I recently wrote an article about sweating the small stuff – in other words, excellent customer service is in the details. I ended the article with the thought, “Take care of your service pennies and the service dollars will take themselves.” In my opinion, there’s no company out there better at living this mantra than Disney. They are fanatical at paying attention to the details. I saw this dogged attention to details a few years ago when I went through their “Quality Service in HealthCare” training onsite at Disneyworld in Orlando. We covered so many ideas and tactics during the three day session. Some of the messages were global, referring to the overall culture of the organization. Other thoughts were more defined, tactical in nature. One tactic that had a huge impact on me was something the folks at Disney call the “Ten Finger Lean.” The lean was briefly mentioned and demonstrated (probably a minute or less during the presentation) to help illustrate the point that Disney wants their employees to always appear ready and inviting. Disney recognizes that their employees get tired and hot (it is Florida), but they do not want the visitors to see it. Most companies would tell their employees the importance of looking professional and advise them to stand up straight at all times, but that’s where it would end. Disney prefers to train their employees, to give them the tools necessary to be successful. The trainer placed both hands behind her back, spread her fingers against the wall and leaned back slightly. She explained that this position allowed her to rest without slouching, to maintain a professional appearance. That’s right – Disney teaches their employees how to lean. Disney sweats the small stuff. I’ve told this story a lot of times and I routinely hear people say “Well, we’re not Disney,” rationalizing in their head that their business is not a theme park so they operate on a different playing field than Disney. But they have missed the point, a point the Disney sees all too clearly. Disney is a service industry, plain and simple. Their goal is to provide the best service possible, to make a “magical” experience for the customer. If you are in a service industry, you better believe that some aspect of your business is being compared to Disney. Are you making every moment magical?
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Sam Murray
Award-winning Graphic Designer and Writer Archives
February 2015
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