What would Walt Disney Parks and Resorts be without its Cast Members and the extraordinary level of service delivery they strive for each day? Clearly, this is critical to our continued growth and success as a business. Because of this success, we are constantly asked, “How do you do it?” And the even more interesting question may be ”How do you sustain it?”
From the start, Walt Disney knew how important it was to empower his Cast Members at Disneyland to strive for excellence and deliver outstanding service to each and every guest. In fact, Walt Disney once said, “You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world … but it requires people to make the dream a reality.”
So, how do we ensure that everyone is able to deliver on Walt’s vision?
At Disney Institute, we have found that an essential ingredient of outstanding service delivery is empowerment at all levels, coupled with thorough equipping. What do we mean by this? Most organizations understand that it’s essential to equip employees with the skills to complete the day-to-day tasks of their jobs. But those skills must be coupled with a clear understanding of purpose and how each individual fits into the “big picture” of the organization.
A best practice we’ve learned at Disney is to provide highly intentional training for all incoming Cast Members. The initial class, taken on the first day of training by each new Cast Member regardless of their role or level in the organization, is called Traditions.
Instead of first providing them the technical skills they will need to complete the tasks of their new roles, we share with them the big picture—their purpose, which is to create happiness. Sharing our common purpose empowers each and every Cast Member right from the start to begin providing outstanding service to guests.
Remember, the more empowered employees feel, the more engaged they tend to be in the technical aspects of their jobs as well as in the quality of service they provide to customers.
It makes sense, then, to empower everyone to deliver great service to customers beginning on day one.
If you’d like to learn more about how to provide extraordinary service to your customers, check out our Disney’s Approach to Quality Service professional development training course for individuals. Or bring our team to yours with a private initiative for your entire organization.
Think about it; how can you empower the people in your organization to deliver exceptional service beginning on day one?
About Disney Institute
As the trusted, authoritative voice of the Disney approach to customer experience, Disney Institute uses business insights and time-tested examples from Disney parks and resorts worldwide to train business leaders and professionals to help them improve their own organizations. For nearly three decades, Disney Institute has helped professionals positively impact their organizations and the customers they serve by focusing on key topics such as customer experience, leadership excellence, quality service, and employee engagement. Unique to Disney Institute learning experiences is the opportunity for participants to go behind the scenes in a “living laboratory” (a Disney park, resort, or operational area) to observe firsthand how Disney methodologies are operationalized and how they can be adapted and applied to other industries and business environments. To learn more, visit DisneyInstitute.com.
