“The customer is always right” is a business mantra that is as old as time (Or at least, as old as companies that listened to what their customers have to say). While it is virtually impossible to give in to each and every wish, the least that a business owner can do is to listen and take into consideration their customers’ feedback.
Today’s high-tech and interconnected world has, in fact, made it easy for enterprises and clients to interact. Apart from the usual customer support call center hotline, customers now have other communication channels to choose from when giving their feedback. They’ve got email, live chat, and the now en vogue Facebook and Twitter social media sites.
A Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) owner involved in the beverage industry, therefore, doesn’t have any excuse not to hear what customers—the lifeblood of his/her business–are saying about its latest fruit drink. One client, for instance, can send an email saying that the drink is too sweet. A dozen or so Facebook posts, meanwhile, might be clamoring for more “grape flavoring”. A few callers might even ask that the company come up with an easy-to-use refillable container.
The trick is to carefully take note of each remark, comment, and suggestion—whether good or not-so-good–and implement these in a timely manner. Unless you’re asked to launch a life-threatening nuclear rocket or produce something so expensive, you’d go bankrupt, it’s best to value their feedback. Because the customer is (almost) always right.
