{"id":14498,"date":"2023-08-25T08:32:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T12:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/?p=14498"},"modified":"2023-08-25T08:32:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T12:32:17","slug":"walt-disneys-wisdom-10-customer-service-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/2023\/08\/25\/walt-disneys-wisdom-10-customer-service-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"Walt Disney’s Wisdom: 10 Customer Service Lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Disney gets the guest experience. Disney is, as mentioned above, the self-proclaimed happiest place on earth. They are also one of the most expensive places on earth, at least for vacations. They are so good at what they do that hard working people from all over the world will save their money, sometimes for several years, so that they can take their families on the trip of a lifetime. And then these families come back. Some of them again and again. How does Disney do it? The answer is rather simple: they focus on their guest. They give their \u201ccustomers\u201d a guest experience that connects emotionally and delivers value, typically far more value than the price paid. To take creative license from MasterCard\u2019s excellent commercials, a Disney vacation experience is \u2026 priceless<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just last year was Disney\u2019s 60th\u00a0anniversary. Amazing how Mickey hasn\u2019t aged a bit, and Snow White looks better than ever. During the time of Disney\u2019s celebration, I read many articles that included Walt Disney quotations and business philosophies. I actually wrote a short article with a few famous (and not so famous) quotes from Walt Disney himself and some of his characters. Since that time I\u2019ve found a few more that inspired me. So, here are some of my favorites, with some customer service and business lessons tied into them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. “If you can dream it you can do it.” \u2013Walt Disney \u2013 This is a perfect one to start with. One of the most famous Disney quotes, and great advice for anyone getting into business \u2013 and anyone who is trying to solve a customer\u2019s problem. Making customers happy sometimes requires creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” \u2013The Emperor (Mulan<\/em>) \u2013 Sometimes a customer has a complaint. Handled well, that Moment of Misery <\/em>becomes a Moment of Magic<\/em>. And, if really handled properly, the customer may even have more confidence about you because of the way you handled the situation than they might have if the problem hadn\u2019t happened at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. “Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.” \u2013Rapunzel (Tangled<\/em>) \u2013 The best companies empower their employees to make their own customer-focused decisions. Unfortunately, some companies are still reluctant to do so, primarily because they are worried employees may make the wrong decisions. I challenge those companies to venture outside their comfort zones and give their employees the power \u2013 the power to improve the customer experience. It all starts with training your employees to make good decisions, and if they make a bad judgement call, use it as a training opportunity. With the right training and management, you\u2019ll be surprised at how quickly you\u2019ll create an empowered workforce \u2013 which a reward worth the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” \u2013Rafiki (The Lion King<\/em>) \u2013 This is a perfect follow-up quote to the last one. No doubt our employees will make mistakes. Even the painful ones are learning opportunities in disguise. It is important to embrace the past to help you and your employees grow in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. “If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead. Now go up and look around!” \u2013 Gusteau (Ratatouille<\/em>) \u2013 Funny how some of these great quotes belong together. What many people hang onto is \u201chow we\u2019ve always done it\u201d, or worse, a policy manual. Sometimes you have to look beyond how things have always been done. Look for creative solutions to solve unique (and sometimes not so unique) customer requests or problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.” \u2013Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh<\/em>) \u2013 Put yourself in your customer\u2019s shoes. Show sympathy, empathy and consideration. It will help strengthen and build a strong relationship with your customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.” \u2013Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean<\/em>) \u2013 Attitude is everything. At work, and in life, we\u2019re faced with problems every day. And, it\u2019s the same for our customers. An angry customer can be turned into a loyal evangelist when the right attitude about their problems is displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. “Just because it\u2019s what\u2019s done, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s what should be done.” \u2013Cinderella (Cinderella<\/em>) \u2013 This may be one of the earliest quotes about innovative thinking, and it came from Cinderella! The way things have always been done may not always be the best way. Once again I\u2019m using that word, \u201cempowerment.\u201d Empower your employees to come up with creative solutions to problems. You\u2019ll be amazed at the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and\u2014snap!\u2014the job\u2019s a game!” \u2013Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins<\/em>) \u2013 This is so true. This reminds me of another popular saying that goes something like this: \u201cFind a job you love and you\u2019ll never work a day in your life.\u201d It\u2019s been attributed to numerous people, so I can\u2019t tell you who specifically said it (Confucius, Marc Anthony, and others), but the essence is that if you enjoy what you do, it\u2019s not dreaded, boring, a burden or unexciting. It\u2019s something you are enthusiastic about. It\u2019s something you will most likely excel in. It\u2019s something you will be proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. “Always let your conscience be your guide.” \u2013The Blue Fairy, although many think it was Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio<\/em>) \u2013 Okay, this really isn\u2019t about customer service, but it is one of my favorite Disney quotes, and so we\u2019ll end with this one. It\u2019s a rule to live by, and the message is simple: Do the right thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the facets of the Huntington prompt is enhanced customer experience, and one company that is well known for incredible guest service is the Disney Company. What from their practices could be incorporated into banking? Disney’s strategy to ensure guest loyalty is that the entire service they provide is catered to the guest completely, with enough emotional value the price they paid almost becomes obsolete (almost). Individual employees serve as the front line for customer service and experience, and they themselves are given the power to fix problems as they occur. Tradition is dangerous in this field, for it’s easy to fall into the “that’s how it’s always been done” model. But bringing in new and creative ways to help and enhance the experiences of others can and will make a huge difference. Employees should be excited to help guests, too. Because if helping others is mundane, no one is going to have a good time. My biggest takeaway from this article is that customer service and experience should be fun, exciting, and enjoyable on both sides of the counter. And businesses should trust their front-line employees to be capable of excelling at that challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hyken, S. (2016, January 16).\u00a0Walt Disney\u2019s wisdom: 10 customer service lessons<\/em>. Forbes. https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/shephyken\/2016\/01\/16\/walt-disneys-wisdom-10-customer-service-lessons\/?sh=50c9b51a7308\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disney gets the guest experience. Disney is, as mentioned above, the self-proclaimed happiest place on earth. They are also one of the most expensive places on earth, at least for vacations. They are so good at what they do that hard working people from all over the world will save their money, sometimes for several […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":14500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14501,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14498\/revisions\/14501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}