Harrogate unveils trends for 2011 | News | British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate

2011-03-12T01:23:00.000Z

Harrogate unveils trends for 2011 News British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate

Reality of Gold Rule.

2011-03-11T07:14:00.000Z

   Some difficult customers can cause business losses due to endless efforts to try and satisfy unreasonable demands in the mistaken belief that "the customer is always right."

   My believe is to anticipate problems with difficult customers and steer them away from our business if you believe you will not be able to satisfy them.
   Doing so will improve employee morale and the bottom line knows the pain of dealing with difficult customers. There are small minority of customers who believe themselves to be uniquely inconvenienced by a businesses hours or policies. They come in a shop demanding immediate attention even when they can see that shop is busy with appointments and they have never booked one. There are customers who are intent on finding some complaint so they can get price concessions. Ask other shop owners how they like such situations. There are even customers who lie in order to get refunds. Quite a few customers this year have tried their best to achieve this aim. We had this experience in the past but never like we are experiencing now. I do believe it is a sign of the economic times we are living in.
   I have personal, professional experience with perhaps the most difficult of all customers -- the bride. Don’t get me wrong vast majority of our brides are nice customers (just a bit stressed some times), we quite understand. The biggest event of their life is very emotional subject.
But there are a few that cause more than their share of trouble. Some times I ask myself why?
   The difficult customer wants everything to be perfect but wants to pay practically nothing, doesn’t want to accept your assistance and wants it all exactly when she wants it, even if she has just shown up and her event is in two years time. When accommodation is impossible because of a full appointment book or minimum shipping times for special orders, or we try explaining that in our shop we need to assist her, she is sure that we have done this to her (and only her) on purpose. In such cases, we are firmly polite with the customer, explaining that some things are truly not possible, although the staff will be glad to help her explore viable alternatives. Unfortunately some brides react on this approach with a feeling of personal abuse and storm out of the shop and after try to say that staff was rude. I think people need to be confronted with reality for the good of themselves and the business. Perhaps we don’t want in our service to be the doormats.
   The truth is the customer is not always right; in fact, sometimes the customer is completely wrong--and rude as well. No business should accommodate a loud or otherwise rude customer at the expense of customers who want to calmly conduct their business transactions like civilized human beings. Perhaps years of policies like the customer is always right have allowed boorish behaviour to flourish. Syndrome of “blaming culture” I’m afraid is still here, corrupting all good regulations about customer rights.
   Instead of rewarding rude, unreasonably difficult customers, we want reward the many good customers who appreciate our service, with whom it is a pleasure to work and build good long lasting relationship. And believe me we have many, many happy girls and their families with all their emotions, expectations which we totally understand and helped in full proportion of appreciation their custom.
   The fact is, many difficult customers end up costing a business due to endless efforts to satisfy unreasonable demands. Anticipate problems with difficult customers and steer them away from my way because I believe I will not be able to satisfy them. I’m afraid its only way which I can recommend myself to save a business both money and stress. Extra effort with difficult customers rarely makes them happy; it merely gives them fodder for their endless complaints, gossips and bad mouthing.
   In order to retain the best employees, our business must make efforts to keep the workplace pleasant but also don’t be afraid to stand up for our principals as well. Employees who treat customers with respect should not be abused by customers in return. But some of cases are totally opposite. A manager who stands up for a mistreated service will earn the employees respect and loyalty, but he can be hated in the same time by unreasonable customer just because “customer is always right”. How unfair. A customer who is abusive to staff members is not a customer anyone needs. Employees, managers, and the majority of polite customers all benefit when a business refuses to tolerate obnoxious behaviour. The bottom line will even improve allowing even greater service when that small number of impossible customers stops wasting the businesses time and resources.

V. G.

Observations

Harrogate unveils trends for 2011 | News | British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate

Reality of Gold Rule.