Disney Rules That Can Make Your Service Magical

Disney is beloved the world over and is recognized as a premiere family destination place. Whether you’re talking about the parks in Orlando, or California, people pay premium prices to be able to enjoy a little of the magic. But what makes Disney any different than the other amusement parks in the world? Many would say it’s Disney’s philosophy and training.

A recent article in Fast Company outlined the Seven Disney Service Guidelines:

Make eye contact: – While a seemingly small thing, Disney is usually super busy. Being a person in this large moving body of people migrating from ride to ride can make someone feel very small and insignificant. By training employees to make eye contact with each and every guest they encounter, the employee is acknowledging their presence and personalizing their experience. It’s similar to saying, “You matter,” with a look.
Greet and welcome every guest: – By making eye contact and then saying “Hello,” and welcoming them to the Park, people are made to feel special and important. A simple acknowledgement of their existence and singling out amidst this sea of humans is an act that people not only remember, but appreciate.
Seek out guest contact: – Disney employees are not trained to be passive. They are taught to seek out guest contact, not to wait for a guest to initiate. They are actively in the crowd doing their job and, at the same time, looking for opportunities to interact with guests. I’m not talking about guests that “need” interaction (i.e.: Someone is having a bad experience that needs intervention). Disney employees are looking to interact with as many guests as possible. Their goal is simply to make someone’s day just a little happier.
Provide immediate service recovery: – This is an integral part of the guidelines. The Disney parks are huge and accidents happen – whether its something as small as a child spilling their popcorn or a larger issue – so Disney has empowered its employees to use their judgment and take action immediately to fix the situation rather than force a guest to wait for a “manager” to appear.
Always display appropriate body language: – Disney knows that body language is just as important as physical language. People naturally communicate through body language all the time. . It’s not only important to watch what they say and how they say it. An employee having a bad day (which everyone does) can easily transmit that through their body language without ever once complaining. You set the tone for the atmosphere in your business. Customers will mimic that tone even if it’s subconsciously.
Create dreams and preserve the “magical guest experience”: – Anything within an employee’s power that can be done to enhance the guest experience is encouraged. Disney wants everyone’s trip to be memorable and magical and sometimes, it only takes a small thing to make that happen… a hug from a Princess, a “Happy Birthday” from an employee while in line, etc. Even the smallest gesture can be magnified when seen through the eyes of a child.
Thank each and every guest: – As businesses, we certainly are appreciative of all of our customers but do they know it? This simple policy is designed to insure that every guest is acknowledged and thanked at some point in the day (if not multiple times) for choosing Disney. They don’t post people at the exits specifically to say this; they expect their employees to be doing this continuously all day long.

Disney has some great lessons and practices that can be applied to any business. They are making the adoption of these by other businesses easier through the sharing and teaching of non-Disney employees and business owners through their Disney University. Disney has such a loyal customer base because it has policies in place to make everyone feel special. They also empower their employees to take immediate action to rectify anything that could jeopardize a guest experience.

One thing I’d like to leave you with. If you ask Disney, they don’t have any “employees.” Their staff is called “Cast Members.” Why? Because they realize that the Park is their venue, the guests are their audience and they are always, always, on stage.

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Comment by Patty Van Dyke on June 27, 2013 at 2:46pm: Thank you for this! Our Dealer Principle went to the "Disney Training" and I'm also a firm believer in these rules!

Comment by Richard Holland on June 26, 2013 at 6:01pm: Just to clarify, I have personal experience with the Disney Institute and have adopted this culture into MPi.

Comment by Richard Holland on June 26, 2013 at 9:14am: Thanks for the great compliment, Joe! I agree with you 100%. You do know that the Disney Institute has public courses, right? They aren't cheap but worth every penny, I hear. [LINK].

I also appreciate your comment, Marsh. How can any business NOT pay attention to Disney practices in regards to business?

Comment by Marsh Buice on June 25, 2013 at 11:47pm: Excellent job Richard. People don't buy what we do, they buy why we do it. Disney employees know why they come to work and bc of that, they can create the magic we all yearn for again and again. I think we all can cut and paste this one. Great job brother.

Comment by Joe Webb on June 25, 2013 at 6:42pm: I'm a big Disney dad. I've been a fan of their level of customer service and experiences since becoming a father - and honestly am at one of the Disney parks every couple of weeks. For a long time, I've been angered that everyone in our industry keeps saying "Create an Apple experience in your dealership" when a visit to the Apple store usually frustrates me opposed to excites me. If dealers were smart, they'd create a Disney experience. There will only be one Walt Disney - a man that has created a global empire making magic happen for millions of people (maybe billions) through multiple channels, mediums, and segments. Nearly the entire world knows Disney... and it is because of the brand that they've developed through years of amazing customer service initiatives, goodwill, positive programming, and for the gratitude they show their consumers.

What does Disney do to separate themselves from all others? They CARE. It's that simple.

I already have that book on order and am looking forward to reading it. Living so close, I'm upset I don't have any direct experience with the Disney Institute, but I'd love the opportunity. Thank you very much for sharing this article, Richard. I don't comment on much (as I'm usually too busy creating content), but this is the best material shared on DealerElite in quite a while.

Comment by Richard Holland on June 25, 2013 at 5:31pm: Great comments Bill and Nicholas! I've heard many great things about the Disney Institute. They just came out with a book a few weeks ago, "Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World's Most Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees". [LINK] I've heard it's a really good book.

Comment by Bill Cosgrove on June 25, 2013 at 5:13pm: Thanks-Great example-They are working their magic but there is no magic in that formula just that they are applying it. In customer service as well as sales we are all actors on a stage and must please our audience to be successful.

Comment by Nicholas David Sullivan on June 25, 2013 at 5:09pm: At our dealership, Hank Graff Chevrolet, we have actually sent some of our employees to Disney for training in customer service. We pay for all of the expenses and the employees will stay in Orlando for up to a week, training in all of these guidelines. Then when they come back, they are to do a presentation to the entire staff on what they learned, saw, and what can be done in the dealership to better help the customers. Whether it be in service, sales, or even within the dealership, it has definitely paid off for us.