We want excellent customer service

In the early stage of my customer service career, I was confronted with a situation in which I had to choose between my customer and my boss! At the time I was thinking that a customer with cash in hand is always right and that the customer in hand is worth two in the market. The paradox is that I got a kick in the teeth for listening to my customer instead of my boss!

Apart from my personal thoughts, there is empirical evidence out there suggesting that customers have the buying power and that only the customer can specify their requirements. By specifying their requirements, customers affect the way in which a product or service is provided. Gone are the days when products were made and customers asked to buy them. By the same token, the tradition whereby service providers operate without listening and paying close attention to the customers' needs is dying.