat with him. I explained the doctor was in surgery prior to coming to the office and sometimes surgery ran long. I also told him the doctor used plastic surgery stitches to make patient’s scars look better, which took longer. I told him how dedicated my doctor was to his patients. When the doctor came to the lobby door to get this patient, he said, “Sorry to have kept you waiting.” The patient said, “That’s OK.” All the patient needed was someone to listen and understand. People don’t go to doctors and hospitals because they want to. When they do go, they are usually worried, scared, and/or stressed. Understandably.

I know of someone who was called by their doctor’s office to come in for a follow up appointment for a specific issue. This person showed up for their appointment on time and waited over an hour to be called into the exam room. A physician’s assistant came in instead of the doctor and proceeded to ask if the patient was there for another issue. This person expressed their frustration at the situation and the doctor decided to “fire” them as a patient. Then proceeded to be cruel when asked to discuss and remediate the situation. The arrogance was stunning. I suppose they feel in control and have plenty of other patients but where is the human understanding? What happened to the oath to do no harm and to help people? Can they not admit they were at fault? There are many stories like this one from the medical establishment. My doctor would NEVER have treated a patient like this.

A broker I know would often repeat a saying among realtors that “buyers are liars”.  Well, this saying always bothered me. Maybe some buyers are liars, but so are some brokers, some realtors, some sellers, and some lenders, etc. This attitude demonstrated an innate disrespect for the customer at the outset.

When I worked in real estate development, I actually had a builder tell me he hated working with customers.

Another example is a particular lawn service. The customer hired this company to take care of his yard on a weekly basis. The customer specifically outlined tasks he wanted done. Over and over again, the crew would not do some of the tasks. The customer would say something about it and ask for the work agreed upon, to be done. Finally, the owner of the landscape company came to tell this customer that he was always complaining so they weren’t going to do the work anymore. If they did the work they were supposed to do, the customer wouldn’t have complained. This is not a mystery. The gentleman this customer hired afterwards, always did a wonderful job and was rewarded for his efforts.

I wanted to write about this topic after hearing of and experiencing numerous similar situations and after talking with companies who value their customers and their employees. These companies are on the competitive edge. They create a culture of teamwork and support for their employees. They not only create a culture of good customer service but of excellent customer experience. These are the companies that will succeed in the long run both financially and on a human being level.

We all are customers at some time and need to remember how we feel when treated poorly and how we feel when we are treated with respect and understanding. Companies need to recognize they also speak loudly for the community they do business in. What does your company say about you, about how you treat your customers, and how you contribute to the well-being of your community?