Over 10 years ago I read a book called “Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney’s Success” by Tom Connellan. It was a very entertaining book about real life examples from Disney employees (cast members) about how they do their jobs to make sure guests have an enjoyable Disney experience. This week, my family and I boarded the Disney Dream Cruise Ship and the contents of that book came flying back to me as I remembered one significant fact from the book – nobody does customer service like Disney.
Customer Service is the new Public Relations. I’ve heard several very smart people say that lately. By providing excellent customer service, a business can almost guarantee that its clients will do their public relations for them.
We all know that when we have a terrible experience at a business we just can’t wait to tell everyone about it. Now, with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, sharing our horror stories has never been easier. Fortunately, the same can be true for those excellent experiences we have with a business. I know that if I go to a restaurant and receive an amazing meal and excellent service, I am likely to tell my friends and neighbors about it.
This is why quality customer service has never been more important to a business. It only takes one disgruntled customer who knows his or her way around the blogosphere or has 100,000 followers on Twitter to give your business a black eye. This is not to say that if you make a mistake you’re doomed. The important thing is not to be perfect, but to make sure that when mistakes do happen, you handle them quickly, honestly and appropriately.
Which brings us back to Disney. Disney knows how to treat their customers (or Guests as they call them). Even when boarding the ship, it was blatantly obvious which employees were Disney employees and which worked directly for the Port. The second you board the ship, you are made to feel like royalty as your family’s name is announced and you receive a round of applause from the crew. Disney knows that it’s the “cast members” who ultimately can make or break a vacation. So these cast members are empowered to do whatever it takes to make sure the guest is happy. Sometimes that may mean finding escargot for my sister-in-law, even though the restaurant we are eating in doesn’t have it on the menu. Other times, it is as simple as making my son laugh when he is tired and grumpy after a long day. The bottom line is that these little examples of excellent customer service played a huge role in the success of my cruise. And because I had an enjoyable experience, I plan on telling a whole lot of people about my amazing Disney Cruise. Thus, I am doing their public relations for them – for free!
Disney has ruined me for all other cruise lines. Can you imagine someone saying that about your business? If you aim high and strive toward providing customer service the same way Disney does, you just might succeed.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with a Mouse!
