Am I the only one who gets giddy when they experience great customer service? Why don’t more companies “get it”? Or if they think they get it, why can’t they execute properly? It can’t just be education, as there have been countless books written on the subject– though you only need to read one. Last year the company I work for celebrated 50 years of exceptional guest service with the anniversary of Disneyland Park in Southern California (though Walt was an exceptional host at the studios before that). It is perhaps a bit zealous of me to say our philosophy is the best but it’s hard not to be when so many corporations over the years have looked to us when it comes to modeling their organization.
I’d like to share some examples in this post of awesome customer service here in Central Florida–besides The Walt Disney World Resort. One of the most obvious is Publix. It’s a regional supermarket chain where their slogan is “Where Shopping is a Pleasure” and they really do mean it. Their commitment to service has helped them become the fastest growing employee-owned company in the United States. Just last month their shareholders approved a 5-for-1 stock split. The effect is simple, amazing service breeds loyalty. While Super Wal-Mart’s have drilled into other chains like Winn-Dixie, Publix is growing at an amazing rate. These guys have a passion for service and what we at Disney call “show quality”. This doesn’t just mean keeping the merchandise lined up on the shelves and the floors clean, but the appearance and actions of it’s employees. At Disney we have a list of things a cast member simply can’t do when “on stage”: eat, lean against a wall or railing, talk on a wireless phone, sit, cross their arms, smoke or chew gum to name a few. The simple idea is to always be approachable to your guests. How many times have you driven up to a 7-Eleven or similar convenience store and seen the cashier leaning against the wall outside smoking a cigarette. You may feel like you are inconveniencing them by showing up to buy a gallon of milk, they might even give you a look to make sure you do. This is not something you will see at Publix’s Pix gas stations. Their associates have an area “off stage” where they must smoke, even if they are on a real break. So what does this have to do with giving great customer service? It’s the culture the company has created among its employees to respect their guests. A little thing like keeping your area and appearance “show ready” goes a long way (you clean up before you have guests over to your own home, don’t you?). Treat your customers like guests in your own home!
At this point you have probably noticed me throwing in weird terms like “show” and “stage”. I believe using these words are what help the culture of our company deliver great service and consistently exceed guest expectations. You see, our cast members aren’t just doing the status quo, one of our key goals is to exceed the already high expectations guests have when they visit our resort. It’s not enough to just say that’s the employees job to do these things, but you need to foster a culture where they believe in doing just that. A popular example of this is the whole “show quality” aspect. Yes we have custodial cast members whose job is to keep the pathways clean. But it is with the effort every every cast member, all the way up the the executives, that the pathways really do stay clean. The “Disney Scoop” is something you learn on your first day of training here. Many cast members find themselves picking up trash as they walk through the parks on their time off. The fact that every employee here, even the CEO when he visits, is picking up trash as they walk around is an awesome thing, and makes every employee feel great about their role in maintaining the show. Its not enough to just teach a new hire the Disney Scoop. Showing and cultivating a culture where even the CEO isn’t above such a thing is key.
Okay, so respect your guests and keep the place looking nice. Those are just two elements of great service. But the point is not that they are goals, but that they are so ingrained into the corporate culture that it is second nature. That employees like making sure they are delivering great service and take pride in doing just that. That they feel a part of the combined effort. It’s not just training your front line employees to do it, it’s everyone doing it.
Whatever we accomplished is due to the combined effort. The organization must be with you or you don’t get it done… In my organization there is respect for every individual, and we all have a keen respect for the public. –Walt Disney
At the Walt Disney World Resort, we figure there are four key guest expectations that we focus on every time we come in contact with a guest:
1. Make me feel special!
2. Treat me as an individual!
3. Respect my children (and me)!
4. Have knowledgeable Cast Members!
The knowledgeable part comes with training, and not being allowed to say “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure”, but always “I’ll find out for you”. One of the things that put Home Depot on the map when they started expanding back in the 80s was that when you had a question on where to find something, they would leave their post and walk you to the item, and make sure it was what you were looking for before leaving you, not just an “um, i think that’d be isle 8″. It sounds so simple now, doesn’t it? Having each employee take personal responsibility for ensuring the guest is having a good experience is key.
Florida’s Turnpike system offers an interesting case. Almost everytime I have gone through a toll booth, the attendant is always smiling and greets you warmly. My father is an over-the-road truck driver and has been through many across the country, and it seems this is an oddity. We’ve all heard the stereotype of rude toll operators. It does seem like it would be mind numbing to basically take a dollar bill and press a button hundreds or thousands of times a shift. But everytime I drive through one these attendants are sincere. I don’t have any insight on to this one like I do with Publix, but I would love to learn more about the culture that can foster this. Is it not unreasonable to assume that this short, warm moment can possibly reduce incidents of road rage on the turnpike system roads? I wouldn’t be surprised if research has been done on this.
The United States Postal Service is another organization I am a big fan off. They are almost as passionate about customer service as we are at Disney. Just about everytime I have used the lobby of a post office the associates have been sincere and friendly and often exceeding my expectations.
I’ve listed a few elements of great customer service but the hardest part is developing a culture in an organization where they can all be meshed together and delivered consistently. Study and learn what your guests want and expect (we call this “guestology”), and do what it takes to exceed those expectations. Anyway, I am not really sure what the real point of this post was. Maybe it’s an example of how brain washed I might be.
