This morning I went out for breakfast. My order was simple: two eggs over medium, sausage, and dry whole wheat toast. It is the same thing I eat for breakfast every single day.
The waiter nodded, smiled, and walked off without writing anything down.
A minute later, he came back to ask how I wanted my eggs. A few minutes after that, he returned again to ask what kind of meat I wanted. The kitchen was maybe thirty feet away. Three items, two re-dos. Had he taken five seconds to write it down, the order would have been right the first time.
I see this a lot.
Some servers think it is impressive to remember the entire table’s order by heart. But here is the truth: it is not impressive when the food comes out wrong. It does not inspire confidence when the waiter has to circle back and bother you repeatedly just to confirm what you said in the first place.
What is impressive? Writing it down and getting it right the first time.
It is such a small thing, but the impact is not small. As a customer, I am left frustrated. And it is a problem that is completely avoidable. The fix is free, fast, and foolproof: managers should tell their staff to write down the orders.
This made me think:
What is the equivalent in your business? What is the “not writing it down” moment that annoys customers, wastes time, and quietly erodes trust? Every company has a few of these. They seem small from the inside, but from the customer’s side they stand out.
So here is the challenge:
Find the little things you could fix right now that would make your customers happier. The details matter. The smallest service failures often leave the biggest impression.
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