“The customer is always right”: meaning, origin and examples
What it means
The phrase The customer is always right is a business mantra that emphasizes prioritizing customer satisfaction and accommodating their needs and opinions in order to maintain customer loyalty and trust.
Tone The tone of the phrase is accommodating and customer-centric, reflecting a commitment to excellent service and the belief that customer satisfaction is paramount.
Where it comes from
The phrase is often attributed to early 20th-century retailers like Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker, and Marshall Field, who popularized customer service principles in their department stores.
Examples
- Despite the customer’s unusual request, the manager decided to honor it, adhering to the principle that ‘the customer is always right’.
- Our company strives to uphold the idea that ‘the customer is always right,’ and we go out of our way to resolve any concerns they may have.
- Even when customers are mistaken, we treat their feedback seriously because we believe that ‘the customer is always right’.
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