customer


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cool customer

Someone who remains even-tempered, especially in stressful situations. Brad is such a cool customer. Nothing ever seems to bother him.
See also: cool, customer

an awkward customer

A troublesome person. I don't want Joe to join the club, he's just such an awkward customer.
See also: awkward, customer

the customer is always right

A phrase commonly used in the service or retail industry as a reminder to respect the customer's wishes, and therefore please them, often without regard to how unreasonable they may be. Well, the customer is always right, so if she thinks that her meal is undercooked, make her something else.
See also: always, customer, right

tough customer

A strong, determined person who is not easily intimidated, discouraged, or defeated. Our principal was a rather petite lady, but she was one tough customer! She had a difficult childhood, but it made her into a tough customer later in life. I wouldn't mess with that guy, he's a pretty tough customer.
See also: customer, tough

customer is always right

Prov. In order to keep customers happy, the people who serve them should always obey their wishes. (Often cited as a principle of good business dealings; customers sometimes say it to the people serving them in order to try to get good service.) When I began working at the gift shop, my boss told me, "Remember, the customer is always right, no matter how stupid or rude you may think he is being."
See also: always, customer, right

one to a customer

Fig. each person can have or receive only one. (As in sales restrictions where each customer is permitted to buy only one.) "Only one to a customer!" said the chef as he handed out the hamburgers. Is it one to a customer, or can I take two now?
See also: customer, one

slippery customer

 
1. Fig. a clever and deceitful customer. Watch out for that guy with the big padded coat. He may snatch something. He's a real slippery customer.
2. Fig. a slippery creature. This little fish is a slippery customer. Get me something to scoop it back into its bowl.
See also: customer, slippery

tough customer someone

who is difficult to deal with. Some of those bikers are really tough customers. Walt is a tough customer. Just keep away from him.
See also: customer, tough

ugly customer

An ill-natured or vicious individual, as in Watch out for Charlie when he's drinking; he can be an ugly customer. This phrase uses ugly in the sense of "mean" or "dangerous." [c. 1800]
See also: customer, ugly

a tough ˈcustomer/ˈcookie

(informal) a person who knows what they want and is not easily influenced by other people: Self-confident, ambitious and positive, Paula is a tough cookie who is bound to do well.
See also: cookie, customer, tough

tough customer

n. someone who is difficult to deal with. Bruno is a tough customer. Just keep away from him.
See also: customer, tough
References in periodicals archive ?
Once you have formed a detailed vision for your company, you then need to develop screening criteria for customer selection.
Customer selection: a lost art in the automotive industry
At Pioneer, we teach sales reps how to ask questions to understand how customers make decisions so that they can package data in a way that is most helpful to the customer," Johnson says.
Taking a long look at customer service: pioneer helps customers make better decisions with tools and technology
Most carriers have access to sufficient buyer information to develop a clear understanding of the needs and values sought by various customer segments.
Getting noticed: even with strict regulations and a lack of variety in products, insurers must find ways to differentiate themselves from competitors
Firms invest intellectual and financial capital into establishing each customer relationship.
Terminating toxic customers: enhancing firm profits through customer cultivation
They're developing strategies to analyze customer profitability to determine the total cost to serve each customer, identify ways to reduce those costs and take actions that ensure every customer relationship is as profitable as it can be.
Customer profitability: is the customer king - or cost? (CEO Insights)
But there are any number of customer satisfaction survey models to be found in books and on the Web, say the pundits.
Selling for fun & profit: in tough times, the `customer-focused' campus bookstore is becoming one heckuva revenue generator
These issues, combined with parts obsolescence issues as Boeing Aerospace closed its main F-18C/D production line, led LPIT members and the FMS F-18 community to seek an economical and efficient legal means to make available spare and repair parts from one FMS customer country to another.
A Naval Aviation Foreign Military Sales Logistics Process Improvement Team update
Storing and managing customer information such as products or services purchased, time of purchase, method of purchase, purchase history, requests for service, complaints and third-party demographics form the foundation for interfacing intelligently with a customer.
Using customer information effectively. (Data Management)
The Analysis and Segmentation Engine: To leverage this customer information to build a business campaign strategy and evaluate its success.
The Five Engines Of eCRM
They determine how best we may aid the customer in being competitive in their business, and they are obviously responsible for pricing issues, ensuring that the customer is able to get the highest quality product possible at a price he can afford.
CM: manufacturing or service industry?
UTOPY Customer Intelligence solutions provide vast insight into customer and prospect behavior.
UTOPY Announces Record Year and Quarter
Customer relationship innovations are manifesting themselves in interactions across industries, in both the B2B and B2C arenas.
The customer connection: armed with the knowledge that customers hold the key to their companies' success. CEOs are embracing customer relationship management as a valuable consumer science. (Innovation & the Customer)
This is the theme of this year's annual curriculum review: Meeting Customer Requirements.
Meeting customer requirements: DISAM offers tailored on-sites and Mobile Education Teams
Insurers are aware of customer service expectations, and they will need to actively integrate Internet and wireless technologies into their current customer-service processes to increase retention and customer satisfaction and to stay competitive.
Up Close and Personal
The report findings indicate that customer satisfaction does not equate with customer loyalty.
World Insurance Report: Customer Satisfaction is No Guarantee of Loyalty
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