This is one of the biggest myths in business; it’s also one of the biggest cliches that can be told by a business owner to his or her employee. I believe that somewhere the real meaning gets lost in translation. I also believe that the customer doesn’t always know exactly what they want so how can he or she be right all the time?

As someone in the customer service industry, you (as an employee) have to help your customers discover what they really want and to help them receive no less than exactly what they need.

A good example that I can think of is when customers have a complaint. The first thing most managers and supervisors do is passify the customer with a refund or some kind of complimentary product. This does  not always work. From a customer’s point of view, I have called a company with a complaint where I didn’t want anything in return, I just wanted the company to know about the issue with the quality control of their products; the company sent me so many coupons my mailbox was stuffed. You need to actually listen to the customer rather than throwing refunds and smiling, trust me…they’ll be far more appreciative.

You also have to remember that some customers need to be turned away because they are bad for business. If you are in the business of customer service, then you will always have a customer or two that will cause trouble and you may end up losing money on that customer over the course of your relationship with him or her. You also need to make sure that you are treating your employees right and that the relationship with the customer isn’t worth the benefit you get from the employees. If an employee is constantly heckled by a bad customer, that employee will be unhappy and his or her work will be affected.

It will cost less to replace that customer than it will to hire and train a new employee.

You also have to realize when a customer is completely and TOTALLY wrong. If you go by the philosophy of the customer always being right, then when I walk into your clothing store and order chicken nuggets I should be able to get chicken nuggets. The customer can actually be wrong. It happens all the time, we’re all human and we make mistakes.

The truth is, I hate the phrase “The customer is always right.” That’s the worst phrase that can be taught and it needs to stop. It should be replaced with “Listen to the customer, sympathize, and come to some kind of mutually beneficial agreement.”

There are a few steps that employees can do to make themselves known to employers to hopefully be promoted one day. Those same tactics are now being implemented by the workforce to not be fired when the next line of lay offs comes their way.

So what’s the secret?

According to BusinessWeek here are a few of the tips from the magazine:

1) Focus on the company’s success rather than your own. Most employers don’t have the time (or money) to deal with any potential problems you may have. When you’re at work, you are there to work and not create drag for you or your team.

2) You have to be more than willing to change. I don’t just mean use blue pens instead of black pens, you have to be ready and willing to change direction at the drop of a dime and be ready for it. If the company is looking to mix up the product lines or create a new mission statement for the company, its time to be the “yes man” and learn how to cooperate with the change.

3) Be great at your job and be useful in every aspect of the company. While this is a lot of work, it shows your employer that you have a commitment to the company by going above and beyond your own responsibilities.

4) Social hour should be after work, not during. The last thing a company needs is for its employees to be negative and do a lot of gossiping while on the clock. “No complaining, no blaming!”

5) You have to follow the rules, even the ones that may not have been written down. An example is to be at work early and be at least willing to stay late. When looking at this tip, now would be a good time to quit smoking and start bringing your lunch to work with you to avoid smoke breaks and long lunches.

6) You need to solve problems before they happen. If there’s a way to make the company more efficient (or make it more money), tell your supervisor. Of course, this means there will be some time away from the workplace and in your home where you may have to do some research about competitors and what they’re doing. Doing this ensures that you are seen as an asset to the company

7) Get to know people outside your department, especially those in human resources.

8 ) Social networking is important, if not crucial in today’s workplace. On the BusinessWeek article this tip is titled “Start Tweeting or Start Packing.” I think that this tip is more important to those in the marketing field than those in, say, the accounting department. Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are easy to set up and use. Here’s a warning: Don’t “Facebook” too much at work.