While not officially living, a virus contains the necessary information that is required for it to become a living system if it is able to infect the correct host. Whether independently living or not, a virus is an obligatory parasite, it must find a suitable host cell in order to replicate.
A virus, however, can be destroyed and that is possibly the correct term to use. Electricity can easily be used to destroy a virus. This has been scientifically established time and again using different methods. The use of electricity to destroy a virus is recognized by the FDA.
Even cheap weak zappers have the ability to stop colds and flu in some cases when properly used.
As for the customer who hung up, they probably just could not process the information and at some point will understand what you meant.