Those are 2 words that can describe Disney and all of their amazing operations. After all, it was Walt himself who advised all of us to “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring all of their friends”. I recently took the family to Disneyland down in Anaheim during spring break and although it has been quite a while since our last visit, the magic returns instantly even as you begin to exit the freeway. And that’s saying something…
Unfortunately, not all businesses function like Disney. People often claim that there’s this somethingmajig about Disney that makes it great and unforgettable. That somethingmajig is also a bit hard to pinpoint. I beg to differ. You see, Disney is all about customers. From the moment you touch their ecosystem they’re trained to shower you with attentiveness and care. For adults, this is a marvelous experience. For kids, this becomes an integral part of their life.
The next time you decide to visit Disneyland, pay attention to their staff, the way they talk, the way to smile, the way they hand you something. Heck, pay attention to the way they pick up litter throughout the day. After I got back to a dramatically less magical kingdom I decided to do some more digging on why Disneyland’s customer service is so great. For us at Reamaze, we found these are the 3 things that stood out most:
- Make every customer feel important. Disneyland employees aren’t trained just to answer your questions, give you directions, and assist you when you ask for assistance. They’re trained to seek out customer support. They’re trained to hone in on expressions and actions that point to doubt and confusion. If you’re around a service personnel at Disneyland while a question mark is lurking above your head, it’s very likely that they’ll see it before you do. That’s being assertively friendly.
- Communications training is key. Disney operations put an enormous amount of resources into making sure their staff are cross-communicationally trained. Yes I just made that word up. Most businesses barely even touch this subject during training. Disneyland employees on the other hand spend tons of time training to be an effective communicator both internally and customer-facing. One element we found most fascinating was that Disneyland employees are also training to know about things they’re not directly responsible for. Have a question about Space Mountain while in line at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Just ask the staff and they’ll know. This shouldn’t be too hard for smaller companies, right?
- Keep up appearances. This is less relevant but just as applicable. Appearances do matter. How do you think they keep the park so clean with millions of visitors every weekend? It certainly isn’t magical fairies doing the work. Think of it this way: first impressions count. Customer service is all about making those first impressions count. Appearances also apply to how well your support operations and your staff are coordinated. Think about it.
Take a few days off and visit Disneyland. Mention Reamaze and get 15% off your tickets. Just kidding. But seriously, go. You’ll be amazed.