How to deal with a customer who is not right, what do I do?

Claiming that the customer is always right is a widespread strategy used by companies to create an image full of professionalism and distinction. But this is often a mistake.

Sometimes, and although few assume it, customers are not right. However, when it is said “the customer is always right” an unfortunate gap is opened, and in most of the occasions a direct and sincere communication is not established to show the error.

In this way, a reality is created that in many cases becomes detrimental to the growth and development of our business, as well as the stability of our employees.

Establishing parameters based on respect and good treatment towards the client are the premises to guarantee an assertive response to the client’s erroneous statements, asserting the position of the business.

This type of situation is more common than youmight think.

A good way to solve a situation like this will depend on the way in which the business rules are established and how they are addressed to the public.

Three tips for dealing with an unreasonable customer

The reasons why a customer is not right can be diverse and will depend on the type of customer who visits you. They can be reasonable or overbearing, for the latter the fact of paying makes them right all the time.

Making the customer assume that he is not right can be a delicate issue, however, with education, diplomacy and good tact you can make your customer see his mistake.

To achieve this, here are three tips that will help you deal with a customer who is notright:

“No” and “but”: forbidden words

“No” and “but” are words that can show an air of negativity in our customer service and do not offer confidence or comfort.

Refuting a customer’s opinion with the word “but” can be interpreted as criticism.

Therefore, it is recommended to offer options that rethink the answers that give way to new possibilities in which the customer feels that he/she makes the final decision.

Show them their mistake, but don’t tell them

Present the benefits from a specialized point of view, showing the experience and professionalism of your business.

In this way, you will be able to advise your client in the best way to redirect his request and make a more assertive decision.

Don’t forget to show a positive and confident attitude, so your client will feel confident to get the benefits of your recommendations.

Give them options to overcome the situation

Offer your customer alternatives that will allow him to decide on the product or service that best suits his needs.

By taking this attitude, your customer will not only receive excellent service, but also first-class advice that will allow them to make the right decisions.

Types of unreasonable customers

There is a large number of consumers who show dissatisfaction with the service or products they purchase and look for ways to generate a complaint to show their dissatisfaction.

Among the various types of unreasonable customers we can mention:

Undecided customer who does not want help

The undecided customer, in general, does not know what he wants and lets himself be carried away by his impulses. This causes unnecessary purchases that in the end will remain unused or worse, forgotten in a drawer at home.

An excellent recommendation to serve an undecided customer is to show him the advantages and disadvantages of your product or service, as well as its usefulness and benefits.

Customer who does not know what you are talking about

A customer without knowledge has no idea about the characteristics of products or services and when acquiring them ends up suggesting meaningless modifications.

This type of customer should be handled by offering detailed information related to the product, explaining its properties, benefits and mode of use.

Lying customers

Lying customers are the most complicated type when it comes to requesting an opinion. They are experts at lying in order to avoid answering surveys, which are often the cause of their discomfort.

For this reason, when carrying out a consultation or a market study , it is advisable to avoid the most positive and negative comments, considering the information gathered between those traits and thus obtaining a more reliable average of your survey.

Dissatisfied customers at all times

Dissatisfied customers are never satisfied with the product or service they purchase, they complain looking to discredit the product and always ask for their money back.

This type of customer is difficult to handle. However, a good customer service, combined with a quality service offer, will reduce the negative characteristics that define this particular customer.

In short, it is essential to have the necessary tools and information to be able to handle any of these types of customers.

Undoubtedly, on several occasions you will encounter someone who will seek to take advantage of the circumstances even when he is not right and knows it.

Avoid servility and aim for service

In the past, the customer service paradigm was based on the “customer is always right” premise of satisfaction, which encouraged servility over good service

Over time, new strategies have been implemented that seek to give a different approach to customer care and service.

This approach has changed due to a series of realities:

• It is a fact, the customer is not always right.
• The inadequate use of products or services by customers.
• Confusion between similar products, generating unnecessary claims.
• Inadequate use of warranties due to excessive use that consumers wish to validate.
• Manipulation of the information on the flaws or damages of a product.

In view of the above, the premise “the customer is always right” was debated by the companies, rethinking this paradigm until it was modified, establishing that “the customer is right as long as he justifies it”.

However, this questioning did not stop there, and in response to the refusal of companies to reimburse customers who only want to take advantage of their purchasing power in order to maximize their profits, it was shown that “the customer is not always right”.

Concept of servility

Servility is defined as the tendency to accept everything your interlocutor says, even when he is not right or his intervention is not true.

In a company, servility is the action of complying with or accepting as true everything a customer says. This regardless of the cost to your organization.

What is service?

Service is based on meeting the customer’s expectations and needs, attending to their requirements, complaints or claims.

Good service implies maintaining good communication, aiming at persuasion and improving service skills to provide excellent service.

where are we heading? Service or quality of service?

The idea is to accept that “the customer is not always right”, without ruling out the possibility of complaints or dissatisfaction on the part of the consumer.

The important thing in all this is to maintain a positive attitude and carry out actions aimed at offering quality service.

Then, when necessary, you must be able to understand which side is right.

If indeed the customer is in the right, the action should be immediate by first offering an apology. Otherwise, when the customer is not in the right, you should communicate politely and assertively about the situation that has arisen.