
Win the fight, lose the customer - terpua
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/09/win-the-fight-lose-the-customer.html
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steerpike
The greatest line I ever heard relating to customer service, and the one I
think I'll choose to take over 'the customer is always right', was when an old
boss I had in hospitality was fielding an aggressive objection from a customer
over one of our best waitresses.

Clearly expecting my boss to fold and berate his staff she was shocked into
silence by my boss turning to her and saying:

"Ma'am, please don't ask me to choose between my staff and my customers,
because you just wont win."

Needless to say, every single one of his staff was massively dedicated to him
and did our utmost to reflect it in our work.

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roedog88
Working in technical support my colleagues and I all knew who were good
customers, and who were bad customers. Our manager knew too. He would back us
up with raises and options. Making unhappy customers happy is not an easy job
(especially given our bug list at the time).

Years later, I still remember one who called almost once a week with a new
issue he had dug up. Admitting he was right and promising to fix the bugs did
not make him happy, or make him go away. We all had a theory that he was
calling so often because he was lonely and wanted someone to talk with.

Taking a longer view, I think being a nasty customer is it's own punishment.
These people are miserable or sad, and lording over a service or hospitality
worker gives them only a pyrrhic victory. The server or tech support moves on
with their life. But the asshole is still an asshole.

