Name: Be Our Guest
Rating: 4.7 (37 reviews)
Author: Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni

What’s in it for me? Discover why you only ever get the best possible service from Disney.

What was your dream vacation as a child? A majority of adults (and certainly their children) would say a trip to Disneyland or Disney World.

How has one single company managed to stay so beloved for so long? As the entertainment industry has changed over generations, the one constantly successful group has been Walt Disney.

Granted, the company’s films have helped keep it a touchstone for children the world over, but just as importantly, Disney’s extraordinary standards of customer service keep people coming back for more.

These blinks show you the lengths to which Disney goes to ensure that everything the company does, from staff (or cast members) expectations to theme park design, is designed to deliver the best experience for each and every customer (or guest).

In these blinks you’ll discover

what an implementation matrix is and how to use it;
why Disney door handles are so ornate and whimsical; and
what secret fountains have to do with childhood joy.

Disney’s service strategy looks at what guests want and delivers high-quality service in response.

Disney’s expert customer service stems from its carefully crafted Quality Service Compass.

Like the four main points on a compass, the Quality Service Compass has four key elements that help guide every Disney employee in offering quality customer service.

Compass Point 1 is the art and science of knowing and understanding customers. In the world of Disney, this is known as guestology.

This point is the foundation for every other action on the Quality Service Compass. It involves discovering a guest’s expectations – what she likes or doesn’t like – and then informing employees (or cast members, in Disney speak) of what those expectations are.

Disney observed guests and identified the main aims of a family theme park vacation, for example. The company discovered that guests wanted to enjoy a fun time that centered around the family, as well as take a break from the exhausting schedule of daily life.

Disney then used this knowledge to modify and mold the perfect experience for its visitors.

Compass Point 2 is focused on quality standards. Once you know what your guests want, you can start considering how to ensure you will provide them with the highest quality service.

Disney defines four important quality standards: safety, courtesy, show and efficiency.

Safety ensures the welfare of all guests, while courtesy means guests are treated with a personal touch. Show considers the environment, making sure all elements of a visit are in harmony, while efficiency makes sure that facilities, systems and employees are working as they should.

Disney cast members know these standards are of the highest importance. Consider a situation in which an employee is about to perform in a show. The employee however sees a child in distress, as she is lost.

Because safety is the first Disney quality standard, the employee would assist the child first before beginning the show.

Consider how customers see, smell and hear the world you’ve created for them.

Have you ever wondered why you can smell popcorn first thing in the morning at Disneyland? It’s to create a cosy, warming atmosphere for your visit!

Smell is an important element in a customer’s experience; sight is too. Our eyes contain some 70 percent of all our body’s sense receptors, so paying particular attention to what a customer can see is a crucial element in providing exemplary customer service.

The things your customers eat, as well as what they touch, help determine their overall experience.

The dozens of kiosks and restaurants in Disneyland echo the park’s many themes. You won’t find starched tablecloths and fancy meals in Frontierland, for example.

To maintain the image you want to present to customers, you must consciously mold and adapt everything your company does to be in line with that image.

Use surveys wisely to learn more about your customer’s habits and even emotions.

While surveys can be tedious, customer-focused companies understand that they are a vital tool in understanding a customer’s needs and offering a customer exactly what she wants.

To really know who your customers are, you need to collect demographic information. Through the smart use of surveys, you can find out a customer’s gender, age, income level and so on, and then apply this knowledge to provide appropriate services.

Key ideas in Be Our Guest

About the Author

Disney Institute trains companies through seminars, workshops and presentations in the practices and knowledge gained and implemented by The Walt Disney Company.

Theodore Kinni is the senior editor for Strategy+Business Magazine and has written on a wide variety of business topics for companies including IBM, Booz & Company and Prime Resource Group.

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Be Our Guest summary