“The Customer is Always Right” became the mantra of “good” customer service long ago, but the concept has actually done more dis-service to customers than anything else. The customer, or client in this case, is generally not right. It is our job as “producers” to guide the client, some times kicking and screaming, down a path that will lead to their ultimate betterment.

And, when you really think about it, how could it be any other way? The client pays an individual or company to provide a service. If that individual or company does not provide said service it’s a breech of contract. So what if the client wants something that will inhibit or prohibit the individual or company from providing said service? The answer is simple. It can’t be allowed.

Ultimately, more than time, skill, or effort, a client is paying for expertise. If the client had the expertise, they would, more likely than not, simply do it for themselves. And, since the client is paying for expertise, then it becomes our job as service providers to bestow on them that expertise, even if the client does not agree with or appreciate it. Otherwise, we cannot effectively do our jobs, and in the end the client doesn’t get what they need, even if they do get what they want.

That is what it boils down to, as well. Clients only tell you “wants”. As service providers, we must discern “needs”. Many times, the client himself is not aware of his needs, but we must be. We must be because you can give a client what he wants till kingdom comes and still fail miserably. In fact, I’d wager a greater likelihood of failing miserably simply because you are satisfying the client’s “wants”.

Kids, with few exceptions, love candy. They want candy, and you’ll generally have a very happy kid if you give them candy. However, what would happen if all you ever gave the kid was candy? He’d be malnourished; it would probably effect his growth. There may even be health complications that result from it. Would you call that a “service”? Of course not. Doing a “service” for the child is forcing them to eat their green beans. They’ll likely fight you, and they surely won’t be happy. But, in the end, they will be better for it.

Now, I don’t mean to say that client’s are like big children, but in many ways you do indeed have to manage a client like he was a child. True “customer services” is about more than a paycheck. It’s about leaving the customer or client better than he was before he met you. If you haven’t done that, you have failed. It’s ironic, perhaps, that the client’s themselves are generally the source of their own dissatisfaction, but that places all the more burden on us, the service providers, to take charge, tell the client what they need, and refuse to satisfy the wants that will hurt them in the long run. And, I think as we do that, client’s will actually respect us for it: respect us for stating firmly that we are committed to their success and we are not going to let anything within our influence effect their success, even if it’s them.

Or… Maybe I’ve lost my mind in a sea of idealism. You decide.