Customers Rock! Disney Style: Exceeding Customer Expectations
Posted by Becky Carroll on November 16th, 2007
When I was visiting Disney World recently, I had a great experience with the Disney tours. We can all learn something about the importance of customer relations from this story, in addition to lessons about employee empowerment.
The Question
I was on my own for one day in the Magic Kingdom before my conference started. Inspired by C.B. Whittemore’s great overview of some of the key areas shown in a “behind the scenes” tour(detailed in her blog Flooring the Consumer), I decided to see if I could take one while I was there. I went to Guest Relations at City Hall and asked if there was room on their Keys to the Kingdom tour. All 20 spots were already booked up, but the very friendly person at Guest Relations suggested I wait and see if a spot might open up (people get sick, etc). For the next 30 minutes, I stood quietly in the Guest Relations office, chatting casually with the Cast Members (Disney term for employees), and keeping my fingers crossed (it was raining buckets, so I was hopeful).
The Surprise Answer
Five minutes before the tour was to begin, one of the Cast Members came out and told me I was on the tour. “Did someone cancel?”, I asked. “No. You have been so good about waiting patiently, we decided we could make our tour 21 people today.” I was thrilled! But wait – there’s more to the story. The Cast Member continued:
“And, since you have been such a good sport about this, and you have been so polite to us, we are bringing you on the tour compliments of Disney. What would you like for lunch – it’s included!”
Wow, I was totally impressed! This was a $60 tour, and these Cast Members had been empowered to give it to me for free. My expectations were wildly exceeded, and I have been raving about the tour ever since. This was truly surprise and delight for me. I was thrilled to go on the tour, but to give it to me for free was amazing. I was indeed floored.
The Tour
My tour guide, Mark, did a fabulous job, and I spent 5 hours engrossed in the stories he was telling and gawking at the sites I got to see: behind the scenes where they keep the parade floats, the giant water tank that makes up Splash Mountain, the Pirates of the Caribbean building (from the outside of it), the impressive garbage collection system (where they sort trash by hand), some of the characters before they go “on stage” in their prep area, and the amazing “utilidor”, or employee tunnel system that runs under the entire park. We also got to go on 3 rides accompanied by our guide who shared some of the “secrets” behind them. Very cool!
The Lessons
There are lessons here both for customers as well as for companies.
Customers: There is never any need to get overly upset when the answer is “no”. Being polite and treating others with respect is the best way to get what you are hoping for. Customer service reps are people, too – and sometimes, their hands truly are tied. Other times, like at Disney World, they are empowered to “make your dreams come true”.
Companies: How are you empowering your employees to surprise and delight your customers? It makes the customer feel great, and the employee also feels great about how they can help a customer. It doesn’t always have to be about giving things away for free. It is most often the little things that make a difference – like taking one more person on a tour, or sending a thank-you note. A big smile really helps, too!
For more conversations about surprise, check out Andy Nulman’s blog, Pow! Right Between the Eyes! You’ll be glad you did.
Related posts:
Designing the Disney Experience
Little things make a difference for customers
More little things that make a difference
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November 16th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
What a great story and a great lesson.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Thanks, Scott. Glad to see you here again. Your comment means a lot coming from someone who used to work for Disney! What did you do there?
By the way, I love your website under “Company”; great approach to encouraging your employees. You rock!
November 16th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I came from a retail background and you’re right, a good attitude and a smile can go a long way. People now days are alot of times short or rude to people in customer service position, those who stand out as being nice people do get rewarded for it.
November 16th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Brandon M, thank you very much for your comment! Those of us who have been in retail know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a grumpy customer. It takes two to build a relationship, and customers are less likely to say goodbye to a person than they are to a faceless company.
November 16th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Becky, what a great story! and what a great behind-the-scenes tour you took part in. We did not get to see the trash or the floats… One of these days, I’d love to do Disney with you.
November 16th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
C.B., I actually was inspired to do this because of your discussion of the Disney Institute! I would love to attend one of those sessions.
Just let me know which Disney park(s) you want to do – California, Florida, ?? – and I will be there. We would have an absolute blast!!
November 17th, 2007 at 12:14 am
Singapore could learn a lot from Disney,
The Service is terrible, the shop staff are generally rude.
I agree, my trips to Disneyland Paris, HongKong they made us feel really welcome.
My goal is to vist every Disney park in the World, (2 more to go at this stage)
November 17th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
That is a terrific “wow” story if I ever heard one! Disney is a great place and from what I’ve read, a very well run company (at least the theme parks).
November 18th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
That was a great story Becky, but more importantly the lessons learned are the type of simple ideas that go a long way. Having seen both sides of things (as a customer and customer relationship manager), there was nothing better at either side, than seeing a happy and polite customer being satisfied by a happy polite employee who felt great about being able to really help somebody.
Customers rock! and good companies can rock too!
November 18th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Great post and solid comments all the way around. Over the next month, we will see oh-so-much of the “I just work here” customer dis-service as we shop for and enjoy the holidays.
Even so, I promise you that if you pay careful attention, you WILL see Customer Service Gurus everywhere. They may be camouflaged among their teammates, but they are there. And always will be, because they take pride in their interactions. If you are hiring, this is a great time to find great help, they really stand out among the rest. Have a great Thanksgiving!
November 19th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Exceptional Customer Experiences
Another story of a great customer experience… what can you do to help your agents “WOW” customers?
November 23rd, 2007 at 4:20 am
What a great story. I can’t even tell you how many “freebies” and extras we have received at Disney simply by being polite. It seems so many people at WDW are rude and crass and have empowered themselves with this “I’m on vacation what are you gonna do for me” attitude-or worse. We have seen it so many times. From free ice cream for my 4 year old son to free food in the restaurants to all the fastpasses we could use for the day, all it takes is the simple act of recognition of the cast members hard work and politeness. Three simple words will change your disney (and life) experience: hello, please, and thank you. Bonus points for “how are you!”
November 26th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Becky,
I love this story! I never knew that you could take a tour like that. Even as a little girl I noticed how friendly the employees were and how clean Disney Land is
Thanks for sharing this at the Customer Service Carnivale!
December 5th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Thanks for mentioning me and Surprise Central, Becky. What an honor it is to be top of your mind when you think of positive Surprises.
–Andy
December 5th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Wes, it is interesting to see how customer service differs (or not) across the parks. I have now been to all the Disney parks except for the one in Hong Kong. Keep us posted on your progress!
Thanks for your comment, Doug. I know from my tour that the parks have to be well-run in order to accommodate the kinds of crowds they get – and to treat guests so well.
German, great to see you here all the way from Rady School of Business at UCSD!
It is a great employee morale-booster to be able to make customers happy. I think my experience made those Disney cast members feel thrilled.
Brandon, you are right, too many of the “temporary help” are not folks with the right customer attitude. They are out there, though!
Envision team, thanks for chiming in. It is great to have others around evangelizing this attitude.
Typestries, thank you for sharing your stories brought on by a positive outlook. People are more likely to do things for others when they are treated with respect! As long as we don’t start expecting wonderful things all the time from Disney and its cast members… I think there is potential for customer expecations to be so high that Disney won’t be able to meet them. Thanks again!
Maria, you are right – even kids notice this kind of outstanding customer service. Pleased to be part of your fun Carnivale!
Andy, of course you are top of mind – who else?
August 15th, 2008 at 4:53 am
I willnot leave my name due to the medical privacy act. my husband and I and our son are truly disney fanatics. we visited WDW twice last year. zwe stayed at one of their resortslast september. We had a fABULOUS TIME. but 1and-a-half days after we arrived home. I suffered a massive stroke at the age of 41.It left my left side paralyzed and unable to continue my profession as a stenographer. while I was in in-patient re-hab for 2 months I would always see your commercial. The year of a million dreams. So it has left kind of a sour feeling. And now not being able to work and surviving on social security disability,I don’t believe my husband and I will ever be able to afford going ever again. We have been on 2 disney cruises and totally loved them.I know my health condition was not wdw’s fault. butI hope one day to experience the magic again. Have a magical day. Mouselover
August 15th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Mouse Lover, sorry to hear about your health. Glad you enjoyed Disney so much, and thanks for sharing your story. (BTW, I am not affiliated with Disney in any way.)
December 31st, 2008 at 10:57 am
Hi, I dont want to be the rain over the parade but I have attempted to forward this letter to Disneys customer service dept but have not been able to throught the web site. I really feel it is important to share this experience because it is a customer service nightmare.
Dear Customer Service;
As I sit here and watch your advertisements on TV I am reminded of our trip to the Disney theme park in Orlando Florida. My daughter, who is 14 years old, has always dreamt of a trip to disney. This year we were finally able to make the trip. My daughter was 13 at the time and was acting like she was 5 years old again as she bounced around in excitement. We spoke about and anticipated the characters we would see and the things we would do. We expected warm and friendly people with a magical atmosphere as I remembered it when I was a child.
Our entrance to Disney was wonderful as we watched the parade welcome us into the park. This, unfortunately, would be the last of the warm and fuzzies. There were a few employees that were welcoming, however the rest were monotone at best. I asked an employee which direction a particular attraction was and he told me to pay attention to the signs and maps that are provided. I wish I would have paid attention to his name because I would have included that in this email. In the Pirates of the Carabian store, employees chatted amongst themselves while we waited at the cash register to purchase our goods. We, as well as a few other visitors, walked away without our chosen souvenirs. I found most of the employees on grounds unapproachable and not friendly. Most of our contact with the park employees was when they were herding us in the direction they wanted us to go and yelled like cops trying to get a crowd under control. Were we trying to find the exit at the end of the day as the park was closing but were obviously having problems navigating the crowd. We had several people yell at us while waving flash lights telling us to “get out of the park”. My husband told one of the flash light waivers that we were trying to find our way out hoping he would get us in the right direction. He only yelled at us to keep moving. Again, he tried to get the light waiver to get us in the right direction. The man responded “get out, get out”. There were several people walking in several different directions. This was a very poorly coordinated effort to clear the park. While waiting for the trollies to take us to our car. We wittnessed people racing to beat others to seats and arguments between visitors over who was getting this trolly or the next. Where were the employees to keep this crowd under control? It seemed once they got you out of the main park you were on your own. This was the final and ultimate insult of the day.
There were no characters on grounds. Mickey mouse and his crew presented a wonderful show, but that was all we were to see of the characters. The whole trip was one disappointment after another. There was no warmth, magic, or even simple kindness to enjoy. The attractions were able to see were amazing but did little to make up for the human factor.
To Disney’s defense it was the fourth of July and there were larger than normal crowds. Still this does not warrant the treatment we were given as visitors to the park. We certainly felt like we were an inconvenience and not a guest. We shared our experience with other families that visited that day and they were walking away just as disappointed. It was shameful. Lastly, we never saw the fireworks as we were asked to stay in an area that was blocked by trees and buildings.
The reason I am just now deciding to write about my families experience is because I keep watching these Disney commercials and am reminded of our utter disappointed. I was heartbroken for my daughter. She is a typical teenager and yes emotional. But by the end of our day she was in tears and frankly so was I. I went to Disney often as a child when we lived in California and I have such amazing memories. I wanted these memories for my daughter and was so happy anticipating her experience.
As I searched the intranet for this web site I see that you offer classes in customer service. I would like to see how your students would handle this complaint and restore the magical memories I had as a child and the stolen dream of my daughter. Please believe me when I say we are not looking for a free trip, or a hand out. Honestly, we would decline any such offer. Disney, for adults and children, is thought of a magical place of fun and friends. Most adults that have memories of such a wonderful place bring their children to the park so that they too can experience the magic. When you fail to keep this alive in the hearts of parents and their children you not only steal the dream of a wonderful alternate reality, you bring us closer to the ugly reality of the outside world. The ugliness of the outside world has penetrated your gates and is leaving its mark on the people who visit. I know it sounds mellow dramatic but you have to realize the expectation that Disney has built through reputation and hard work. I am sure Walt would be rolling over in his grave knowing what his dream has turned into. A response would be appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.