There’s a wise old saying that says “Without vision the people perish,” or “Without vision the people cast off restraint.” Well, I’d like to draw a parallel which I think is just as wise. Without routine you will perish, or worse – cast off restraint. One of the keys to great and outstanding and memorable and profitable customer service is routine. Routine begins with you.

If you’ve ever had children, or been around the same ones for more than a day, you know that children thrive on routine. I guess the elderly do too, for that matter! If you mess up a kid’s routine you’ll get some pretty unexplainable events happening almost immediately. You’ll have crying, complaining, arguing, fighting, whining “I’m bored” little human beings until some semblance of order is brought back in.

Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you! And don’t be too quick to assume your routine is cutting it for you, either! True – the positive and negative effects of routine are much easier to see in children, but we adults are far from immune. I’m willing to venture that you have a routine problem. I bet that your problem is not the act of routine itself, but what you have chosen your routine to be. Over time we develop routines that may not get us where we want to go.

If you take the time to analyze and adjust your current state of routine, you will open the door to many new and positive and long lasting changes.

Consider how routine affects your customer service at all levels and let me know your thoughts!

Jesse Spencer