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January 2009

Disney's Keys to Excellence

Great customer service starts with great employees.

Written by Rick Kahl | 0 comment

The “Disney Keys to Excellence” presentation at the Ski Areas of New York (SANY) show at Holiday Valley Sept. 10 gave winter resorts a peak behind the curtain at Disney, the king of customer care. The day-long session included everything from the big picture of corporate culture to the little details that go into hiring at Disney, and the 140 resort attendees were properly impressed.

The program led attendees through the Disney “Chain of Excellence,” which encompasses, in order: leadership excellence, cast (i.e., employee) excellence, guest satisfaction, and financial results through repeat business. The entire company is structured to install in guests both an intent to return and an intent to refer friends and family, by delivering an experience that is beyond expectations.

Disney starts by setting out a clear sense of purpose to its employees. In doing so, Disney empowers everyone in the organization to exceed the guests’ expectations. Employees whose jobs are not in a typical customer service role know that, when the occasion arises, customer service becomes part of the job. When a janitor helps a family solve a problem, that exceeds expectations and can leave a lasting impression. Every “cast member” understands that his time on stage will come.

Disney introduces its values from the beginning of the hiring process itself. Before applicants fill out a form, they are made aware of Disney’s goals and expectations. These and other steps by corporate leaders enable and encourage the cast to deliver superb customer service.

Another key management strategy is “experience mapping,” understanding every step of a guest’s experience so that the company can anticipate needs and fulfill them at every point of contact with guests. One example: most visitors lose track of where they parked the car. So Disney keeps track of which parts of the massive lot filled at which times of day, and equips greeters with that information. So long as folks remember their approximate time of arrival, the staff can direct guests to their cars. It’s a simple, low-tech solution that works.

Through this relentless pursuit of serving the customer, Disney consistently beats expectations. And that drives word of mouth and repeat business.

The presentation impressed many of attendees. “Their training is incredible, they put a very high value on their employees,” says Russ Coloton, president of Hunter Mountain. “And their employees are no different than ours. Some Disney jobs start at $7.25 an hour. But they do a good job of ingraining their culture.”

Brian Fairbank, CEO of Jiminy Peak, Mass., had a similar reaction. “As I thought about all the things we heard that day, I asked myself, ‘what’s the take-home that I can implement at Jiminy that won’t drive people crazy?’” he says. “I loved the video they showed for pre-hiring employees, which very clearly says, ‘here’s the expectation.’ So we’re developing a PowerPoint that sets that expectation and we will require employees to see it before they even fill out the paperwork. The presentation deals with things like appearance, dependence, job classifications and rates, and so forth.”

Coloton was one of several people in the audience who had gone through the more in-depth four-day program at Disney’s headquarters in Florida, and he vouched for the effectiveness of the program. He was so impressed, he sent his HR director and six other managers through the program as well.

Coloton adds that Disney succeeds in part because it does a great job of measuring results and the guest experience. Then, he says, “They do a very good job of sharing what they have learned. When they develop ways of exceeding expectations, they share those.” As one presenter said, “If you don’t train them, they train themselves. Training never stops.”

But does Disney’s example apply to winter sports? “They deal with the same issues we do,” says Coloton. “They have lots of international and entry-level employees.” The difference is the amount of training Disney does and the level of expectations it sets. Hunter HR director Myra Garcia says, “We tend to think, ‘what can you expect for $8 and hour.’ Disney expects more, and they get it.”

Disney employees are not only motivated by being part of a larger effort, but by recognition for their contributions. Disney recognizes employees for performance, of course, but also for creating guest satisfaction and for their behavior. Many of the forms of recognition are “symbols” (awards and recognition that comes with them) and experiences (adventures, trips, etc.).

That sounds doable for winter resorts, doesn’t it?