Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service by Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni

Want to learn how to do customer service like Disney? Now you can by following the strategies in Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service by Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni.

Service orientation or what I'd like to call customer service, is a soft skill that the World Economic Forum says professionals need to thrive. Organizations such as the Four Seasons Hotel and Nordstrom compete on giving impeccable customer service. How do you rank your customer service skills? Is there a way you can create an experience for your customers? This is something I'm thinking about, and Be Our Guest offers clues.

Be Our GuestThe Nordstrom Way to Customer Service ExcellenceFour Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy

Have you read?

Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy by Isadore Sharp

Review: The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence

Business Biographies and Memoirs by JR MacGregor, Book Summary

Customer service is both an art and a science. At Disney, they start with a great story and design ideas to create an experience. Magic happens. Dream big dreams. Disney World opened on October 1, 1971.

There's a bond between the customer and the company forged and strengthened to create magical experiences for guests. Customers want memorable experiences. There's a lot we can learn from the Magic Kingdom.

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What is Be Our Guest About?

In Be Our Guest, you'll learn what Disney did to create its legendary service. You'll see behind-the-scenes actions and philosophies. In Biographies and Memoirs you learned that people like Richard Branson and Steve Jobs had the ability to rally employees to create impeccable products and services. Walt Disney did the same.

“Walt Disney harnessed the talents of his cast members (Disney-speak for employees) and inspired their hearts with his vision to create unparalleled entertainment experiences. He understood innately that the long-term success of his company depended upon his ability to motivate people, one day and one innovation at a time.”

Walt Disney wanted to create a new kind of amusement park. Disneyland is a show.

Defining Practical Magic

Onstage practical magic is the response customers have when everything comes together. Offstage, it's the nuts and bolts of creating practical magic. Offstage practical magic is quality service.

Quality Service: Exceed your guest's expectation by paying attention to every detail of product and service delivery.

WOW Factor

People have preconceived notions when they visit Disney. Disney has to meet and exceed those expectations. You have to meet and exceed your customers' expectations. Exceeding guests' expectations is a part of Disney's DNA. Little wows delivered consistently adds up to a big wow.

Bumping the Lamp

Pay attention to details. Disney's service is exceeding its guests' expectation and does it using the tactic of paying attention to detail. You can exceed your customers' expectation by paying attention to details, creating practical magic in the process. But this is not enough.

Quality Service Compass

The compass can be used to create a shared vision of service that aligns major elements of the organization. The Quality Service Compass has four main points.

1. Guestology.
2. Quality Standard.
3. Delivery Systems.
4. Integration.

The objective is to exceed the guest's expectation at the center of the compass.

Guestology: The art and science of knowing and understanding your customers. It's the first point on the compass. The needs, wants and perceptions, and emotions of the guests form the basis for action that takes in all the other points. Guestology provides context for Disney's service strategy.

Disney is in the business of creating happiness for people of all ages.

Quality Standard: After you've defined service goals you begin to consider quality standards. Quality Standards serve two purposes.

1. Establish criteria for actions needed to accomplish service strategy.
2. Serve as measures of Quality Service.

4 Quality Standards

1. Safety
2. Courtesy
3. Show
4. Efficiency

Delivery System

There are three service delivery systems.

1. Employees
2. Setting
3. Processes

Cast: Employees are the most important asset. They help to determine guest experience. Friendly, approachable, and a helpful cast is an important element of Disney's vision. Cast members learn performance tips during the first on-the-job experience. Create location-specific performance cultures.

1. Behaviors
2. Mannerism
3. Terms
4. Values

Setting: Setting in which you conduct business. Where your customers meet you. Manage the effect on guest experiences because this is everything. Pay attention to the details. Setting includes the environment, objects located with the environment and procedures that enhance the quality of the environment.

Processes: Processes utilize and encompass cast and setting. They comprise service delivery systems in most organizations. There are always combustion points in every process where the system breaks down. Stop these from being explosions.

Integration: Three delivery systems are aligned to create a complete operating system. Cost, setting, and process merged in pursuit of service strategy. Know and understand your customer – guestology. Find out how you can make a guest's experience more enjoyable. Learn who your guests are and what they expect from your company. You can do that via the following.

1. Polls
2. Talk to customers
3. Collect information
4. Telephone survey
5. Focus groups

Build the business for people. Use knowledge gained from guests to improve the Quality Service Compass. Customers and expectations change over time. Understand demographics and psychographics.

1. Need: obvious
2. Wants: non-obvious. Most of the time you have to uncover.
3. Stereotype: Preconceived notion the customer has about the business and industry.
4. Emotions: Feelings. Customer experiences throughout their contact with your organization.

The goal is to create a positive emotional connection with your customers. Why does your company exist? What's its common purpose? Disney creates happiness. Common purpose to create a foundation for public images of the organization. Create your own service-oriented purpose.

4 Quality Standards Revisited

1. Safety: Welfare and peace of mind of guests always provided for. Address safety concerns. Safety features are often above and beyond. Local codes are designed into the attraction, transport systems, hotels, and eateries.
2. Courtesy: Every guest is treated like a VIP. Make courtesy organization-wide behaviors.
3. Show: Seamless and exceptional entertainment. Don't interrupt the show.
4. Efficiency: Smooth operation of theme parks and resorts. Maximize guests' usage of properties. Prioritize quality standards.

Delivery on Promise

1. Cast – staff
2. Setting – physical and virtual resources of the organization. Where customers meet you.
3. Process – Series of operations used to deliver your products and services to customers.

Cast members are the first critical delivery system of the common purpose and quality standards. Graduating student – This is the ultimate goal of the school.

Performance Tips

1. Generic behaviors that cast members know how to act courteously and respect individuality of each guest.
2. Training topics
3. How to make a great first impression.
4. Effects of posture, gestures and facial expression on guests experience.
5. Make guests feel welcome.

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Final Thoughts: Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service

I loved Be Our Guest. However there's a lot of information to unpack. I think the best thing to do is to implement the strategies a little at a time. What did you like most about the way delivers customer service. Do you think these strategies would work for you? Could you construct an Integration Matrix for your business?

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