Jordan Ellis
The Walt Disney Company is renowned for its exceptional customer service, which has become a benchmark for other businesses. Disney's success in this area stems from its unique approach to hospitality, where guests are not just customers but are considered welcomed guests in a home. This philosophy, established by Walt Disney himself, transforms the transactional nature of typical customer service into a relationship-focused interaction. Disney's cast members are trained to maintain positive body language and facial expressions, ensuring that the magical guest experience remains untouched by any backstage problems. They are also empowered to address issues immediately, such as providing free replacements for dropped desserts. This commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of Disney's operations, from maintaining a clean environment to understanding guests' needs and wants. Disney continuously enhances its guest experience, ensuring that its values remain consistent with those established by its founders. This dedication to hospitality has created a strong brand loyalty, with guests leaving with fond memories and a desire to return.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Hospitality vs service | Disney focuses on hospitality, not just service. |
| Guest experience | The entire focus is on delivering an outstanding experience for their guests. |
| Consistency | The level of service is planned, purposeful, and consistent. |
| Cleanliness | Employees are expected to pick up any piece of trash they see on the grounds. |
| Problem-solving | Employees are trained to fix a problem if they can. |
| Feedback | Disney values feedback and views negative feedback as an opportunity to improve. |
| Employee recognition | They recognize employees who go above and beyond and promote from within. |
| Attention to detail | Disney pays attention to the little things, like thanking guests and offering themed areas for kids in resort lobbies. |
| Understanding guests | Disney seeks a deeper understanding of their guests' needs and wants. |
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What You'll Learn
Disney treats customers like 'guests'
Disney is renowned for offering some of the best customer service in the world. The company's philosophy centres around treating customers not as mere patrons but as honoured guests. This approach is encapsulated in the song "Be Our Guest" from the Disney film, Beauty and the Beast, where Belle is charmed by the hospitable efforts of her host, Lumiere.
This philosophy is embedded in the company's culture, with employees, or "cast members", expected to uphold it at all times. For instance, cast members are trained to maintain open and welcoming body language and facial expressions, even when they might be having a bad day. They are also expected to keep any backstage problems or concerns out of view and preserve the "magical" guest experience.
Disney's attention to detail in creating a positive guest experience is meticulous. For example, they noticed that children would get restless while their parents were checking into resort lobbies, so they introduced themed areas with kid-sized chairs and Disney cartoons to keep them entertained. Additionally, cast members are expected to pick up any trash they see and are trained to fix problems immediately. For instance, if a child drops their ice cream, employees will replace it free of charge.
Disney also ensures that guests feel valued and appreciated. Cast members are instructed to thank each guest and bid them farewell with a phrase like "Have a magical day". This simple act of gratitude can foster guest loyalty and leave a lasting positive impression.
Through these strategies, Disney transforms the typical transactional customer-business relationship into one of hospitality and warmth, where guests feel welcomed and valued, just as they would in a private home.
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Employees are trained to be open and welcoming
Walt Disney’s philosophy at Disneyland was that they didn’t have customers, they had welcome guests. Before Disneyland, amusement parks were often dirty and unsafe, with unfriendly staff. Walt wanted visitors to feel like guests in his home and expected every cast member to treat them that way. Disney's hospitality is therefore based on the idea of a guest experience, rather than a transactional service.
To deliver this, Disney employees are trained to be open and welcoming at all times. This means that any problems or concerns are kept backstage and are not allowed to affect their facial expressions or body language. Employees are expected to thank each and every guest and to preserve the "magical" guest experience.
Disney's culture sets the expectation for leaders to continually seek a deeper understanding of their guests' needs and wants. They do this by walking and watching their processes, as well as inviting their cast members to become a part of the process as a guest. Disney also values feedback and recognises employees who go above and beyond.
Disney's strong service culture is formed and sustained through deliberate processes and expectations that are woven into the fabric of the organisation. This means that every single cast member knows they play a special role in delivering and preserving the Disney magic.
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The company focuses on delivering an outstanding experience
Disney doesn't just want to provide good customer service in certain areas of its business; it wants to provide excellent service across the board. This is achieved through a carefully constructed plan that is consistently followed. The company's philosophy is that its visitors are not customers, but welcome guests in Walt Disney's home.
Every cast member is expected to treat guests as they would people in their own home. Disney's culture sets the expectation for leaders to continually seek a deeper understanding of their guests' needs and wants. This is achieved through a number of strategies, such as playing the role of the guest to truly understand their journey, observing guest behaviour at each point in the process, and inviting cast members to become a part of the process as a guest. Regular discussions are held to talk about findings.
Disney also focuses on the small details. For example, cast members are expected to pick up any piece of trash they see on the grounds, no matter how small. They are trained to fix problems if they can. This means that if a child walks a few feet away from a stand after buying a Dole Whip ice cream and drops it, employees are trained to replace the dessert free of charge. Disney also values feedback, viewing negative comments as an opportunity to improve.
The entire focus is on delivering an outstanding experience for their guests. Every single cast member knows that they play a special role in delivering and preserving the Disney magic. For example, complaining about personal or job-related issues while in front of guests is unacceptable. Guests should never see backstage areas such as broom closets or break rooms.
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Disney values feedback and acts on it
Walt Disney’s philosophy was that visitors to Disneyland were not customers but welcome guests in his home. Disney's hospitality is centred around this idea of making guests feel welcomed and valued.
For example, cast members at Disney Resorts noticed that kids were getting restless while waiting for their parents to check in. To address this, Disney Resorts now offer themed areas in the lobby just for kids, with kid-sized chairs and themed TVs that show Disney cartoons.
Disney also focuses on the small details that can make a big difference in the guest experience. Employees are expected to pick up any piece of trash they see on the grounds, no matter how small. They are also trained to fix problems if they can. For instance, if a child drops their ice cream, employees are trained to replace it free of charge. These small gestures can lead to guest loyalty and a positive impression of the Disney brand.
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Employees are trained to fix problems
Disney is known for offering some of the best customer service in the world. This is the result of a carefully constructed plan that is strictly followed. Disney wants to provide excellent customer service in all areas.
Disney's philosophy is that they don't have customers, they have welcome guests. Before Disneyland, amusement parks were often dirty and unsafe, staffed by unfriendly employees. Walt Disney's vision was for Disneyland's visitors to feel that they were guests in his home, and he expected every cast member to treat them accordingly. This was not going to be a transactional or "service" mindset. At Disneyland, the focus is on interaction and relationships, i.e., "hospitality."
Disney's culture sets the expectation for leaders to continually seek a deeper understanding of their guests' needs and wants. They do this by walking their processes, watching their processes, inviting their cast members to become a part of the process as a guest, and discussing their findings regularly with their team.
Disney also values feedback and views negative feedback as an opportunity to improve. They recognize employees who go above and beyond and try to promote from within.
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Frequently asked questions
Disney's hospitality is centred around the idea of guests instead of customers. This means that every cast member is expected to treat guests as though they are welcoming them into their own home. This philosophy, pioneered by Walt Disney, is reflected in the company's meticulous attention to detail and commitment to delivering an outstanding experience for their guests.
Disney prioritises the guest experience above all else. Cast members are trained to maintain positive body language and facial expressions at all times, and personal or job-related complaints are not allowed in front of guests. Disney also continuously improves its processes by seeking feedback and making changes accordingly.
Disney goes above and beyond to create a magical atmosphere for its guests. This includes entertaining children in resort lobbies with themed areas, ensuring the park is always clean, and surprising guests with small gestures, such as replacing a dropped ice cream free of charge. Disney also understands its guests' needs and wants and uses this knowledge to deliver a personalised experience.
