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TableofContentsForewordbyTomStaggsIntroductionChapter1:Disney'sApproachtoQualityServiceChapter2:TheMagicofServiceChapter3:TheMagicofCastChapter4:TheMagicofSettingChapter5:TheMagicofProcessChapter6:TheMagicofIntegrationAbouttheAuthorsEndNotes

Alwaysremember,themagicbeginswithyou.

ForewordBYTOMSTAGGS

Likemostcastmembers,IlovehearingfrommyfriendsandfamilyaftertheytakeaDisneyvacation.AsthechairmanofWaltDisneyParksandResorts,Iwanttoknoweverythingabouttheirtrip—wheretheystayed,theshowstheysaw,theattractionstheyrode,therestaurantstheyvisited,andthefoodtheyate.Butmorethananything,Iwanttohearexactlyhowourcastmembersmadethemfeelthroughouttheirvisit.

Whilewemaybeknownforourcastles,mountains,cruiseships,andhotels,IbelievethatoneofthethingsthatmostsetsDisneyapartisourcast—andit’stheirspecial,individualized,andunscriptedinteractionswithgueststhatcreatethemostmemorableDisneymoments.

Bigorsmall,thoseinteractionsareoftencapturedintheletterswereceivefromourguestseveryday.Infact,readingthoselettersisoneofthemostenjoyablepartsofmyjob.Theydon’talwaysmentiontheirfavoriteattraction,show,ormeal,buttheyalmostalwaystellusaboutacastmemberwhomadetheirexperienceunforgettable.

ThisistrueforguestsIrunintointheparksaswell.Theylovetellingmeallaboutthecastmemberswhohavemadeadifferenceintheirvisit.Buttheyalsoseemtohaveoneinevitablequestionforme.

“HowdoesDisneydoit?”Ofcourse,myfirstanswerisalways,“It’smagic.”Thisgetsmixed

reactions.Someacceptthisanswerwithasmileandgivemealookthatsays,“Iknewyouweregoingtosaythat.”

Others,however,pressharderforconcreteanswers,astheygenuinelywanttoknowthesecretstohowwecreatethatmagic.Someofthemhavebusinessesoftheirown,withaworkforcetomotivate,customerstheyneedtoplease,and

oftheirown,withaworkforcetomotivate,customerstheyneedtoplease,andproductstheywanttobevaluableandrelevant.

Theywanttoknowexactly,stepbystep,whatwedotomakeeachpersonfeelspecialthroughoutaDisneyvacation.Theywanttoknowwhyourcastmembersarealwayssmiling—howtheymaintaintheenthusiasm,creativity,andabilitytotransportgueststoaplaceoffantasyandadventurewhilesimultaneouslymakingthemfeelrightathome.

MostarequiteshockedwhenItellthemthatitisn’tasecretatall.Infact,wepublishabook—thisbook—describingpreciselyhowwecreateanddeliveraworld-classguestexperience.

AndasyoureadthroughBeOurGuest,you’llseethatourmagicisbothanartandascience.Westartwithagreatstoryanddesignideastocreateanexperience.Weimplementtrainingandprocesseslikeanywell-runcompanytomakesurethatweoperatesafelyandefficiently.Andwerelyontheintuitivehospitalityandfriendlinessofouroutstandingcasttomakeeachguestfeellikewehavedesignedtheplacejustforthem.Asaresult,afterseveraldecadesofpractice,wehavecombinedthisartandthissciencetobuildacultureofworld-famousstorytellingandlegendaryguestservice.

Creatingthebestpossibleexperienceforourgueststosharewithfamily,friends,lovedones,andcolleaguesistheessenceofwhatwedo,anditdefineswhoweare.

Individualstories,attractions,andexperiencesmaychangeovertime,buttheexpectationtodeliveramagicalguestexperienceistimeless.Itisourdreamandourmissiontokeepthatmagicalive,toexceedthoseexpectations,andtowelcomepeoplearoundtheworldtobeourguestsforyearstocome.

Sincerely,

TomStaggsChairmanWaltDisneyParksandResorts

IntroductionInthisvolatilebusinessofours,wecanillaffordtorestonourlaurels,eventopauseinretrospect.Timesandconditionschangesorapidlythatwemust

keepouraimconstantlyfocusedonthefuture.—WaltDisney

WaltDisneyharnessedthetalentsofhiscastmembers(Disney-speakforemployees)andinspiredtheirheartswithhisvisiontocreateunparalleledentertainmentexperiences.Heunderstoodinnatelythatthelong-termsuccessofhiscompanydependeduponhisabilitytomotivatepeople,onedayandoneinnovationatatime.

Theyear2011notonlycommemoratesthe110thanniversaryofWalt’sbirth,italsomarksanotherimportantanniversaryforTheWaltDisneyCompany:the25thyearofproviding“TheDisneyApproach”professionaldevelopmentprogramstoorganizationsworldwide.TensofthousandsofbusinesspractitionersinvirtuallyeveryindustryandcountryhaveexperiencedDisneyInstituteoverthepastquartercentury.TheyhavefoundthatDisneyInstituteprogramsdomuchmorethanprovideasubstantiallearningopportunity.Theseprogramsinspireparticipantstoseethemselves,theirorganizations,andtheworldatlargeinanentirelynewlight—usingDisneybestpracticesastheirbeacon.

Fromourearliestdays,educationhasbeenahallmarkofourcompany.ItwasWalthimselfwhosaid,“Wehavealwaystriedtobeguidedbythebasicideathat,inthediscoveryofknowledge,thereisgreatentertainment—as,conversely,inallgoodentertainment,thereisalwayssomegrainofwisdom,humanity,orenlightenmenttobegained.”ThisphilosophyisdeeplyembeddedinallDisneyInstituteprogramming.

WhenTomPetersandBobWatermanprofiledTheWaltDisneyCompany

(thenWaltDisneyProductions)intheirgroundbreaking1984bookandcompanionvideo,InSearchofExcellence,corporateeyesturnedtoDisneyasacompanythatsetsthebenchmarkforbestbusinesspractices.Tofacilitatethebenchmarkingprocess,theWaltDisneyWorldResortin1986createdaprogramcalled“TheDisneyApproachtoPeopleManagement.”

ButthecorporatethirstforinformationaboutthecriticalsuccessfactorsthatdriveDisney’sgrowthcouldnotbequenchedbyonetopic.Soovertheyears,newprogramswerecreatedaroundDisney’soverallapproachtobusinessexcellence,includingcreativity,leadership,customerservice,andbrandloyalty.In1996,theseprofessionaldevelopmentprogramsbecamethecoreofDisneyInstitute,andremainsotoday.

Sincethen,DisneyInstitutehasworkedwithcompaniesaroundtheworld,includingmanyFortune500companies,governmentagencies,andphilanthropic,educational,andhealth-careinstitutions.Wehaveestablishedasignificantpresenceinthetrainingworldbasedonourabilitiestoappealtoleadersinabroadrangeoforganizationsandtocustomizeourcontentintoprogramsthatuniquelyconnectparticipantstotheirownheritage,values,people,andguests.

Whileworkplacetrendscomeandgo,businesseswillalwaysneedtofindnewandcreativewaystomobilizethebrainpower,passion,andcreativeenergiesoftheirworkforce.Andthat’swhatDisneyInstituteisallabout.

Inthisbook,theupdated10thanniversaryeditionofBeOurGuest,wetakeyoubehindthescenestodiscoverDisneybestpracticesandphilosophiesinaction.Weprovideyouwithaninsider’sglimpseoftheQualityServiceprinciplesinactionbothatTheWaltDisneyCompany,astoldfromtheperspectivesandexperiencesofcastmembersfromaroundtheworld,andinotherorganizations,astoldbyexecutiveswhohaveparticipatedinDisneyInstituteprograms.

Walt’sfundamentalsforsuccessstillringtrue.Youbuildthebestproductyoucan.Yougivepeopleeffectivetrainingtosupportthedeliveryofexceptionalservice.Youlearnfromyourexperiences.Andyoucelebratesuccess.Youneverstopgrowing.Youneverstopbelieving.

Wehopethisbookwillsparknewlevelsofperformance,productivity,andprideinsideyourorganizationbysharingsomeofwhathasmadeourcompanyalegendarysuccessovertheyears.ButthisbookisonlyasnapshotofhowwemakemagiceverydayatTheWaltDisneyCompany.Wewelcomeyoutoexperienceourprogramsforyourself.

Wethankoureditor,WendyLefkonofDisneyEditions,forbeingthe

Wethankoureditor,WendyLefkonofDisneyEditions,forbeingtheguidingforceinmakingthisprojectareality.WethankTedKinniforcraftingourstory.Wethankourclientsforsharingtheirstorieswithourreaders.Mostofall,wethankthemanythousandsofWaltDisneycastmembersfortheircontinualeffortstomakeadifferencewithguestsandwitheachothereveryday.

JeffJames,VicePresident

CHAPTER1

Disney’sApproachtoQualityService

KelvinBaileywasbeginningtosuspectthathisbossmightnotbeplayingwithafulldeck.“Wedrovetenortwentymilesandwegotintothisnasty,wastedcountry,”herecalls.“Water,swamps,jungle,alligators.Ithought,‘He’sgottobeoutofhismind—thisisnothing!Wateruptoourknees!’Youcouldn’thavegivenmetheland.”

Itwasthemid-1960s,andKelvin,corporatepilotforWaltDisneyProductions,wasstandingwithWaltDisneyintheCentralFloridawilderness,justsouthwestofOrlando.Waltwasintheprocessofbuying30,000acres,or47squaremiles,thatwouldcometobeknownastheWaltDisneyWorldResort.Eventhoughhewouldnotlivetoseetheparkdeveloped,WalthadnotroubleimaginingitamidtheFloridascrub.HepointedoutMainStreet,U.S.A.,Fantasyland,andothernonexistentfeaturestothethoroughlyastoundedpilot.1ButevenamasterofcreativitylikeWaltprobablyneverimaginedthefullextentofwhathasbecometheworld’snumber-onethemeparkcomplexor,forthatmatter,thegrowthofthecompanythathelikedtoremindpeople“wasallstartedbyamouse.”

Tobesure,Waltwascapableofbigdreams.Underhisdirection,theDisneyStudioshadbecometheworldleaderinthefieldofanimatedfilms.Thefirstthemepark,Disneyland,wastheembodimentofWalt’spersonalvision,anditwasWaltwhomadetheDisneybrandsynonymouswiththefinestinfamilyentertainment.Buteventhoseaccomplishmentsweresimplyafoundationforthecompany’seventualsuccess.Walt’smousewouldroar.

“NonameshinesmorebrightlyinfamilyentertainmentthanDisney,”wroteChairmanandCEORobertIgerinhisannuallettertoshareholdersinJanuary2011.2AsnapshotofDisneyatthedawnofthenewfiscalyearrevealedtheworld’slargestmediacompany,withfivemajorbusinesses:medianetworks,

parksandresorts,studioentertainment,consumerproducts,andinteractivemedia.

ThemedianetworkbusinessisanchoredbytheABCTelevisionNetwork,whichreaches99percentofallU.S.householdsandownstenstations,sixofwhicharelocatedinthenation’stoptenmarkets.Itincludescablenetworks,suchasESPN,DisneyChannel,SOAPnet,andanownershipstakeinA&EandLifetime,andalsothethirty-seven-stationDisneyRadioNetwork.TheparksandresortsbusinessoperateseleventhemeparksatfiveresortsintheU.S.,Europe,andAsiaaswellastheDisneyVacationClub,DisneyCruiseLine,andAdventuresbyDisney,whichconductsguidedvacationtours.Thestudioentertainmentbusinessincludesfeaturefilms,homeentertainment,televisiondistribution,theDisneyMusicGroup,andDisneyTheatricalProductions.Theconsumerbusinessincludesmerchandiselicensing,publishing,andtheDisneyStoreretailchain,withmorethan350stores.Theinteractivemediabusiness,thenewestinthecompany,isextendingtheDisneybrandintogamesandonlineservices.

Disney’sbusinessesgeneratedmorethan$38billioninannualrevenueand$7.6billioninoperatingincomein2010.WaltandRoyDisneywouldsurelyhavebeenastonishedbythesefiguresandthegrowthoftheircompany.In1966,theyearWaltdied,thecompany’sentireprofitwaslessthan$12million.Thatsameyear,WaltandRoybrieflyconsideredmergingthecompanywithGeneralElectricorWestinghouseinordertoraisetheestimated$100millionincapitalneededtobuildWaltDisneyWorld.Today,Disney’sever-growingparksandresortbusinessproducesmorethan$10billioninannualrevenueinitsownright.In2009,Disneythemeparksoccupiedthefirsteightofthetoptenslotsintheindustry.Thankstotheinsightandvisionofitsfounderandvisionary,theWaltDisneyWorldResortisthelargestofthemall.

Sinceitopened,onOctober1,1971,WaltDisneyWorldhasexpandedtoencompassfourthemeparks,twowaterparks,thirty-fourhotels(includingthoseownedbyothercompanies)withapproximately28,000rooms,andovertwohundredrestaurantsandeateries.ItincludesDowntownDisney—anentertainmentandshoppingdistrict—andadedicatedweddingpavilionattheGrandFloridianResort&SpaneartheMagicKingdom(morethanathousandcouplestietheknotatWaltDisneyWorldeachyear).

Thisisagood-sizecitylocatedinanareaabouttwicethesizeofManhattan.WaltDisneyWorldoperateseverydayoftheweek,yearround,andisthelargestsingle-siteemployerintheU.S.Itisrunbyaworkforceofmorethan62,000castmembers—that’sDisney-speakforemployees.Thecast

entertainsandotherwiseservesmillionsofguests(that’sright,Disney-speakforcustomers)everyyear.Thiscitycanhavehundredsofthousandsofpeopleinitonacrowdedday.(Togetanideaofthescale,considerthatthereareahalfdozenphysiciansworkingatWaltDisneyWorldwhoarededicatedsolelytotheguests.)Theenergythatpowersthiscity?Magic.

PRACTICALMAGIC

Magicisnotawordthatismuchusedinthecorporateworld.Itisnotlistedonthestandardbalancesheet(althoughyoucouldsaythataccountingintangiblessuchasgoodwillincludemagic).Youraccountingstaffisprobablynotmeasuringmagic’sreturnoninvestmentnorisitamortizingmagicoverthirtyyears.Magicis,however,acommonwordintheexecutivesuitesatTheWaltDisneyCompany.

“Ourguestswanttobeamazed,delighted,andentertained,”saysBobIger.“TheyarelookingforthekindofmagicthatwilltransportthemfromtheireverydaylivesintoworldsthatcanonlybecreatedbyDisney.”

Thisisnotanewtheme.Bob’spredecessor,MichaelEisner,alsolikedtotalkaboutmagic.“ThemagicofaDisneyvacation,”hesaid,“istomethemagicofquality,themagicofinnovation,themagicofbeauty,themagicoffamiliescomingtogether,themagicofourcastmembers.Allofthesethingskindofbundletogether.”3

JustbecauseyoucannotassignanumericvaluetomagicdoesnotmeanthatitisnotplayingapowerfulroleatDisneyandinothercompaniesaroundtheworld.Infact,itiseasytoseetheeffectsofmagiconbusiness,particularlyataplacelikeWaltDisneyWorld.Justwatchtheguests.ObservethetoddlerwhoseturnhascometomeetMickeyMouse,life-sizeandinperson;theteenagerwhohasjustemergedfromTheTwilightZoneTowerofTerror’sthirteen-storyfreefall;ortheparentswhogetbacktothehotelafteralongdayandfindaWinniethePoohplushdollwithcookiesandmilkpatientlywaitingonthebedfortheirchild.Eachisamagicmomentinwhichthebondbetweencustomerandcompanyisforgedandstrengthened.AndeachcontributesanothersmallboosttoWaltDisneyWorld’sreturncustomerrateofaround70percent.

Buttheeffectsofmagicarenotrestrictedtothethemeparkresorts.TheyareequallyvisibleintheeyesofmoviegoersastheywatchfilmscreatedatDisneysubsidiaryPixarAnimationStudios—filmssuchasToyStory3,Up,andWALL-E,whichwontheAcademyAwardforBestAnimatedFeaturein2008.

AndinthesmilesofshoppersastheyinteractwithcastmembersinDisney’sflagshipstoreinTimesSquareinNewYorkCity.TheycanbeheardintheyellsofpassengersridingtheuniqueAquaDuckonboardwatercoasterontheDisneyCruiseLines’newestship,theDisneyDream.AndincheersandgroansofthemillionsoffootballfanswhogathertogethertowatchMondayNightFootballonESPN.

Thiskindofmagichasaqualitythatleadstosuperiororganizationalperformance.Eachmagicalmomentbuildsguestsatisfactionandincreasesbrandloyalty—andthesearefundamentalsourcesoforganizationalgrowthandsuccess.

Butthinkaboutamagicshow.Totheaudience,theshowelicitsfeelingsofwonderandsurprise.Mostofthosewatchinghavenoideahowthemagicianiscreatingtheeffectstheyarewitnessingonthestage.Notknowinghowanillusioniscreatedandsimplyenjoyingtheshowareabigpartofthefun.Themagician’sperspectiveiscompletelydifferent.Tothemagician,theshowisahighlypracticalprocessmadeupofaseriesofmeticulouslyplanned,well-rehearsedstepsthataredesignedtodelighttheaudience.

ThisistrueatTheWaltDisneyCompanyandatallotherorganizationsthatcreatemagicalcustomerexperiences—whetherthecustomersareconsumers,tourists,patients,students,orotherorganizations.Thehappysurprisethatawell-servedcustomerfeelsisaresultofhardworkonthepartoftheorganizationanditsemployees.Forthecustomer,themagicisasourceofwonderandenjoyment.Fortheorganization,magicisamuchmorepracticalmatter.

“Disneyreallyhaspracticalmagicfiguredout.Notthatwegetitperfecteverytime,butwecomevery,veryclosealotofthetime,”explainedMichaelEisnerinHarvardBusinessReviewin2000.“Youcangoanywhereintheworldandseethatinaction.GovisitAnimalKingdominOrlandoortakeoneofourcruiseshipstotheDisneyisland,CastawayCay.Ifyoulookatpeople’sfaces,you’llseethatDisneystillknowshowtosweeppeopleofftheirfeet,outoftheirbusyorstress-filledlives,andintoexperiencesfilledwithwonderandexcitement.”4

Foryears,Disneycastmemberstalkedof“sprinklingpixiedust”tocreatemagicalexperiencesfortheirguests.ButthereisnolineitemforpixiedustonanyDisneyexpensereport.Thepixiedustistheshowthathasbeencreated—ashowthatrunsattheDisneyparksfromthemomentguestsarriveuntiltheyleaveforhome.

Inthisbook,asintheopeningsequenceofTheWonderfulWorldofDisneythatsomanyofuswatchedontelevisionontheSundaynightsofouryouths,wewillpullbackthecurtainandtakealookatthemakingofDisney’spracticalmagic.Wewillexplorehowthecompanyhasbeenabletosetaworld-classbenchmarkformagicalservice,whatthemainingredientsofitspixiedustreallyare,and,mostimportant,howyoucancreateyourownbrandofpracticalmagicinyourorganization.

MAGICINYOURORGANIZATION

Chancesareverygoodthatyouarenotworkingforathemeparkoramoviestudioorasportsnetwork.Perhapsyourcompanymakescomponentsforairplanesorsellsbusiness-to-businesssoftwareonline.Orperhapsyouaren’tinbusinessatall.Youmayworkinaschool,not-for-profithospital,orgovernmentagency.Perhaps,atfirstglance,Disney’smagicdoesnotseemtohaveaplaceinthosetypesoforganizations.Perhapsitistimetobroadenyourperspective.

Clearly,allorganizationsneedcustomer-friendlyemployees.Infact,thenumber-onequestionthatDisneyInstitute’scorporateclienteleasksusis“Canyoumakeourpeoplenice?”ButDisneyhasmuchmoreincommonwithotherorganizations,largeandsmall.DisneyInstitutefacilitatorsandconsultantsuseasimpleexercisetohelpguests(inthiscase,thehundredsofthousandsofpeoplefrommorethanthirty-fivecountriesandfortyindustrieswhohaveattendedDisneyInstituteprograms)understandhowsimilarDisneyactuallyistotheirownorganizations.What,theyask,arethechallengesyourorganizationsarefacing?Theanswersusuallycomefastandfurious:theeconomiccycle,increasedcompetition,adearthofwell-qualifiedjobapplicants,learningtopartnereffectively,customersatisfaction,andsoon.Itisafamiliarlist.Disney,thefacilitatorsrespond,facestheexactsamechallenges:

Economicdownturnsconstrainspendingandcanthreatentheverysurvivaloforganizations.Thisisespeciallytrueinindustrysegmentssuchasmedia,whichreliesonadvertisingandsubscriptionfees,andentertainment,whichreliesonthediscretionaryspendingofconsumers.Disney’sbusinessesarelocatedsquarelyinthosesegments.

Successbreedscompetition,andthecompetitionisashotasever.Inthethemeparkbusiness,forexample,onerivaltoWaltDisneyWorldinvestedover$1billionin2009and2010.NorisWaltDisneyWorld’scompetition

restrictedtothemeparkoperators:whenexecutivesfromHarley-Davidson,Inc.attendedprogramsatDisneyInstitute,theysuggestedthattheircompanywasaDisneycompetitorbecausebothcompaniesvieforconsumers’discretionaryincome.

Noorganizationcansucceedwithoutagreatworkforce.TheWaltDisneyCompanyemploysalmost150,000peopleworldwide.WaltDisneyWorldaloneemploys62,000people,whoareworkingundertencollectivebargainingagreementswiththirty-twoseparateunionsandin1,500differentjobclassifications.Hiring,training,managing,andretainingsuchalargeworkforceisahugeundertaking.

Noorganizationcangoitalonethesedays.Theneedtoprovideguestswithanever-greaterdiversityofproducts,services,andexperienceshasledTheWaltDisneyCompanytoseekoutnewpartnersaroundtheworld.WorkingeffectivelywithsuchpartnersisessentialinordertomaintainDisneystandardsandbrands,aswellasbusinessresults.

Finally,thereistheclassicserviceconundrum.Customerretentionrequirescustomersatisfaction,butcustomersatisfactionisamovingtarget.Customersasawholearemoredemandingthaneverbefore,andrightlyso.Further,delightingtherepeatguestsonwhomTheWaltDisneyCompanydependsforitsfuturesuccessmeansthatthecompanymustraisethebarateverycustomertouchpoint.

TheaverageorganizationhasmoreincommonwithDisneythanjustbusinesschallenges.Underneaththetrappingsofeveryorganization,wearealldrivingtowardthesamegoal:servingthepeoplewhopurchaseanduseourproductsandservices.Weallmustsatisfyourguests—andconvincethemtoreturnandrecommendustoothers—orrisklosingtheminthelongrun.

Evenmanufacturingcompanies,whichweretraditionallyproduct-focused,havecometotherealizationthattheyarealsointheservicebusiness.Infact,thereareservice-basedprocessesineverybusiness.Wetakeorders,creategoodstosuitspecificneeds,anddeliverthemaccordingtothecustomer’sinstructions.Everyoneiscustomer-facing—eveniftheircustomersareinternal.Everyoneneedstoknowhowtocreateservicemagic.

Finally,asstrangeasthismightsound,thesedaysweareallinshowbusiness.IntheirinfluentialHarvardBusinessSchoolPressbookThe

ExperienceEconomy,B.JosephPineIIandJamesGilmorearguedthatwe’dseenthedemiseoftheIndustrialEconomy,whichwasfocusedsolelyontheefficientproductionofgoods.Further,theysaidthatwewerepastthepeakoftheServiceEconomy,whichwrappedproductsinbundlesofservicestomakethemmoreattractivetocustomers.

Now,saidtheauthors,weareinanewageofcompetitionthattheycalledtheExperienceEconomy.Goodsandservicesaresimplypropstoengagethecustomerinthisnewera.Customerswantmemorableexperiences,andcompaniesmustbecomestagersofexperiences.

Hereistheneatpart.PineandGilmoredescribedtheephemeralnatureofexperiencesasfollows:“However,whiletheworkoftheexperiencestagerperishesuponitsperformance(preciselytherightword),thevalueoftheexperiencelingersinthememoryofanyindividualwhowasengagedbytheevent.”Soundsalotlikepracticalmagic,doesn’tit?TheywentontouseDisneyasanexampleofanotableexperiencestager.“Mostparents,”theywrote,“don’ttaketheirkidstoWaltDisneyWorldjustfortheeventitselfbutrathertomakethesharedexperiencepartoftheeverydayfamilyconversationformonths,andevenyears,afterward.”5

ItiseasytopictureWaltDisneynoddinginagreementwiththeseideas.Aswe’lldiscussinmoredepthlater,whenWaltthrewhisenergiesintothecreationofDisneylandintheearly1950s,hewastotallyconcentratedontheguestexperience.Infact,theveryideaforDisneylandwasgerminatedduringtheSaturdaytripstoamusementparksthatWaltmadewithhistwodaughters.Inthosedays,amusementparkswereslightlydisreputableandoftendirtyandinpoorcondition.Whilehewaitedforhisdaughterstofinishtheirrides,thesuccessfulanimatorbegantowatchtheothercustomersandhowtheyreactedtotheparks.Heaskedhimself,howcouldthisexperiencebeimprovedfortheentirefamily?

Walt’sanswerwastocreateanewkindofamusementpark,andsincethatbeginning,Disneylandandallofthecompany’sthemeparkshavebeenintenselyfocusedontheguestexperience.WhenyoutalktoDisneycastmembersabouttheparks,youwillhearthemdescribedas“livingmovies,”moviesinwhichthegueststhemselvesparticipate.Asifnomoreelaborationwasneeded,Walthimselfsimplysaid,“Disneylandisashow.”6Withtheinfusionofsomepracticalmagic,yourbusinesscouldbe,too.

DEFININGPRACTICALMAGIC

TheDisneythemeparksandtheirmanycastmembersmakeacleardistinctionbetweenbeingonstageandoffstage.InDisney-speak,castmembersareonstagewhenevertheyareinthepublicareasoftheparksandinfrontofguests.Theyareoffstagewhentheyarebehindthescenesandoutoftheirguests’sight.

Practicalmagicalsohasitsonstageandoffstagecomponents.Inthiscase,theonstagecomponentofpracticalmagicistheresponsethatitproducesinguestswheneverythingcomestogetherintoaseamless,seeminglyeffortlessperformance.Theoffstage,orbackstage,componentiscomprisedofthenutsandboltsofcreatingpracticalmagic.Itincludesalloftheoperationsthatadduptoonstagemagic.Wearegoingtospendmostofthisbookexploringthatoffstagecomponent,whichDisneycallsQualityService.Topushthetheatermetaphoronestepfurther,youcanthinkofpracticalmagicasthestagenameforQualityService,theless-glitzygivennamefortheworkthatproducesthemagic.

BeforeweexplorethecomponentsofserviceatDisneyandhowtheycometogether,weshouldbeclearaboutwhatwemeanbyQualityService.Happily,itisajargon-free,easy-to-understanddefinition:QualityServicemeansexceedingyourguests’expectationsbypayingattentiontoeverydetailofthedeliveryofyourproductsandservices.

Ifthisdefinitionseemslessthanastounding,thinkabouthowyoufeelwhenyoulearnhowamagictrickisaccomplished.Suddenly,itallseemssosimple.Likeamagicshow,thereisnomysticalincantationbehindDisney’ssuccess,andanyonecanlearnandadaptthecompany’sformulaforpracticalmagic.ThechallengecomesfromlivinguptothetworequirementsoftheQualityServicedefinition.Thatismuchmoredifficult.

TheWowFactor

ThereisonethingthateveryguestbringswhentheyvisitDisneythemeparksandpurchaseDisneyproducts—expectations,oftenveryhighexpectations.“Wowing”guests,toborrowawordfromTomPeters,meansnotonlymeetingthesepreconceivednotionsofwhataDisneyvacationorfilmortoyshouldbe,butexceedingthem.Inthesameway,youmustfirstmeetandthenexceedtheexpectationsofyourcustomersifyouaregoingtobuildareputationforQualityService.

Manycompanieswowtheircustomersonoccasion.Anemployeegoesaboveandbeyondthecallofduty,solvesaproblem,andearnssomehigh-profilegratitudefromacustomer.Maybethatemployeewillgetapremiumparkingspotforamonthoracertificateforpizza.Thestorywillbetoldand

parkingspotforamonthoracertificateforpizza.Thestorywillbetoldandretoldandwillperhapsbeaddedtocorporatelore—butthenit’sbacktobusinessasusual.

AtDisney,exceedingguests’expectationsisthestandardcallofduty.IfyoustudytheDisneythemeparks,youcanseehowthatworksonmyriadoccasionseachday.Itshowsupinthewillingnessofarestauranthostesstonotonlyprovidedirectionswhenyouarelostbuttoleaveherposttoguideyoutoyourdestination.Itappearsattheendofsomelate-nightshoppingwhenthecashiertakesthetimetofindoutwhoyouareandwhereyouarestayingandthenrecommendsthefreeboatridebacktoyourhotelandoffersamaptothedock.InDisneyInstituteprograms,facilitatorsarenotsurprisedastheylistentotheirgueststellstoriesliketheseeachmorning.“That’sthecast’sjob,”istheirpithyresponse.Infact,itisthisplethoraoflittlewows,manyofwhichseemfairlyinsignificantatthetime,onwhichQualityServicedepends.Ifthelittlewowsaredeliveredconsistentlyandcontinuously,theyadduptoabigWOW!

Aswewillsee,superlativeface-to-faceserviceisjustoneelementintheworkofexceedingguestexpectations.Itmeanspayingcloseattentiontoeveryaspectoftheguestexperience.Itmeansanalyzingthatexperiencefromtheguest’sperspective,understandingtheneedsandwantsoftheguest,andcommittingeveryelementofthebusiness—fromthedesignofeachelementoftheinfrastructuretotheinteractionbetweenguestandcast—tothecreationofanexceptionalexperience.

BumpingtheLamp

Thereisacorporate-wideobsessiontodetailatDisney.Waltwasfamousforhiseyefordetail,andhemadesurethateveryonepaidthesameattentionthathedid.

Theseedsofthecompany’sobsessionwereplantedduringitsearlyyears,whenitsonlybusinesswasthemakingofanimatedfilms.Animationbyhandremainsarigorousarttoday.Twenty-fourframespersecond,eachastillportraitofthatfractionalmoment,mustcometogethertocreateanentirestory,acompleteworlddesignedandpopulatedwithcharacters.Theabilitytocapturethemindsandemotionsoftheaudiencemembersisentirelydependentonthedepthandconsistencyoftheanimator’svision.Thereisnofamousactortocarrytheweight,nospectacularnaturalsetting.

Waltbroughttheattentiontodetailinherentintheanimator’sarttoallofhiscompany’sventures,andthattraditioncarriesthroughtothepresentday.It

hiscompany’sventures,andthattraditioncarriesthroughtothepresentday.Ithasbeenreferredtoas“bumpingthelamp.”

BumpingthelampwasbornduringthefilmingoftheWaltDisneyPicturesfilmWhoFramedRogerRabbit.Thefilmwasaninnovativemixofliveactionandanimation.Inonescene,themovie’sleadingman,BobHoskins,bumpsintoalamphangingfromtheceiling.Thelampswingsbackandforth,andsodoesitsshadow.Duringthemakingofthefilm,thelampanditsshadowappearedinthelive-actionsettingthesamewayitwouldinthenaturalworld.Butwhathappenedwhentheanimatedstar,RogerRabbit,wasaddedtothescene?That’sright—noshadowcrossedourwisecrackinghero’sface.

Mostofthefilm’sviewerswouldnotnoticethedifference,andcertainlythescenecouldhavebeenshotwithoutHoskinsbumpingintothelamp.Butthefilm’sanimationartistsmadesurethattheshadingonRogerRabbitaccuratelyreflectedthemovingshadowcastbythelive-actionlampineachofthetwenty-fourframesineverysecondofthescene.Theypaidattentiontothedetailsandtookthatextrastepintheircommitmenttoaqualityguestexperience.

AmorerecentexampleofbumpingthelampcanbefoundinasceneinWALL-E,aPixarfilmaboutalonelylittlerobotwhoisleftbehindtocleanupEarthafterhumanshaveabandonedtheplanet.NearlysixmilesofcityscapeweredesignedandbuiltinacomputertomakeWALL-E’sworldbelievabletoaudiences.WALL-Eisacollector;inonescene,hereturnstohishomeafteraday’swork,andtheaudienceseesthisfirsthand.Inthissinglescene,Pixar’sanimatorspopulatedWALL-E’shomewith827pokerchips,sixty-sixlicenseplates,290fakeeyeballs,etc.Thelightingsourcesinhishomeinclude798Christmaslights,twocordsofforty-eightchililights,fourbugzappers,fivepaperlanterns,andtentikilights.Noviewercouldpossiblyseealloftheseitems.SowhydidPixarincludethem?“It’sthelittlewhispersthatspeaktoanaudience,”explaineddirectorAndrewStanton.

Theattentiontodetailinourotherbusinessesisjustasintense.OntheDisneyMagic,ashipintheDisneyCruiseLinefleet,itcanbeseeninthemagicportholesintheinsidecabins.TheseportholesareactuallyLCDflat-screenmonitorsthatareconnectedtohigh-definitioncameras.Thecamerastransmit—inrealtime—thesameviewyouwouldseeifyoulookedoutofarealporthole.Inaddition,justtobumpthelampabit,youmightalsoseeapirateshiporaDisneycharacterfloatingby.AtWaltDisneyWorld,you’llseetheattentiontoeverydetailinthehotelroomdoorsthathavetwopeepholes,oneattheusualheightandoneatachild’s-eyelevel.You’llseeitalsointheplanningthatgoesintotheintervalsbetweentrashcans—thepark’sdesignersfiguredoutexactlyhowfaranaveragepersonwouldcarryapieceoftrashbeforepitchingit(about

twenty-sevenfeet)andthenfactoredthatintocrowddensities.TakeaquicksurveyofthosetrashcansasyoumovefromoneareaoftheMagicKingdomtoanother.Youwillalsoseethattheirdesignchangestoreflecteacharea’stheme.

Exceedingguests’expectationsisDisney’sservicestrategy,andpayingattentiontoeverydetailisthetacticbywhichitisaccomplished.Theyareinextricablyinterwoventasks.Inattendingtothedetails,Disneyconsistentlyexceedstheexpectationsoftheguest.Perhaps,likethechangingappearanceofthetrashcans,theyareneverconsciouslynoticedatall—theguests’attentionissimplyneverinterruptedbysomethingthatdoesn’tlooklikeitshouldbethere.Whentheexperienceisconsistent,seamless,andofhighquality,guestsreturn.Andwhentheydo,theycomewithheightenedexpectations,which,inturn,inciteDisneytoevengreaterattentiontodetail.

Exceedingexpectationsbyattendingtothedetailsishowyoucancreatepracticalmagicforyourcustomers,butitisnot,inandofitself,sufficienttodrivetheday-to-dayworkofQualityService.Wecansimplycommandeveryoneinourcompaniestobumpthelampandwowguests,buttheresultswillsurelyleavesomethingtobedesired.Thereisagoodchancethatgo-gettersonyourstaffwilltakeoffrunninginoppositedirectionsimplementingtheirownversionsofQualityService,andtherestwillshiftarounduneasilyandfinallyask,howexactlyareweexpectedtodothat?

Thatquestion,whichisentirelylogical,isansweredwithDisney’sQualityServiceCompass.Thiscompassencapsulatestheorganization-widemodelthatgeneratesQualityService.Itistheproductionprocessthroughwhichpracticalmagiciscreated.Initsessence,thecompasscanbeusedtocreateasharedvisionofservicethatalignsthemajorelementsthateveryorganizationshares—itspeople,infrastructure,andprocesses—inacohesive,comprehensiveefforttodeliverthatvision.

ThebodyofthisbookisdevotedtoexploringhowthepointsofthecompassworkandhowtheyareappliedwithinDisneyaswellasinavarietyofotherorganizations,commercialandinstitutional,thathaveusedDisneyInstituteasasourceofideasandconceptsforcreatingtheirownservicestrategies.

THEQUALITYSERVICECOMPASS

TheQualityServiceCompasshasfourmainpoints:guestology,qualitystandards,deliverysystems,andintegration.Ourserviceobjective—toexceedguestexpectations—residesatthecenterofthecompass.

CompassPoint1:Guestology

GuestologyiswhatDisneycallstheartandscienceofknowingandunderstandingcustomers.Itisthefirstpointonthecompassbecausetheneeds,wants,perceptions,andemotionsofguestsarethebasisfortheactionthattakesplaceinalloftheotherpoints.Guestologyestablishesaninitialcourseofaction,andasnewcustomerinformationisgathered,thatdataisusedtofine-tuneandimproveperformance.

Guestologyenablesorganizationstoprovideacontextfortheirservicestrategies.InwhatsensedoesDisneyseektoexceedguestexpectations?Wedon’ttrytoprovidetheleastexpensiveproductsandservices;wewanttoprovidehigh-qualityentertainment.Nordowetrytoprovidethefastestservice;wecouldeliminatewaittimesinourparksbyspeedinguptherides,butinmanycases,thatwouldruinthefun.Thecontextwithinwhichweseektoexceedexpectationsishappiness.AtDisney,wetrytocreatehappinessforpeopleofallageseverywhere.Thiscommonpurposeisarallyingflag.Italigns

theeffortsofcastmembersandestablishesafoundationfortheirownbehaviortowardguests.Formanagement,makingguestshappierthantheyexpectedtobeisaguidingprecept.Everydecisioncanbemeasuredagainstit.Whetheradecisionsupportsthecommonpurposeisanimportantmanageriallitmustest.

CompassPoint2:QualityStandards

Onceyouhavedefinedyourservicegoals,youcanbegintoconsiderqualitystandards,thesecondpointontheQualityServiceCompass.Qualitystandardsservetwopurposes:theyestablishthecriteriaforactionsthatarenecessarytoaccomplishtheservicestrategy,andtheyserveasthemeasuresofQualityService.AttheDisneyresortsandparks,therearefourqualitystandards.Inorderofimportance,theyaresafety,courtesy,show,andefficiency.Aswe’llseelater,theyareorderedinstrictpriority,whichfurtherguidestheeffortsofcastmembersandhelpsfacilitatedecision-makingattheparks.

Everybusinesswillhaveauniquecommonpurposeanditsownqualitystandards.InChapter2,wewillexplorehowthesearecreatedandusedatbothDisneyandatavarietyofotherorganizations,andwe’lldiscussthebasictoolsandtechniquesofguestology.

CompassPoint3:DeliverySystems

Withacommonpurposeandqualitystandardsinplace,wemovetothenextpointintheQualityServiceCompass—deliverysystems.Therearethreeservice-deliverysystemsthatallcompaniesshare:theiremployees,theirsetting,andtheirprocesses.Eachisexplored,inturn,inchapters3,4,and5.

Cast:Inthepastfewdecades,organizationseverywherehavebeguntounderstandthattheiremployeesaretheirmostimportantasset.ThisisparticularlytrueinthedeliveryofQualityService.Often,employeesareonthefrontlines,face-to-facewithcustomers.Andevenwhentheyarenotindirectcontactwithcustomers,theyarecontrollingtheoperationoftheprocessesbywhichserviceisdelivered.Forexample,theDisneythemeparkshavebeenmeasuringtheimpactofcastontheguestexperienceformorethanfiftyyears.Whatisoneofthemost-oftenstatedreasonswhyguestsreturnforanothervisit?Thecast.

“DisneyImagineersgotogreatlengthstomakethethemeparksfeel

intimate,butit’sthecastmemberswhoreallymakeitwork,”saysJeffJames,VicePresident,DisneyInstitute.“A$200millionattractionwon’tbefunifthecastmemberatthefrontislessthanpleasant.”7ThisstatementandtheresultsbehinditwouldhavesurelyresonatedwithWalt.Afterall,afriendly,approachable,andhelpfulcastwasanimportantelementinhisvisionforanewkindofamusementparkfromtheoutset.

PreparingthecasttodeliverQualityServiceisanessentialtaskthatstartswiththeintroductionanddisseminationofageneric,organization-widesetofimageandbehavioralstandards.AtDisney,everynewcastmemberlearnstheseperformancetipsduringtheirfirston-the-jobexperience,theDisneyTraditionsorientationprogram.Oneaspectofthistrainingthatyouhavealreadybeenexposedtoisitslanguage.Theverywordsthatareusedtodescribecustomers,work,employees,andsoonsuggestthewayinwhichcastmemberswillbeexpectedtoapproachtheirroles.

Asinotherorganizations,Disney’s150,000castmembersplayahugenumberofdifferentroles.Soalargepartoftheworkofequippingthecastwiththeinformationandtoolstheyneedmustbeconductedonthejob.Thisrequiresthecreationoflocation-specificperformancecultures.Aperformancecultureisasetofbehaviors,mannerisms,terms,andvaluesthataretaughttonewcastmembersastheyentertheirjoblocation.

AswewillseeinChapter3,thegenericperformancetipsthatdefinebehavioracrosstheorganizationandthejob-specificperformanceculturearebothusedtobuildtheskillsandtalentofthecast.Theyalsoprovideabaselineforevaluationandimprovement.

Setting:Thesecondservice-deliverysystemisthesettinginwhichyouconductbusiness.Yoursettingiswhereveryourcustomersmeetyou.WhetherthatisaretailstoreorahospitaloraWebsiteoratelephonecallcenter,thesettingthatcustomersencounterplaysacriticalroleinhowtheyperceivetheirexperiencewithyourorganization.Theimportanceofmanagingtheeffectofsettingontheguestexperiencecanbesummedupintwowords:Everythingspeaks.

Here’saquickexamplefromDisney’shistory.JohnHench,oneoftheoriginalDisneyImagineers(thefolkswhodesignandbuildallofDisney’sthemeparks),rememberswatchingWaltfinesseasetting:“IwassoastonishedbythewayWaltwouldcreateakindoflive-actioncross-dissolvewhenpassingfromoneareaofDisneylandtoanother.Hewouldeveninsistonchangingthetextureofthepavementatthethresholdofeachnewlandbecause,hesaid,‘Youcangetinformationaboutachangingenvironmentthroughthesolesofyour

feet.’”8

InDisneythemeparks,“everythingspeaks”meansthateverydetail—fromthedoorknobstothediningrooms—sendsamessagetoguests.Thatmessagemustbeconsistentwiththecommonpurposeandqualitystandards,anditmustsupportandfurthertheshowbeingcreated.ThenexttimeyouareintheMagicKingdom,havesomefunandpayattentiontowhatyourfeetsenseasyouwalkfromonethemedareatothenext.

Settingincludestheenvironment,theobjectslocatedwithintheenvironment,andtheproceduresthatenhancethequalityoftheenvironment.WewillbeexploringseveralspecificwaystoworkwithsettinginChapter4:wewillseehowsettingcanincorporatequalitystandards,howitcanguidetheguestexperience,andhowitcanspeaktoallofaguest’ssenses.

Process:Thethirdservice-deliverysystemisprocess.Processesoftenencompassandutilizebothcastandsetting,andtheycomprisethemostprominentservice-deliverysysteminmostorganizations.AtDisneythemeparks,serviceprocessesincludemovinggueststhroughtheattractions,thecheck-inandcheckoutprocessesatthehotels,andtheresponsetoemergencies,suchasmedicalproblemsandfires.

Therearecombustionpointsineveryprocess.Thesearespotswhereevenafinelytunedprocesscanbreakdown(especiallywhenseveralhundredthousandguestsarestrainingitscapacity)and,insteadofcontributingtoapositivecustomerexperience,begintoturnaguest’sgooddayintoabadone.It’simpossibletocompletelyeliminatecombustionpoints,butthegoalistostopthemfromturningintoexplosionpoints.

OneexampleDisneyfacilitatorsliketouseinvolvesacommonparkingproblem.Afteralongdayoffun,guestsoftenforgetwheretheylefttheircar.Thelotsarelabeled,therowsarenumbered,andthetramsthatshuttlegueststotheentranceannouncetheparkinglocationseveraltimes,butinevitablyandregularlycarsaremisplaced.

Insteadofleavingtiredguestsforlornandwandering,membersoftheparkinglotcastcameupwithaservicepatch.Sincetheparkinglotsarefilledinorder,thetramdriversstartedkeepingasimplelistofwhatrowtheywereworkingatwhattimeinthemorning.Thelistsarecopiedanddistributedtomembersoftheparkingcastattheendoftheday,soifguestscanrememberaboutwhattimetheyarrived(whichtheyusuallycan),acastmembercantellthemaboutwheretheyparked.Combustionpointdefusedandserviceherocreated!

created!Debugging,asidentifyingandsolvingthelost-carproblem,isoneofthe

processissueswewillexploreinmoredetailinChapter5.Wewillalsolookatthreeotherprocess-basedissuesthataddqualitytotheguestexperience:cast-to-guestcommunication,orhowtoensurethecastcansolveguestproblems;guestflow,or“Howlongisthatline?”;andserviceattention,orhowtohandleguestswhocannotutilizeaserviceprocess.

CompassPoint4:Integration

ThelastpointintheQualityServiceCompassisintegration.Integrationmeansquitesimplythatthethreedeliverysystemsarecombinedandalignedtocreateacompleteoperatingsystem.Cast,setting,andprocessaremergedinpursuitoftheservicestrategy.Theresult:anexceptionallyhigh-qualityguestexperiencethatdrivesthesuccessofallorganizationsknownforserviceexcellence.

Integrationisalogical,step-by-stepprocess.InChapter6,wewilldescribeaneasilyadaptedmatrixthatyoucanuseasaguidetosuccessfullyachieveintegrationinyourorganization.TheIntegrationMatrixnotonlyservesasabattleplanforattainingQualityService,butitcanalsobeusedtotroubleshootserviceproblemsandbenchmarkthepracticesofotherorganizations,includingDisney.

CHAPTER2

TheMagicofService

In1928,MickeyMousestormedtheboxoffice,andhehassincebecomeaglobalicon.Thecartoonmouse,bornoftheimaginationandvoiceofWaltDisneyandtheartistryofUbIwerks—thefirstinalonglineofDisneyanimationmasters—wasnot,however,aninstantstar.EventhoughWaltwasofferingupthefirstcartoonwithasoundtrack,hecouldnotfindafilmdistributorwhowaswillingtobringMickeytotheaters.

ItwasaNewYorkCitytheateroperatorandpromoternamedHarryReichenbachwhofinallyofferedWaltasolution.“Thoseguysdon’tknowwhat’sgooduntilthepublictellsthem,”saidReichenbachofthedistributors.HeconvincedWalttoshowSteamboatWillieinhistheaterfortwoweeks.Mickeywasahitwithmoviegoers,and,justasReichenbachhadpredicted,thedistributorsflockedtosignupDisneyanditsmouse.

WalthadlearnedanimportantlessonaboutthepowerofDisney’saudience.WhenhetriedtolaunchTheSkeletonDance,thefirstofthestudio’sinnovativeSillySymphonycartoonsin1929,thedistributorsrejectedhimoncemore.Thistime,theywanted“moremice.”Sohewentdirectlytotheaudience,andtheiracceptanceagainpoweredadistributiondeal.Again,in1948,whenWalthadtroublefindingdistributionsupportforSealIsland,thefirstofDisney’snature/adventurefilms,hewenttotheaudienceforthehelpheneeded.Andhegotit.1

PickagroupofpeopleinanymajorurbanareaaroundtheworldandaskthemaboutWalt.Theywillinvariablyassociatethemanwithananimatedcharacter,amovie,orathemepark.ButWaltshouldbejustasfamousforhisachievementsasaguestologist.AlthoughWaltwasamasteratknowingandunderstandingcustomers,hecertainlyneverheardofserviceconceptssuchas“customer-focus,”“closetothecustomer,”and“customer-centric.”Yetinhisstraightforward,Midwesternway,Waltclearlyunderstoodthatcustomerswere

straightforward,Midwesternway,Waltclearlyunderstoodthatcustomerswerethemostimportant—andthefinal—judgesoftheentertainmentproducedathiscompany.

“Wearenottryingtoentertainthecritics,”hewouldsay.“I’lltakemychanceswiththepublic.”2Butlikeallthebestguestologists,Waltwasusuallynottakingmuchofachance.Invariably,hehadalreadypolledtheopinionsofthecompany’scustomersandhadincludedtheiradviceintherefinementofhisideas.

PopularactorKurtRussell,whospenthisteenyearsmakinglive-actionmoviesforDisney,wassurprisedbytheattentiontheheadofstudiopaidtohim.“Sometimeshe’dcomedowntothesetandask,‘Doyouwanttoseeapartofthemoviethat’sbeingputtogether?’SoI’dwatchamovieorpartsofamoviewithhimandwe’dtalkaboutitandhe’daskmequestions,”recallsKurt.“WhatwasinterestingaboutWalt,asIlookbackonitnow,isthathewaspickingthemindofanuninhibitedthirteen-year-old.Hewouldask,‘Whatdoyouthinkofthis?’andwe’dkickideasbackandforth.Ithinkhewasfindingouthowayoungmindworked.”3

Walt’sdrivetofindoutwhatandhowanaudiencethoughtextendedintoDisneyland.ThenexttimeyouwalkthroughthearchedentrytunnelsofDisneylandandemergeintoMainStreet,U.S.A.,looktoyourleftattheFireStation,whichislocatednexttoCityHall,overlookingtheTownSquare.Ifyouexamineitsfacade,youwillseealampburninginoneofthesecond-storywindows.ThelightisatributetoWalt;itilluminatesthesmallapartmentthatheusedashisheadquarterswhileoverseeingtheconstructionoftheparkanditsearlydaysofoperation.Fromthewindowofthatapartment,WaltwatchedDisneyland’sguestsastheygottheirfirstimpressionsofthepark.

IftheimageofWaltpeeringoutabovethecrowdgivesyoutheideathathewasshyaboutface-to-faceencounterswithguests,nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.WaltnotonlyreveledinsharingtheexperienceofDisneyland,hemadearegularpracticeofwanderingtheparkcollectingtheresponsesofguests.

TonyBaxter,whoeventuallybecameSeniorVicePresidentatWaltDisneyImagineeringandservedastheexecutivedesignerofDisneylandParis,hadvariousjobsatDisneylandasateenager.Hewouldbringhisyoungersistertotheparkwithhim,andshewouldplaywhileheworked.Oneday,hissisterandafriendsawWaltintheparkandfollowedhimtoIt’saSmallWorld.Thethreeofthemrodethroughtheattraction,andwhenitwasover,Waltaskediftheylikeditenoughtodoitagain.Yes,cametheanswer.Waltreplied,“Thenyouneedtosingthesongthistime,”andthetrio—twochildrenandtheleaderofa

corporateempire—tookasecondtrip.4

WhenitwassuggestedthatanadministrationbuildingbeerectedforthemanagementatDisneyland,Waltwasvehementlyopposed.“Idon’twantyouguyssittingbehinddesks.Iwantyououtinthepark,watchingwhatpeoplearedoingandfindingouthowyoucanmaketheplacemoreenjoyableforthem.”5Whenhefoundthatthestaffwasleavingthepropertytoeat,Waltsteamed,“Standinlinewiththepeople,andforgod’ssake,don’tgooffthelottoeatlikeyouguyshavebeendoing.Youeatattheparkandlistentopeople!”6

Inmyorganizationthereisrespectforeveryindividual,

andweallhaveakeenrespectforthepublic.

—WaltDisney

ThemostimpressiveresultofWalt’sspiritedemphasisonknowingandunderstandingcustomersisWaltDisneyWorlditself.Inthelate1950s,WaltwasalreadyplanninganewparksomewhereintheeasternhalfoftheUnitedStates,buthewasnot100percentsurethataDisneyland-styleparkwouldappealtothecitizensoftheEastCoast.The1964World’sFairinNewYorkgavehimtheperfectopportunitytotesthisuniquebrandofentertainmentusingsomeoneelse’smoneyandthebiggestfocusgroupeverassembled—thetensofmillionsofpeoplewhoattendedthefairin1964and1965.Waltcorralledthesponsors,andWEDEnterprises—whichwouldlaterbecomeWaltDisneyImagineering—createdfourmajorattractions,includingIt’saSmallWorldforPepsi-Cola.Bythetimethefairclosed,itwasestimatedthatfiftymillionpeoplehadseenatleastoneofthefourDisneyattractions,whichwereacclaimedasthemostpopular.AndWaltwassurethattherewasahugeEastCoastaudienceforanewDisneypark.

GuestologyisjustasimportantatDisneytoday.Forinstance,Disneylicenseditscharactersandbrandstobabyproductcompaniesformanyyears,establishingconsumerinterestintheDisneybrand.ThenDisneyConsumerProductsestablisheditsownbabyproductbusiness,DisneyBaby.Inearly2011,DisneyBabybegantestinganewlineofbabyapparelbypartneringwithOur365,acompanythatsellsbedsidebabypicturesofnewbornsanddeliversfreegiftbasketstonewparents.DisneyBabygaveawaymorethantwohundredthousandbodysuitsfornewbornsinthismarketingprogram.Andifnewparentslikethebodysuits,DisneyBabywillextenditsapparellinesandeventuallyexpandintootherproducts,suchasbathitems,strollers,babyfood,

etc.

GUESTOLOGYREVEALED

Sinceguestologysoundssomewhatmysterious,let’spullbackthecurtainabit.GuestologyisDisney-speakformarketandcustomerresearchneededtolearnwhoguestsareandunderstandwhattheyexpectfromyourorganization.ThetimeandeffortthatDisneydevotestoguestologydemonstrateshowimportantwebelieveitistotheultimatesuccessofourcompanyand,forthatmatter,anyorganizationthatundertakestheQualityServicejourney.

AtWaltDisneyWorld,forexample,theguestologybudgetisinvestedinawholeslewoftechniques,someofwhichyourorganizationprobablyalsouses.Thereareface-to-facesurveysconductedontheproperty,typicallyattheparkgatesandothermainaccesspoints.Specific“listeningposts”arecreatedasdedicatedlocationstoanswerguestquestions,solveproblems,andcollectinformation.Commentcardsareascommonassmiles,and,perhapsmostimportant,castmembersthroughouttheresortcollectandreporttheopinionsandobservationsofguestsasastandardpartoftheirjobs.

Utilizationstudies,too,contributetotheWaltDisneyWorldguestologydatabase.Usageandvisitationpatternsattheresortareanalyzedandcompared.DogueststypicallyvisitPiratesoftheCaribbeanearlyorlateintheday?Howmanyguestsusetheresort’stransportationsystemseachhour?Whataretheoccupancyratesatthevariousresorts?SuchstudiesareallpartoftheQualityServicebrew.

Mysteryshoppersmakepurchasestoverifytheserviceintheresort’smanystoresandgiftshops.Telephonesurveysareusedtodevelopinformationfrombothrandompopulationsamplesandrecentguests.Guestlettersande-mailsarestudiedformorecluestoimprovingservice.Andfocusgroupsareusedtogatherinformationforfuturedevelopmentandtherefinementoftheexistingridesandattractions.

ADisneyInstitutetrainingclient,CherieBarnett,madegooduseoffocusgroupsintheexpansionofherMichigan-basedchainofhairemporiums,GlitzSalons.Whenanindustrystatisticpinpointedgirlsbetweentheagesoftenandsixteenasthelargestconsumersofcosmetics,Ms.Barnettstartedthinkingaboutahairsalontargeteddirectlyatthatnichemarket.Thefirstthingshedidwasreachouttoherpotentialaudience.

“Igotonthephoneandaskedthemtocometomyhouseandtalktomeaboutthis.Grabbedkidsfromtheregion—bringyourfriends,don’tbring

aboutthis.Grabbedkidsfromtheregion—bringyourfriends,don’tbringMom,”recallstheentrepreneur.“Iworkedwithgroupsoftwentytotwenty-fiveatatime.Iaskedthemtotellmewhattheywantedinasalon—whatmusic,decorations,logo.Theideasandhowtheirmindsworkedwereincredible.Theyactuallycreatedthelogo;Ijusttookittothemarketingpeopleandsaid,‘makeit.’”TheresultwasGlitzNXT,whichbecamethethirdsalonintheprivatelyheldchain.

Youdon’tbuilditforyourself.Youknowwhatpeoplewant,andyou

builditforthem.

—WaltDisney

Informationdevelopedbyguestologytechniquesisutilizedinmanyways.Obviously,thereisnopointininvestingasinglecentinmarketresearchifthefindingsarehiddenawayinadeskdrawer.TheknowledgedevelopedfromguestsmustbeusedtocreateandimproveallthepointsoftheQualityServiceCompass,fromtheservicestandardstothesmallestdetailsoftheservice-deliverysystemsofcast,setting,andprocess.Themajorapplicationsofcustomerdataaretoestablishabaselineandothercriteriaforthedevelopmentandimplementationoftheservicestrategyandtocreateimprovementsandotheradjustmentstotheexistingserviceplan.Disneyusesguestinputforallthesepurposes.

Smartguestologistsalsorealizethattheircustomers—andtheirexpectations—arechangingallthetime.Thus,guestologyisanongoingtask.Surveysmustbemaderegularlytobeuseful.Certainly,ourguestsatWaltDisneyWorldhavechangedovertheyears.Asurveyconductedamongourguestswhentheparkopenedin1971wouldbeofuseonlyasahistoricaldocumenttoday.Fundamentalguestdemographics,suchassizeandcompositionoftheaveragepartyaswellasguestattitudesandexpectations,haveshifted,andtheywillshiftagain.Guestologyhelpstracktheever-changingguestlandscapeandoffersthecuesneededtoadjustourservicedelivery.

Customerresponseschangeovertheshorttermaswellasthelongterm.GuestsjustarrivingbackinportafteraDisneyCruisevacationwillfeeldifferentlythanguestswhosecreditcardstatementhasarrivedafterthirtydaysbackathome.Tocreateamagicalserviceexperience,Disneyneedstoknowhowtheirguestsfeelacrossabroadspectrumoftime.Forthesereasons,itiscriticaltogatherinformationatavarietyofpointsbefore,during,andaftertheguest’sexperience.

AtWaltDisneyWorld,weknowthatguestshaveencounterswithcast

AtWaltDisneyWorld,weknowthatguestshaveencounterswithcastmembersmanytimesduringtheirstay.Eachcanbeanopportunityforthecastmembertolearnmoreaboutguests,improvetheshow,andbuildastrongerbondbetweenDisneyanditsguests.Wewillexplorehowthisisaccomplishedinthenextchapter.

KNOWINGANDUNDERSTANDINGGUESTS

Whenwesaythatguestologyisthescienceofknowingandunderstandingguests,wearealsodefiningthetwomajorkindsofinformationdevelopedbyguestresearch.Thesearedemographicandpsychographic.

Demographics

AtDisney,demographicinformationisthoughtofasfactualknowledgeaboutourguests.Demographicsmainlydescribethephysicalattributesofagroupandoftencomprisequantitativedata.Demographicinformationrevealswhocustomersare,wheretheycomefrom,howmuchefforttheyexpendtogethere,howmuchmoneytheyspend,etc.

Anothervaluableaspectofdemographicsisthatwhenyouknowwhoyourguestsare,youautomaticallyknowwhoyourguestsarenot.Figuringoutwhoisnotdoingbusinesswithyousometimestriggershugechangesinservicethemeandstrategies,especiallyifyoufindthatyouaremissingalargegroupofpotentialcustomers.

DemographicshelpusensurethattheQualityServiceCompassiscorrectlycentered.Thismayallseemprettyelementary,butitissurprisinghowoftendemographicsopenanorganization’seyestobasicmarketplacerealitiesthathavebeenoverlooked.

Psychographics

PsychographicinformationisthecategoryofcustomerresearchdatathathelpsDisneyunderstanditsguests’mentalstates.Pyschographicsoffercluestowhatcustomersneed,whattheywant,whatpreconceivednotionstheybringtothetable,andwhatemotionstheyexperience.AtDisneyInstitute,wecategorizethesecluesasneeds,wants,stereotypes,andemotions,andwecancreateanewcompassmodel—calledtheGuestologyCompass—toexpressthem.

compassmodel—calledtheGuestologyCompass—toexpressthem.

DevelopingthefourpointsoftheGuestologyCompassmeansgeneratingqualitativeresponsesfromcustomers.Thisisdonebyaskingopen-endedquestionsandencouragingcustomerstospeaktheirminds.Theanswersadduptoaportraitofguestexpectations,whichinturnbecomesthebaselinefortheworkofexceedingthoseexpectations.

Let’stakeacloserlookattheelementsoftheGuestologyCompasswiththehelpoftwoexamples,WaltDisneyWorldandBMWCanada,Inc.BMWCanada,whichhassentmorethansevenhundredofitsretailcenterpersonneltoDisneyInstitutetraining,wasestablishedin1986asawhollyownedsubsidiaryofMunich-basedBMWAG,anditmanagesanetworkofsixty-fiveBMWandMINIautomobileretailersandnineteenmotorcycleretailersacrossCanada.

Needsaretheeasiestofthefourcompasspointstodetermine.WhatdoguestsneedwhentheycometoWaltDisneyWorld?Avacation.WhatdotheyneedwhentheygotoaBMWretailcenter?Acar.Needstendtobeobvious,usuallycorrespondingtotheproductsandservicesyouoffer,buttheyonlyprovidetheroughoutlineofapsychographicprofile.

Wantsarelessobvious.Theysuggestacustomer’sdeeperpurpose.ManyofWaltDisneyWorld’sguestswantmorethanasimplevacation;theyalsowantlong-livedmemoriesofafun-filledfamilyexperience.BMW’scustomermaywantthestatusofahigh-performancecar.Asyoubegintouncoverwants,thecontoursofthecustomerprofiletakeshape,whichmaycutacrossdemographics,geographies,andothertraditionalmarketingapproaches.

Stereotypesarethosepreconceivednotionsthateverycustomerhasofyourbusinessorindustry.GuestscometoDisney’sparksexpectingthecastmemberstotreatthemacertainway.AttheBMWdealership,customerswillexpectthetechnicianstotreatthemacertainway.Asyouidentifygueststereotypes,youobtainvaluablecluesabouttheirexpectations.Theseclueshelpusfillinthefeaturesoftheguestportrait.

Finally,emotionsarethefeelingsthatcustomersexperiencethroughouttheircontactwithyourorganization.AtWaltDisneyWorld,guestsarelikelytohaveawiderangeofemotionsduringtheirvisit.Somearepositive,suchastheexcitementofridingtheRock’n’RollerCoaster,andsomearenegative,suchasimpatiencewithlonglines.AtBMW,carbuyersexperienceasimilarrangeofemotions.Theymayfeelproudandexciteddrivingoffintheirnewcarsandapprehensivereturningfortheirfirstservicevisits.Thegoalofbothbusinessesistocreateapositiveemotionalconnectionevenwhencustomersareactuallydeductingthecostoftheirpurchasefromtheirbankaccounts.(Howmanyofyourcustomersstillsay“wow”aftermakingpayment?)Identifyingthechangingemotionalstateofcustomerscompletesthecolorationoftheprofile.

Thefollowingtableoffersseveralmoreexamplesofthecustomerprofilesdevelopedintheguestologyprocess.Asyouexamineit,thinkaboutwhataprofileofyourcustomerswouldlooklike.

AtDisney,theprocessofcollectingandanalyzingthedatarequiredtocompletetheGuestologyCompassgoesalongwaytowardunderstandingwhatguestsexpectfromourproducts,services,andexperiences.ThisknowledgeisusedtofulfillandexceedguestexpectationsattheremainingpointsintheQualityServiceCompass.

THEPOWEROFACOMMONPURPOSE

“Mybusinessismakingpeople,especiallychildren,happy,”WaltDisneysaidhalfacenturyago.7Althoughitisasimpleanddirectstatementonthesurface,Walt’squoteplumbsthedepthsofTheWaltDisneyCompany’sserviceethic.Itisthebasisforourmissionasabusiness;itrepresentswhatwestandforandwhyweexist.Itisourcommonpurpose.

In1955,asWalt’svisionofDisneylandbecameareality,thatpurposewasfirstmademanifestasawaytointroducethenewpark’sfirstemployeestothebasicsofDisneyserviceandtoguidethemintheirinteractionswithguests.InthefirstDisneyUniversityorientationclasses,itwascalleda“commongoal,”

andthecastwastaughtWe’llcreatehappiness.Therehasbeenanalterationortwoovertheyears,buttoday’snewcastmembershearessentiallythesamemessage.Today,theyaretaughtWecreatehappinessbyprovidingthefinestinentertainmentforpeopleofallages,everywhere.

Therehasbeenagreatdealoftalkaboutorganizationalvision,mission,andvaluesinthebusinessworldsincethe1950s.Managementthinkershaveidentifiedthesestatementsoforganizationalintentashighlyeffectiveworkplaceunifiersandhaveshowninstudiesthatcompanieswithwell-definedideologiesaresuccessfulinthelong-term.JimCollinsandJerryPorras,theauthorsofBuilttoLast,calledthemVisionaryCompaniesandfoundthatthey“outperformedthegeneralstockmarketbyafactorof12since1925.”

“Leadersdie,productsbecomeobsolete,marketschange,newtechnologiesemerge,andmanagementfadscomeandgo,butcoreideologyinagreat

companyenduresasasourceofguidanceandinspiration,”theywroteinHarvardBusinessReview.8

Manyorganizationsgotthemessageandquicklycreatedstatementsregardingtheirpurposeandvalues.Theyengravedthemonplaquesandhungthemforeveryone,customersandemployees,tosee.Andinmanycases,thatwasaboutasfarastheeffortwent;awell-chosensentimenttowhichnoonepaidmuchattention.CollinsandPorrassaythatthisisbecausethecoreideology(thepurposeandvaluesofanorganization)isnotsomethingthatcanbesimplydeclared.Instead,itmusteitherreflectexistingtruthsaboutacompanyorcreatenewidealsthatwillbepursueduntiltheybecomeinherenttruths.

LikethatofcompaniessuchasJohnson&Johnson,3M,andHewlett-Packard,Disney’scommonpurposeissuccessfulbecauseitisdeeplyrootedinitsheritageandsupportedthroughouttheday-to-dayoperationsofthebusiness.Itisalivingtheme,notjustasentenceonaplaque,anditservesthreecriticalneeds:itclearlydefinestheorganization’smission,itcommunicatesamessageinternally,anditcreatesanimageoftheorganization.

Loudandclear,Disney’scommonpurposedeclaresagoal(tocreatehappiness),stateshowthatgoalistobeaccomplished(byprovidingthefinestinentertainment),anddefinesacustomerbase(peopleofallages,everywhere).Today,“entertainment”atDisneymeanstelevision,films,books,themeparks,cruises,toys,etc.Butitscommonpurposecreatesaclearfocusonwhatandwhatisnotappropriateforourcompany.YouwillprobablyneverseeaDisney-madejetorgetahomeloanattheBankofDisney.Acommonpurposedefinesanorganization’sboundaries.

Acommonpurposealsocommunicatesitsmessagethroughouttheorganization.Itrelatesanultimategoaltoeveryoneofthe150,000peoplewhoworkatDisneyworldwideandservesasarallyingpointacrosstheorganization.Itisonethingthatallcastmembershaveincommonandnomatterwhattheindividualjob,itdefinestheexpectationthatallofuswillhelpcreatehappinessforourguests.

Finally,acommonpurposethemecreatesthefoundationforthepublicimageofthecompany.Ittellsourguestswhattheycanexpecttogetfromthecompany(thefinestinentertainment).Itisanexplicitpromiseandadouble-edgedsword:ifguests’expectationsaremetorexceeded,thentheyarehappy.Ifnot,theirdispleasurewillbeobvious.

Evenifthewordssoundsimilar,everyorganizationcreatesitsownuniquecommonpurpose.Obviously,Disney’smissionofcreatinghappinesscannot

simplybeadoptedandimitated:itiscriticaltocreateyourownservice-orientedpurpose.ItisafundamentalelementintheQualityServiceCompass.

Here’swhatTomPetersandBobWatermanhadtosayonthesubjectintheirgroundbreakingbook,InSearchofExcellence:“WhetherornottheyareasfanaticintheirserviceobsessionasFrito,IBM,orDisney,theexcellentcompaniesallseemtohaveverypowerfulservicethemesthatpervadetheinstitutions.Infact,oneofourmostsignificantconclusionsabouttheexcellentcompaniesisthat,whethertheirbasicbusinessismetal-bending,hightechnology,orhamburgers,theyhavealldefinedthemselvesasservicebusinesses.”9

TheUnitedStatesgovernmentspentmostofthe1990sredefiningitselfasaservicebusiness.Oneoftheprincipletenetsofthisinitiative,startedduringtheClintonAdministration,requiredreorganizinggovernmentalagenciesasperformance-basedorganizations(PBOs)thatwerecustomer-centric.ThefirstofficiallymandatedPBOwasStudentFinancialAssistance(SFA)attheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Atthetime,SFA,aDisneyInstituteclient,processedmorethan$60billioningrants,studentloans,andwork-studyassistanceeachyear.Itscommonpurposewassimpleandcompelling:WeputAmericathroughschool.

WiththatshortsentenceSFAdirectlytargeteditsendcustomers,themorethanninemillionAmericanstudentsthatithelpedtopursueahighereducationannually.Itwasacriticalfocusfortheagency’semployeesbecausetheydidnotalwaysdealdirectlywiththeAmericanfamiliesthatneededstudentloans.Instead,theyworkedwithpartners—schools,banks,andloanguarantors,whoactedasthedeliverysystemtotheultimatecustomer,thestudent.TherefocusingofemployeeattentiononstudentswaswhatthelateGregWoods,theCEOofSFAandleaderofthereinventioneffort,wastalkingaboutwhenhesaid,“IfthefolkswhoworkatSFAthinktheirjobistomakeloansandgrants,theytakealmostamechanicalapproachtoit,ofmovingpaperfrompointAtopointB.Butifthey’reintouchwithwhatitisthey’rereallydoing,theyseethey’rehelpingpeoplereachtheirdreams.Thentheydoadifferentjob.”10

ItisworthnotingthatthefirstplacetheSFAwenttolearnhowtobetterservecustomerswastoitscustomers.Woodsformedataskforcecomprisedoflinepersonnelthatconductedtwohundredlisteningsessionswithstudents,parents,andoperatingpartnersfromaroundthenation.Morethaneightthousandcustomercommentswerecollectedandanalyzedbeforeimprovementsweredetermined.That’sguestologyinpractice.

Afinalnoteaboutcommonpurpose:Itneednotbeforeverfixed.SFA,forexample,nowprovidesover$150billioninnewaidannually.In2006,itchangeditscommonpurposeto“Starthere.Gofurther.”Nothinglastsforever.Butwebelievethatwhenapurposeisproperlyestablished,itwillchangeonlyveryslowly,evolvingoveralongperiodoftime.

Infact,CollinsandPorrassuggestedthatunlikeabusinessstrategyorsetofgoals,anorganization’scorepurposecanandshouldlastatleastacentury.“Whereasyoumightachieveagoalorcompleteastrategy,youcannotfulfillapurpose;itislikeaguidingstaronthehorizon—foreverpursuedbutneverreached,”theyexplained.“Yetalthoughpurposeitselfdoesnotchange,itdoesinspirechange.Theveryfactthatpurposecanneverbefullyrealizedmeansthatanorganizationcanneverstopstimulatingchangeandprogress.”11Thatisasgoodasummationofthepowerofacommonpurposeasyouwillfindanywhere.

DEFININGTHECOMMONPURPOSE

Sinceacommonpurposeactsasapromisetoyourcustomersandamissionforyouremployees,thenextlogicalquestionis,Howwillyoufulfillthatpromiseandmission?Theansweristheestablishmentofqualitystandards,thesecondpointontheQualityServiceCompass.Qualitystandards,orservicevalues,aretheoperationalcriteriathatensuretheconsistentdeliveryofacommonpurpose.Theyflowfromtheorganizationalpurposeandinturn,supportitsachievement.

AtDisney,ourqualitystandardsaredeeplyrootedinthehistoryofthecompany’sattractionsbusiness.Inthe1940s,whenWaltfirstimaginedDisneyland,theywereanimplicitpartofhisvisionofanamusementparkthatwouldbewhollyunliketheoneshehadbeentakinghischildrentovisit.Walt’sparkwouldbeclean,itsemployeeswouldbefriendly,andeverymemberofthefamilywouldbeabletohavefuninit.In1955,whentrainingconsultantVanFranceandDickNunis,wholaterbecameChairmanofWaltDisneyAttractions,createdtheorientationclassforDisneyland’sfirstemployees,theyworkedfromthe“creatinghappiness”themeandstartedlinkingitsachievementtospecific

the“creatinghappiness”themeandstartedlinkingitsachievementtospecificbehaviors.In1962,whenDickrefinedthosebehaviorsintothefourcomponentsofa“goodshow,”thepark’squalitystandardswereexplicitlydefined.

Dick’sfourelementswereSafety,Courtesy,Show,andCapacity(whichwaslaterrelabeledEfficiency),andtoday,theyarestillthequalitystandardsfortheDisneyparksandresortsbusiness.TheyrepresenthowthecommonpurposeisfulfilledandofferasetoffiltersthathelpDisneyemployeestojudgeandprioritizetheactionsthatcontributetotheguestexperience.Let’stakeacloserlookathowourqualitystandardssupportthecommonpurpose.

Safety

Itisagrossunderstatementtosaythataguestwhoisinjuredorwhofeelsinsecureabouthisorhersafetyorthesafetyoflovedonesisgoingtobeunhappy.Sothequalitystandardofsafetyrequiresthatthewelfareandpeaceofmindofourguestsarealwaysprovidedfor.

DisneyImagineerBruceJohnsonexplainedwhatthatmeansinthecreationofattractions:“Thestatisticsareverymuchagainstus.Thinkaboutit.Ifthereisaone-in-a-millionchancesomethingwillgowrongandtenmillionguestsrideourride,thensomethingwillhappententimes.Wecan’tdesigntothatoneinamillion.Wehavetodesigntooneinhundredsofmillions.”12

Byadoptingsafetyasaqualitystandard,Disneyensuresthatsafetyconcernsareaddressedineveryelementofitsresortsandparks.Safetyfeatures,oftenaboveandbeyondlocalcodes,aredesignedintotheattractions,transportsystems,hotels,andeateries.Inadditiontoalargededicatedsecuritystaff,theentirecastresort-wideistaughtsafetyproceduresandlocation-specificsafetypractices.

Courtesy

ThequalitystandardofcourtesyrequiresthateveryguestbetreatedlikeaVIP—thatis,averyimportant,veryindividualperson.Fulfillingthestandardmeansmorethansimplytreatingpeoplethewaywewouldwanttobetreated;itmeanstreatingthemthewaythattheywanttobetreated,withrecognitionandrespectfortheiremotions,abilities,andcultures.

WhetheryouliveinOrlando,Florida,orinHongKong,allyouhavetodoisaskfordirectionstofigureoutifsomeoneworksatDisney.Iftheperson

isaskfordirectionstofigureoutifsomeoneworksatDisney.Ifthepersonassistingyoupointsusingtwoormorefingersoranopenhand,theoddsaregoodthattheyworkattheMouse’sHouse.That’sbecausepointingwithonefingerisconsideredimpoliteinsomecultures,andsooneofthefirstthingsallnewcastmembersaretaughtishowtopointcourteously.

Makingcourtesyaqualitystandardmeansturningitintoasetoforganization-widebehaviors.Asanorganization,itmakestheDisneyparksandresortsresponsibleforrecruiting,hiring,andtrainingacastwithgreatinterpersonalskills.Thecastistaughttotakeawideresponsibilityforguesthappinessbybeingfriendly,knowingtheanswerstocommonquestions,and,whenpossible,personallyguidinggueststotheirdestinations.Forcastmembers,itmeanstakingaproactiveapproachtocourtesybyanticipatingandreachingouttoassistandengageDisney’sguests.AsDisneyInstitutefacilitatorssay,“Guestsmaynotalwaysberight,buttheyarealwaysourguests.”

Show

Thequalitystandardofshowrequiresthattherebeseamlessandexceptionalentertainmentforguests.Disney’scommonpurposecallsforthe“finestinentertainment,”andatitshighestlevel,thatmeansaperformancethatisuninterruptedfromthebeginningtotheendofaguest’sstayattheresort.ThefactthattheDisneythemeparksarethemostpopularintheworldisatestamenttothepursuitofthestandardofshow.

WaltDisneywasalwaysfocusedonprovidingagoodshow,oneinwhichtheaudience’sattentionwasneverunintentionallydivertedorotherwiseinterrupted.MartySklar,thenow-retiredChairmanofWaltDisneyImagineering,rememberedwalkingthroughDisneylandwithWalt.AstheyreachedtheMikeFinkKeelBoatsinFrontierland,acompanypublicistdroveuptothepair.Waltwasshocked.“What,”hedemanded,“areyoudoingwithacarherein1860?”13

StoryisaconceptthatisrepeatedoverandoverthroughoutDisney’sresortsandparks(aswellasallofthecompany’sbusinesses).Eachresort,forexample,isbuiltaroundastory,andeverydesigndetail,fromthelandscapetothelamps,supportsthethemeofthatstory.Eachparkisbuiltaroundmultiplestoriesandtheirdesign,fromthetrashcontainerstotherefreshments,echothosestories.Fromthetheaterlanguagespokentothepersonalappearanceofcastmembers,thehumanresourcesofthebusinessareanintegralpartoftheshow.Jobsareperformances;uniformsarecostumes.Italladdsuptoa

show.Jobsareperformances;uniformsarecostumes.Italladdsuptoaseamlessshow.

Efficiency

Thequalitystandardofefficiencyrequiresthesmoothoperationofthethemeparksandresorts.Inpursuingefficiency,weprovideguestswiththeopportunitytoenjoyasmuchofourthemeparksastheywish.Further,efficiencyenhancesDisney’sprofits,whichdirectlycorrespondtothecompany’sabilitytomaximizetheguests’usageoftheproperties.

Youcanseethisinthetransportsystemsbuiltforourparksandresorts.InHongKong,a3.5-kilometerspurline,theDisneylandResortLine,wasaddedtothecity’smass-transitrailwaysystemtoeasethejourneyforourguests.AtWaltDisneyWorld,theMagicalExpress,afreeairport-transportationservicetoandfromtheproperty,wascreated.Guestscanevenchecktheirbagsfortheirflightsattheirhotelandneverdealwiththemagainuntiltheygettothebaggagecarouselattheirdestinationairport.Insidetheparks,buses,boats,Monorails,andDisney-designedOmnimoverskeepguestsmovinginthemostefficientmannerpossible.

Disneypursuesoperationalefficiencythroughoutitsproperties.Westudyguestflowandusagepatternstoprovidetheproperequipmentandstaffinglevels.Operationalchecklistsensurethatwearepreparedforthedemandsofeachbusinessday.Saleslevelsareanalyzedtoprovidethepropermixandquantityofproductsandservices,establishingtheoptimumspeedofservicetoensurethebestguestexperience.

Itis,however,notenoughtosimplyidentifyqualitystandards.Theymustalsobeprioritized.Otherwise,whathappenswhenaconflictbetweenstandardsarises?Considerthis:Whatshouldacastmemberdowhenaguestusingawalkerentersamovingloadingplatformthatgovernsthespeedofanentireattraction?Doesthecastmembersloworstoptherideandinconveniencetherestoftheriders,ordoessheleavetheguestwhodoesnotfitthemoldtofendforhimself?

TheDisneyparksandresortshaveprioritizedtheirqualitystandardsandwehavejustexploredthemintheirproperorder(safety,courtesy,show,andefficiency).Onceyouknowthesepriorities,thesolutiontotheproblembecomes

efficiency).Onceyouknowthesepriorities,thesolutiontotheproblembecomesclear.Thecastmemberimmediatelyknowstoputthesafetyofaguestwithdisabilitiesaheadoftheefficiencyoftheloadingprocess,thecontinuityoftheshow,andeventhecourteoustreatmentofanotherguest.Prioritizedqualitystandardsactastheguidingsignalsinthepursuitofexceedingguestexpectations.

Finally,likeyourcommonpurpose,yourorganization’squalitystandardswillsurelybedifferentfromthestandardsatWaltDisneyWorld.Nevertheless,theyarethedeliverablesofthepurpose,andtheydefineandspecifythecriteriabywhichyourservicedecisionswillbemadeandjudged.

OldMutualGroup,aSouthAfrica–basedinternationalfinancialservicesfirm,providesanexcellentexample.Foundedin1845,OldMutualemploysaboutfiftythousandpeopleworldwide.In2001,afteraseriesofcustomerandemployeesurveys,thecompany’sleadersdecidedtosystematicallyimproveitscustomerservice.AsJerryvanNiekerk,ExecutiveGeneralManagerandthechampionofthenewserviceinitiative,said,“Ourcustomersoftenbuya‘promise’whichisdeliveredmanyyearslater:attheendofthetermofinvestmentoratthepointofretirement.Themanifestationofourcommitmenttodeliveronthesepromisesisfoundinourservice.”

OldMutual’sserviceinitiativeincludedbenchmarking,whichbroughtagroupofemployeestoDisneywhoquicklygraspedthepowerofacommonpurposeandqualitystandards.Sixmonthslater,thecompanyadopteditsownpurpose:“SMILE—Service,MakeItaLifeExperience!”Atthesametime,OldMutualadoptedasetofsixqualitystandards,summedupintheacronym“REWARD,”whichstandsforResponsiveness,Efficiency,Warmth&Courtesy,Accountability,Reliability,andDemonstrate&Show.

By2005,thecompany’seffortshadpaidoff.Customersurveysrevealedthat87percentofthecompany’sclientsweresatisfiedwiththecompany’sserviceand,betteryet,57percentweredelightedbytheservice—tenpointsabovetheindustryaverage.Inaddition,jobsatisfactionhadbecomethetop-scoringdimensioninemployeesurveys,creatingdividendsintermsofemployeehiring,engagement,andretention.

DELIVERINGONTHEPROMISE

Withguestologyandqualitystandardstoguideus,itistimetostartexploringthedeliveryofQualityService.AtDisney,as

inallorganizations,therearethreemajorservice-deliverysystems.ThesesystemsarethemethodsbywhichQualityServiceisimplemented,andtheyarecast,setting,andprocess.

Castis,ofcourse,theemployeesthatworkinyourorganization.Ifyouthinkforamomentaboutorganizationsknownforworld-classservice,theiremployeesalwayscometomindasakeysourceofservicedelivery.SettingisDisney-speakforthephysicalandvirtualresourcesofyourorganization.Itiswhereyourcustomersmeetyou.Ifyouhaveeverdecidedtoleavearestaurantbeforeyouwereevenseatedbecauseofhowitlookedorsmelled,youalreadyknowhowimportantsettingistoservicedelivery.Processrepresentsthevariousseriesofoperationsthatareusedtodeliveryourproductsandservicestocustomers.ThelateW.EdwardsDeming,perhapsthemostfamousqualityguruofall,pinpointedprocessastheprimarydeterminantofproductquality,anditplaysjustaslargearoleascastorsettinginthedeliveryofQualityService.

ThenextthreechaptersdetailhowthesethreesystemsareusedtodeliverthecommonpurposeandqualitystandardsatDisney,howtheyworkinotherorganizations,andhowtheycanworkinyourcompany.

QualityServiceCues

Becomeanexpertguestologist:guestologyistheworkof

learningwhoyourcustomersareandunderstandingwhatthey

expectwhentheycometoyou.guestologytechniquesinclude

surveys,listeningposts,focusgroups,utilization

studies,and,mostimportant,thefeedbackcustomersgive

toemployees.

Createaguestprofile:Knowledgeaboutcustomersincludes

demographics(informationaboutthephysical

characteristicsofyourcustomerbase)andpsychographics

(informationabouttheirattitudes,lifestyles,values,and

opinions).bothprovideusefulinformationforcreating

servicequality.

UsetheGuestologyCompasstomanagecustomerinformation:

Thecompasscollectsandanalyzescustomerneeds,wants,

stereotypes,andemotions.Thecompanycanusethis

informationatamacroleveltoprovidemasscustomization,

whileemployeescanusethesametooltopersonalizetheir

interactionswithcustomers.

Articulateauniquecommonpurpose:acommonpurpose

definesanorganization’smission,communicatesamessage

internally,andcreatesanimageoftheorganization.at

Disney’sparksandresorts,“Wecreatehappinessby

providingthefinestinentertainmentforpeopleofall

ages,everywhere.”

DefineyourcriticalQualityStandards:Qualitystandards

arethecriteriabywhichserviceisjudged,prioritized,

andmeasured.ThefourstandardsinDisneyparksand

resortsserviceareSafety,Courtesy,Show,andefficiency.

RecognizetheprimaryService-DeliverySystems:Delivery

systemsarethemethodsbywhichQualityServiceis

implemented.organizationshavethreemajordelivery

systems:Cast,Setting,andprocess.

CHAPTER3

TheMagicofCast

Itonlytakesaquickbrowsethroughthebusinesssectionofanybooksellertoseethattherearecountlesstextsdevotedtothepowerandabilityoffullyengagedemployeesandtheindispensableroletheyplayintheachievementoforganizationalgoals.Infact,thevitalneedforafast-thinking,highlymotivatedworkforceseemssologicalandcommonplacethatitishardtoimaginethatourbeliefsaboutpeopleatworkwereeveranydifferent.Butinthe1930s,employeesdidnotholdasrespectedaplaceintheorganizationalschemeastheydotoday.

EvenHenryFord,whoin1914hadoutragedcapitalistseverywherewhenhenearlydoubledplantemployees’wagesto$5adayandinhis1922autobiographywroteglowinglyofthecapacityoftheAmericanworker,hadsouredonthemeritsoftheworkforcebythe1930s.“Theaveragemanwon’treallydoaday’sworkunlessheiscaughtandcannotgetoutofit,”saidtheinventorofthemovingassemblylineina1931interview.Hebackedupthismean-spiriteddeclarationwiththeforceoftheFordServiceDepartment,agroupofstrong-armingsupervisorsandsecurityguardsthat,underthedirectionofHarryBennett,intimidatedandphysicallyattackedFordlaborerswhodidnottoethecompanyline.1

InstarkcontrasttothemechanisticgrayofHenryFord’sbeliefsaboutemployees,WaltDisney’svisionwasawashincolorandenergy.Astheroaring1920sgavewaytothedepressing1930s,thefinancialandcriticalsuccessofthecompany’sfirstTechnicolorcartoonsandWalt’sdreamofcreatingthefirstfeature-lengthanimatedmoviesweredrivinggrowthatDisney’sHyperionAvenuestudiosinBurbank,California.Waltknewthatthekeytothestudio’scontinuedprosperitywasitsworkforce.Sohebegananambitiousexpansionplanthatenlargedthesix-personstafftomorethan750people,andhestartedthinkingseriouslyabouttraininganddevelopment.

IfyouwereayounganimatoratDisneyin1931andyoudidn’townacar,therewasagoodchancethatseveralnightsaweekWalthimselfchauffeuredyouandagroupofyourcolleaguestoLosAngelesforcompany-paidclassesattheChouinardArtInstitute.Inlate1932,astheattendanceattheseclassesexpanded,WaltquitdrivingandhiredDonGrahamofChouinardtoteachatthestudio.“Idecidedtostepoutoftheirclass,”Waltquipped,comparinghiscompanytothecompetition,“bysettingupmyowntrainingschool.”2Accordingly,onNovember15,1932,thefirstsessionoftheDisneyArtSchoolwasheld,withtwenty-fivestudents.Attendancegrewquickly,particularlyafterwordspreadaboutthenudemodelsDonhadhiredtoposeinthelifedrawingclass.

By1934,thein-houseschoolwasrunningonafull-timebasis.Newlyhiredanimatorsweretaughtdrawinginclassesheldatlocalzoosandlearnedproductiontechniquesinstudioclasses.Earlyin1935,WaltanalyzedthecharacteristicsofagoodanimatortoguideDoninthedevelopmentof“averysystematictrainingcourseforouryounganimators...andaplanofapproachforourolderanimators.”3Soon,outsidelecturerswereappearingandDisneyanimatorswerelearningfromdistinguishedspeakers,includingarchitectFrankLloydWrightanddramacriticAlexanderWoollcott.

Atthesametimethecompany’sfirsttrainingprogramswerebeingestablished,Waltwasformalizingthemajorelementsofthecorporateculture.Hardworkandcreativitywererewardedwithbonuschecks.Theuseoffirstnamesandcasualdresscontributedtoanopenatmosphere.Uninhibitedstorysessions,sometimesheldafterworkinWalt’shome,addedademocraticelementtoasystembasedonadoptingtheverybestideas,nomatterwheretheyoriginated.

Thefirstbigpayoffforallofthecompany’straininganddevelopmenteffortscameonDecember21,1937,whenSnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfspremieredinHollywoodtoastandingovationfromtheindustry’selite.Composedoftwomilliondrawings,thecriticallyacclaimed,eighty-three-minutefeaturefilmbrokeattendancerecordsatNewYork’sRadioCityMusicHallandwonaspeciallymadeOscarthatfeaturedoneregular-sizestatueaccompaniedbysevendwarfOscars.Withinsixmonths,thereceiptsfromthefilmhadpaidoffallofthecompany’sbankloans,and,initsfirstrun,SnowWhiteearned$8million.Thiswas“aphenomenalsum,”wroteDisneybiographerBobThomas,“consideringthattheaveragepriceforatheateradmissionintheUnitedStatesin1938wastwenty-threecents—andaheavypercentageofthoseseeingSnow

Whitewerechildrenadmittedforadime.”4

Waltmadeasimilarinvestmentinthetraininganddevelopmentofpeopleinthemid-1950sinDisneyland.In1955,hecreatedDisneyUniversity,thefirstcorporateuniversity,tomakesurethatnewcastmembersunderstoodanddeliveredtheserviceheenvisionedattheuniquenewpark.Andin1971,fiveyearsafterWalt’sdeath,whenWaltDisneyWorldopenedinFlorida,anewbranchoftheUniversitywasestablishedalongwithit.Bythen,therewasnodebateabouttheinvestment.EveryoneknewWalthadbeenrightwhenhesaid,“Youcandream,create,design,andbuildthemostwonderfulplaceintheworld...butitrequirespeopletomakethedreamareality.”5

Whateverwehaveaccomplishedisduetothecombinedeffort.The

organizationmustbewithyou,oryoucan’tgetitdone...

—WaltDisney

Accordingly,intheQualityServiceCompass,castmembersarethefirstcriticaldeliverysystemofthecommonpurposeandqualitystandards.AttheDisneyparksandresorts,forexample,webelievethat“ourfrontlineisourbottomline.”Thetruthinthisbecomesclearwhenyouconsiderthatguestsinourparkscomeintocontactwithcastmorethan2.5billiontimesperyear.

“Itmightsurpriseyou,butinourresearch,peopleciteinteractionstheyhavewithourcastasthesinglebiggestfactorintheirsatisfactionandintenttoreturn,”saidTomStaggs,whotookontheroleofChairmanofWaltDisneyParksandResortsinJanuary2010,inaninvestorcallinearly2011.“WhatI’vereallycometoappreciatethispastyearisthatourcast’scommitmenttoguestexperienceisholistic—fromdesigningourparks,attractions,andresorts,tocreatingourentertainmentofferings,andevendowntothefoodthatweserve—wewanttowowourguestswitheveryinteraction.”6

CASTINGTHEFIRSTIMPRESSION

Ithasbeensaidbeforeanditisworthrepeating:Younevergetasecondchancetomakeafirstimpression.AtDisney,allcastmembersknowabouttheimportanceoffirstimpressions.Theyunderstandthatguestswillformafirstimpressioninsecondsandhowimportantitistomakesurethatimpressionisapositiveone.Firstimpressionsarestrongandlastingones.Butcustomersaren’ttheonlypeoplewhogetfastandfirmfirstimpressions.Sodoemployees.

BeforewestartexploringthefirstimpressionsthatnewcastmembersgetatDisney,takeamomenttothinkaboutwhatmostnewemployeesexperiencewhentheyarrivefortheirfirstdayofwork.Whatwasthefirstthingyoudidonyourfirstdayonthejob?Itwasprobablysomekindoforientation.Almostalllargeorganizationsofferaformalnewemployeeorientationprogram.Itisthemostcommonkindoftrainingoffered.7

Here’sonemorequestion:Whatisthefirstimpressionthatmostnewemployeesgetonthatfirstdayonthejob?Thosefewwhodon’tparticipateinanorientationprogramprobablygetahodgepodgeofimpressionsoverwhichtheirnewemployershavelittlecontrol.Theyjustgotoworkandgettowork.Thosenewhireswhodogetanorientationaremostlytreatedinamechanisticfashion.Theyareimprintedwithvaryingdegreesofinformationthatusuallyinvolveanofficialwelcome,statementsoftheorganizationalmissionandvalues,explanationsofbenefitsandpolicies,paperworkprocessing,and,perhaps,acodeoftheethicsalongwithamenuofthepenaltiesthatcodeviolatorsmightexpect.Afewhourslater,theyaremarchingofftotheirnewjobs,andtheiremployershavemissedagoldenopportunitytobegincreatingaworkforcecapableofdeliveringworld-classservice.

Disneyhiresthousandsofpeopleannually.TheCastingCenteratWaltDisneyWorld,forexample,oftenhandles150to200applicantseachday,andasmanyas100jobs,includingtransfersandpromotions,arefilleddaily.Priorto1989,castingwasconductedinanadhocseriesofofficesandtrailers.Butin1989,whentoday’scenterwasopened,theabilitytomakeamemorablefirstimpressiononprospectiveandnewcastmemberswasgreatlyimproved.

TheWaltDisneyWorldCastingCenterwasdesignedbyrenownedarchitectRobertA.M.Stern,whoimmediatelyunderstoodthepowerthatthefinishedbuildingwouldhavetoimpressnewhires.Tothenewcastmember,theCastingCenter,Sternexplained,“maybetheonlytimeyouexperiencethetotalidentityofthecorporation.It’sveryimportantsymbolically.”Accordingly,hecreatedanentrypointtotheorganizationthatisatonceelegantandplayful,onethatarchitecturecriticBethDunlopdescribedas“otherworldlyandfanciful,asifithaddroppedfromthepagesofapicturebook;astopframeinananimatedfilm.”

Impression-makingisanintegralpartofthedesign.Asprospectivecastmembersenterthebuilding,theygraspdoorknobspatternedafterthetalkingdoorknobsintheDisneyfilmAliceinWonderland.Thereceptionist’sdeskisonthesecondflooratthebackofthebuilding.Asyoutraveltowarditonyourowntripdownarabbithole,yougetasymbolictourofthecompanythrough

hallwaysandrotundasofever-changingshapesandperspectives.Gildedfiguresofcartooncharacterssitatopcolumns,scenesfromDisneyanimatedfilmsarepaintedonthewallsandceilings,andthewaitingroomfeaturesamodelofCinderellaCastlesurroundedbyfree-formseating.“Bob[Stern]wasadamantthatyouenteronthegroundfloor,andthefirsttimeyoucanaskforajobisattheotherendofahallonthesecondfloor,”explainedDisneyprojectdirectorTimJohnson.“Hesaid,‘Letthemwander.LetthemgetatasteforDisneybeforetheygetthere.’”8

Disney’scastingcentersaren’ttheonlyplacefuturecastmembersgettheirfirstimpressionsofus.Likemanycompanies,inrecentyearsDisneyhastransferredportionsofitscastingprocesstotheInternet,andweusejobfairs,recruitmentprograms,andmanyothermethodstostaffourcompany.Butnomatterwhatthemethod,wealwaysuseourbrandandculturetomakeagoodfirstimpressionandtoensurethatpotentialcastmembersunderstandwhatwillbeexpectedofthemasearlyaspossibleinthehiringprocess.

Nowpictureyourselfwalkingthroughthatwonderful,fancifulbuildingdedicatedsolelytothecastingprocessatWaltDisneyWorld.Whatkindofmessagedoesthefactthatthecompanyhasinvestedsomucheffortinitsdesignandmaterialssayabouthowwevalueourcast?Howwillsuchacompanyexpectitscastmemberstobehave?Nowaskyourself,whatkindsofmessagesdoyouremploymentsettingsandexperiencessendtojobapplicantsandnewhires?

OUTFITTINGTHECASTFORSERVICEDELIVERY

YoumightthinkthatWaltDisneyWorldpaysapremiumforextra-courteousandfriendlyemployeesorthatcastmembersarereallyAudio-AnimatronicfiguresmanufacturedusingsomesecretformulacookedupbytheDisneyImagineers.Infact,ourcastmembersarehiredfromthesamelaborpoolaseveryotherorganization,andtheyarepaidthegoingrates.WhenwearesuccessfulatmodelingtheDisneycultureandsharingtheconditionsofemployment,weareabletohirepeoplewhoaretherightfitandpredisposedtodelivergreatservice.Ournot-so-secrettipforprovidingfriendlyserviceistofirsthirefriendlypeople.Ournot-so-secretmethodbywhichfriendlypeoplearethentransformedintoDisneycastmemberscanbefoundinthewaytheyaretrained.

Afterasuccessfulaudition(yes,Disney-speakforajobinterview)forarole,thefirstthingthatnewcastmembersdoisbeginlearninghowtodeliver

role,thefirstthingthatnewcastmembersdoisbeginlearninghowtodeliverDisney’sbrandofQualityService.Ourparksandresortsworldwideuseamulti-tieredapproachtopreparingthecastforservicedelivery:

Thefirsttierisaglobalorientation,whichisconductedatDisneyUniversityandteachesconceptsandbehaviorsthatarecommontoeverycastmemberthroughouttheorganization.Thesecondtierisline-of-businesstrainingthatcastmembersrequirefortheirjobcategory.Forexample,allnewfood-servicecastmembersaretaughtfood-safetyprocedures.Thethirdtierisalocalorientationthatencompassesthelocation-specificinformationthatisneededtoperforminthedifferentbusinessunitsoftheresort.Thefourthtierison-the-jobtraining,whichisconductedafterthenewcastmembersassumetheirroles.

AllnewlyhiredcastmembersstarttheirtenureatDisneywithTraditions,aone-dayorientationprogramtaughtbyDisneyUniversity,theinternaltrainingarmofthecompany.

AtWaltDisneyWorld,forexample,theaverageclasssizeisforty-fivepeople,andtherecanbenineclasseseachweekonaverage,withasmanyasfourteenclassesperweekinpeakhiringseasons.Traditionsistaughtbyexistingcastmemberswhoserveintheroleoftrainingfacilitators.Eachyear,avoluntarycastingcallismadeforTraditionsAssistants,arolethatisconsideredanhonor.Thosecastmemberswhoarechosenleavetheirdailyjobsatregularintervalstoteachthecourse.(Bytheway,theextradepthofknowledgeandrefreshertrainingacquiredbytheTraditionsAssistantsinthecourseoffacilitatingtheprogramisanaddedbenefitofusingveteranemployeestodelivertraining.)

ThegoalofTraditionswaswellstatedbyaveteranDisneyInstitutefacilitatorwhosaid,“Wedon’tputpeopleinDisney.WeputDisneyinpeople.”9Towardthatend,theprogramutilizesavarietyoftrainingtechniques,includinglectures,storytelling,video,exercises,largeandsmallgroupdiscussions,andfieldexperiences.Traditionsisdesignedtoaccomplishfourmajorpurposes:

Toacclimatenewcastmemberstothefoundationsoftheculture.Toperpetuatethelanguageandsymbols,heritageandtraditions,qualitystandards,values,andtraitsandbehaviorsoftheDisneyparksandresorts.

TocreateasenseofexcitementaboutworkingforDisney.Tointroducenewcastmemberstothecoresafetyregulations.

WehavealreadybrieflymentionedtheuseofTraditionsastheinitialcommunicatorofthecommonpurposeandqualitystandards,butitdoesmuchmorethanthat.Itexplainshowtheyareputintopracticeintheresortsandparks.Thus,itservesasanintroductorycourseinDisneyshowmanship.

Traditions,forexample,explainswhythecastmembersmusthavea“timeless”appearancethatenablesthemtoreflectthesettingandstorywhentheyareentertainingguests.TheDisneythemeparkshaveoftenbeencomplimentedon,andcriticizedfor,theirstrictguidelinesregardingthepersonalappearanceofcastmembers.Whilesomeobservershavetriedtopoliticizetheissue,policiesregardinghair,jewelry,cosmetics,etc.areinplaceforsoundbusinessreasons.TheyaredirectlyandclearlyrelatedtothequalitystandardofShowandtheyaredesignedtoensurethatwefulfillthefundamentalprinciplesofQualityService:payingattentiontothedetailsandunderstandingguestexpectations.

Ofcourse,forpolicieslikethistobelegalandfairtoemployees,theymustbeconsistentlyinterpretedandapplied.Disneycastmembersarenotonlyinformedofappearanceguidelinesthroughouttheemploymentprocess,theyareinformedbeforetheyevenfilloutanapplication.Andwithoutexception,nonewcastmemberisallowedtoparticipateintheTraditionsclassandthusstartworkuntilhisorherpersonalappearanceisincompliance.Withallthisfocusandattentiontodetail,changesintheappearancepolicyarenotundertakenlightly,especiallysinceneitheremployeesnorthelegalsystemwouldlookkindlyonareturntoastricterpolicyonceithasbeeneased.In2000,forinstance,theDisneyparksamendedtheirguidelinestoallowmentowearmustaches;in2010,itallowedwomentoforgopantyhosewhenwearingskirts.Butitmadethesechangesonlyafternumerousfocusgroupswithcastmembersandguestsdeterminedthattheydidnotdetractfrom“theDisneylook.”

Traditionsalsoextendsourcommonpurposeofcreatinghappinessthroughentertainmentintotheverylanguagethatcastmembersspeak.Youhavealreadybeenexposedtotheshow-basedvocabularyusedatWaltDisneyWorld;Traditionsiswherecastmemberslearnit.

Disney-Speak

Attractions:Rides,shows

CastMember:Employee

Guest:Customer

Onstage:Guestareas

Offstage/backstage:Behindthescenes

Costume:Uniform

Audition:Interview

Role:Job

Host/Hostess:Frontlineemployee

Atfirstglance,Disney’slanguagemayseemcontrivedorinconsequential.Butwordscreateimagesandcorrespondingassumptionsinpeople’sminds.Takethewordguest.Anunhappyguestandanunhappyconsumercreatetwoverydifferentimagesinanemployee’smind.Guestsarewelcomevisitors,whomyouhost;consumersarestatistics.Ifsomeoneisyourguest,don’tyoufeelagreaterobligationtoensurehisorherhappiness?Thewordperformancealsocreatesasingularimage.Ifyouareperforminginashow,areyoulikelytobeoperatingatahigherlevelthanwhenyouarebusingtablesatarestaurant?Howwetalkaboutworkdoesmakeadifference.

Don’tunderestimatethepowerofagoodorientationprogramtocreateaportraitoftheorganizationanditscultureinthemindsofnewemployees.Whilethehistory,mission,andvaluesofyourbusinessmaybeasfamiliarasafavoritechildhoodstorytoyou,chancesaregoodthatyournewemployeeshaveneverheardthem,orhaveheardversionsofthemthatmaynotbeaccurate.

WhenSt.Louis–basedDierbergs,Inc.,achainoftwenty-threesupermarketsemployingmorethanfivethousandpeople,decidedtorevampitsnew-employeeorientationprocess,itfirststudiedhowDisneycommunicatesitsheritageandculture.“Weweredoingatraditionalrules-and-regulationsthing,”recallsFredMartels,thenDierbergs’seniorhuman-resourcesexecutiveandnowheadofPeopleSolutionsStrategies,aconsultingfirm.“Wetoldpeoplewhattheycouldandcouldn’tdoandwhatwouldgetthemfired.Butthatdoesn’tmotivatepeople.Weneededtospeaktotheirhearts,notjusttheirbrains.”

Toaccomplishthatgoal,thecompanycreatedanewprogramthatemphasizedits157-yearhistory,thefourgenerationsoffamilymanagement,anditsheritageandcultureofQualityService.Theorientationincludespicturesfromthecompany’shistoryandstoriesofgreatcustomerservice.Insteadofspendingalltheirtimeoncompanypolicy,ahandbookofrulesisgiventoemployees.Theyareaskedtoreaditaftertheclassandreturnasignedstatementagreeingtoabidebytherules.

NorthCarolina–basedMontreatCollegedesigneditsfirstorientationprogramafteritsadministratorsvisitedDisneyInstituteforaprogramcosponsoredbyWashington,D.C.’sCouncilofIndependentColleges,anationalassociationofmorethanfivehundredprivateliberalartsinstitutions.MontreatCollege,aPresbyteriannot-for-profitwiththreesatellitecampusesandabout1,500students,appearstogrowoutofthemountainsofwesternNorthCarolina.Foundedin1916,manyofthebuildingsonitsmaincampusarebuiltfromstoneandtimberharvestedfromitsland,andtheschool’slogo,aseven-stonearchfeaturingakeystoneinthecenter,ispatternedafteroneofthecampus’sprominentarchitecturalfeatures.

Thatlogoprovidedtheinspirationforthecollege’sfirst-everorientationprogram,aptlynamedKeystones.Liketheschool’slogo,thenewhalf-dayprogramwasbuiltaroundsevenmodules:historyandtraditions,values,educationalexperience,academics,studentlife,courtesy,andefficiency.Duringthetraining,newemployeeswereorganizedintoteamsofsixandgivenasix-piecejigsawpuzzlethatformedtheimageofagraduatingstudent,asymboloftheultimategoaloftheschool.Eachkeptapieceofthepuzzle,andeverysixmonthstheycamebacktogetherforanothertwo-hourtrainingsessionthathighlightedanotheraspectofthesevenmodules.

InsteadofsendingatrainertoMontreat’ssatelliteschools,thosestaffmemberscametothemaincampusforclasses.“Wehadalotofpeoplewhojustdidn’tunderstandourheritage,”formerDeanofAdmissionsandFinancialAidLisaLankfordexplainedatthetime.“Theydidn’tunderstandthattheirjobswereanimportantpartoftheentireeducationalshowatMontreat.Nowtheyarestartingtosee.”

SowhennewemployeesatDierbergsFamilyMarketshittheaislesornewcastmembersatWaltDisneyWorldstepontotheirstageornewprofessorsatMontreatCollegestandinfrontoftheirfirstclass,theyallhaveasenseofthecommunitytheyhavejoined.Thenextgoaloforientationistolinkthatpicturetospecificbehaviors.

THEBEHAVIORSOFQUALITYSERVICE

Overthepastdecades,asDisney’sparksandresortshavedefinedandrefinedtheirfourqualitystandards,theTraditionsprogramhasalsodevotedmoreandmoretimetoteachingcastmembershowtoachievethem.Theclassintroducesallofthestandards,butisparticularlyfocusedontheelementsofthosestandardsthatcanbeapplieduniversallythroughouttheorganization.Thatmeanstraining

thatcanbeapplieduniversallythroughouttheorganization.Thatmeanstrainingincoresafetyproceduresandthebasicelementsofcourtesy.

Theseuniversalproceduresandbehaviorsaretaughtusingasimplerole-playingexerciseforjudgingtheguestexperiencecalled“GoodShow/BadShow.”AGoodShowisanythingleadingtoapositiveguestexperienceandaBadShowis...well,you’vesurelyguessedthedefinitionofthat.Thephrases“goodshow”and“badshow”havespreadthroughouttheresorts.Sowhenacastmemberperformswell,sheislikelytogetathumbs-upfromhersupervisorandahearty“Goodshow!”Conversely,whensomeonemissesaserviceopportunity,heislikelytobeaskedhowtoimprovethe“badshow.”

SincethefirstpriorityofQualityServiceissafety,newcastmembersarefirsttaughtexactlyhowtorespondifanaccidentshouldoccur.Thentheylearnaccident-preventionproceduresrangingfromevacuationroutestotheuseoffireextinguisherstoemergencyfirst-aidtechniques.Eventhesafeuseofgesturesisdiscussed;wedon’tassumeeveryoneknowstonotusethetools,golfclubs,orotherinstrumentsintheirhandstopointoutdirections.

DisneyUniversityhasalsospentagooddealoftimedefiningcourtesyinactionandexploringhowcourtesycontributestoapositiveguestexperience.Theresultoftheseeffortsisembodiedinalistofactionscalled“performancetips,”whicheverycastmemberlearnsintheTraditionsprogram.

Performancetipsareasetofgenericbehaviorsthatensurethatcastmembersknowhowtoactcourteouslyandrespecttheindividualityofeachguest.Thetrainingaddressessuchtopicsashowtomakeagoodfirstimpressionandofferawarmwelcome.Itexplorestheeffectsofposture,gestures,andfacialexpressionsontheguestexperience.Anditexplainshowtoneofvoiceandtheuseofhumorcancontributeto—ordetractfrom—servicedelivery.

Whilethephrase“performancetips”maysoundrelativelyinnocuous,thesetipspackapunch.AtHongKongDisneylandandDisneylandParis,forexample,theyhavebeentranslatedintoasetofbehavioralactionscalledGuidelinesforGuestService.Theguidelinesaresummarizedinsevensentencesandserveavarietyofpurposes.First,theydefinebehaviorintermsoftheguests.Theycreateacommonbaselineforinteractionwithguestsanddemonstratetheelementsofperformancethatperpetuatecourtesy,Disney-style.Second,theguidelinescommunicateemployeeresponsibilities.Theymakethecompany’sexpectationsforservicedeliverycleartonewcastmembersandtheyprovideabasisforaccountability.Fulfillingtheperformanceguidelinesisanexpectation.Castmemberswhodonotusethemaresubjecttoprogressivedisciplinaryactions.

Disney’sGuidelinesforGuestService

MakeEyeContactandSmile!

Startandendeveryguestcontactandcommunication

withdirecteyecontactandasinceresmile.

GreetandWelcomeEachandEveryGuest

Extendtheappropriategreetingtoeveryguestwith

whomyoucomeintocontact.

“Goodmorning/afternoon/evening!”

“Welcome!”/“Haveagoodday!”

“MayIhelpyou?”

Makeguestsfeelwelcomebyprovidingaspecial

differentiatedgreetingineacharea.

SeekOutGuestContact

Itistheresponsibilityofeverycastmembertoseek

outguestswhoneedhelporassistance.

Listentoguests’needs

Answerquestions

Offerassistance(takingfamilyphotographs,for

example)

ProvideImmediateServiceRecovery

Itistheresponsibilityofallcastmembersto

attempt,tothebestoftheirabilities,toimmediately

resolveaguestservicefailurebeforeitbecomesa

guestserviceproblem.

Alwaysfindtheanswerfortheguestand/orfind

anothercastmemberwhocanhelptheguest.

DisplayAppropriateBodyLanguageatAllTimes

Itistheresponsibilityofeverycastmemberto

displayapproachablebodylanguagewhenonstage.

Attentiveappearance

Goodposture

Appropriatefacialexpression

Preservethe“Magical”GuestExperience

Alwaysfocusonthepositive,ratherthantherulesand

regulations.

Talkingaboutpersonalorjob-relatedproblemsinfront

ofourguestsisunacceptable.

ThankEachandEveryGuest

Extendeveryguestasincerethankyouatthe

conclusionofeverytransaction.

Extendeveryguestathankyouorsimilarexpressionof

appreciationashe/sheleavesyourarea.

Guestserviceguidelinesserveyetanotherimportantpurpose.Theyshowcasewaystocustomizeservicetoindividualguests.Practicessuchassmiling,greeting,andthankingguestsareallwellandgood,butiftheseactionsarerestrictedtorote,mechanisticbehaviors,theireffectivenessisseverelylimited.Theyaremoreproperlyseenasminimumexpectationsandaguidetothecreationofcustomizedserviceforindividualguests.

ThestoriesofhowDisneycastmemberstailorservicebasedonuniquecircumstancesoftheirguestsarelegion.Forexample,thereisthecouplewiththesickchildwhoreturnstotheirroomandfindsapersonalizedget-wellcardfromMickey.Itistheguestserviceguidelinesthatprovidethejumping-offpointforthatlevelofservice.Castmembersusethemtocraftuniqueservicemomentsforindividualguests—notabadreturnonsevenshortsentences.

Sometimesthestructureofacompanycanpresentachallengetocommunicatingthebehaviorsthatwillsupportitscommonpurposeandstandards.Forexample,inthelate1990s,StartHolding,atemporaryemploymentagencybasedinGouda,Holland,withmorethan5,100employeesin650storefrontofficeslocatedmostlyinHolland,Spain,andGermany,underscoredtheimportanceofitsservicequalityinitiativebypositioningitasaleadershipinitiativethatwouldultimatelycascadetoallofitsinternationalanddomesticoperations.10Tolaunchitsleadershipinitiative,thecompanybroughtitsleadershipteam,boardofdirectors,andfourgroupsofdistrictmanagerstotheDisneyInstituteandthentookmorethanfivehundredbranchmanagerstoanInstituteprogramheldatDisneylandParis.

Startadoptedacommonpurpose(Wecreatecareers)andfourqualitystandards:Accessibility,Reliability,ServiceProvision,andEfficiency.Butthecompanystillneededtodevelopandcommunicatetheperformancebehaviors

thatwouldhelpitswidespreadnetworkofbranchemployeestodeliveritsbrandofQualityService.Start’sanswerwastocreateasystemcalledtheServiceBox.

TheServiceBoxincludedaseriesoftrainingandmotivationalvideotapes,issuedtoleaderseverytwomonths,whichexplainedandexploredanotheraspectofoneofStart’sfourqualitystandards.Eachofficescheduledatrainingmeetingforitsstaffcoincidingwiththetape’sarrival.Interestingly,thevideosarerelativelyshort,lessthanfifteenminuteseach,andaredesignedtoserveonlyasalaunchingpointforfurtherlearning.Theremainderofeachtrainingsessionwasdevotedtobrainstormingideasforputtingitscontentstoworkonaday-to-daybasis.

AlloftheideasinthestaffandoperationalareawerethencollectedandcommunicatedviawhatStartcalledServicePlatforms—communicationtoolsdesignedtoleveragethecreativeeffortofemployeesbysharingeachoffice’ssolutionsthroughoutthecompany.

THINKGLOBALLY,PERFORMLOCALLY

AnyonewhohasvacationedattheDisneyresortsknowsthattheyarealotlikehugemultiplextheatersscreeningavarietyofliving,interactivemoviesatthesametime.Themoviesareallentertaining.Theyarealsoallrelatedbycommonproductionvalues.Buteachonetellsadifferentstoryandutilizesadifferenttheme.WithinWaltDisneyWorld,theContemporaryResorthasaradicallydifferentstoryandthemethantheBoardWalkResort.Epcot’sFutureWorldtellsstoriesdifferentfromthe1940sHollywoodasre-createdinDisney’sHollywoodStudios.Andsoon.

Thefirsttierofcast-deliveredservicetraining,whichincludestheorientationprogramandserviceguidelines,unitesallcastmemberswithcommongoals,language,andbehaviorandoffersabroadoutlineofwhatismeantbyQualityService.ThistierhelpscreatethemultiplextheaterthatisaDisneypark.Buttomanageallthedifferentfilmsplayinginthetheater,thecommonpurposeandqualitystandardsmustbedrivendowntothelocallevel.Thatisdonewiththecreationandcommunicationofperformancecultures.

Aperformancecultureisasetoflocation-specificbehaviors,mannerisms,terms,andvaluesthatdirectandenhanceacastmember’sroleinanyparticularshow.PerformanceculturesaredevelopedandnurturedbythemanagementandcastatDisney’sresortsandparks.Eachperformancecultureincludesitsownmission,vision,andperformancevalues(whichare,ofcourse,alignedwiththe

largerpurposeandqualitystandardsofthebusinessasawhole).Itmightseemlikeawasteoftimetocreatelocalizedculturesinadditionto

anorganization-wideculture,buttherearesomeverygoodreasonsforthepractice.Aswe’vealreadymentioned,thelargerandmorediversetheorganization,themoredifficultitistocreateasinglecoherentculturethatwillmakesensetoeveryone.Astronglocalculturespeaksmoredirectlytotheday-to-dayresponsibilitiesofemployees,anditstrengthensthesenseofownershipandinvolvementinthebusinessunit.Liketheperformancetips,alocalperformanceculturealsocanbeverydetailedaboutthebehaviorsthatthelocalcastwillshare.AndperhapsmostimportantforthedeliveryofQualityService,itestablishesandreinforcesthelocalshowbytappingdirectlyintothestoryandthemeofthearea.Theresultisamorememorableexperienceforguests.

OneofthenotableperformanceculturesatWaltDisneyWorldcanbefoundatthePolynesianResort.ThePolynesianwaspartofWalt’soriginalvisionforhisnewparkinFlorida,and,opensince1971,itisoneoftheproperty’sfirsthotels.Mostrecentlyrenovatedin2006,itisan847-roomresortsetonaprimelocationneartheMagicKingdom.TheSouthSeasthemeandthestyleofthePolynesianareparticularlyrelaxed,anditisafavoriteamongourguestsforweddingsandhoneymoons.

AgueststayingattheresortwouldsurelybesurprisedtolearnthatthePolynesianhasnotalwaysenjoyedthestellarreputationithastoday.Infact,intheearly1990s,anassignmenttoperformtherewasusuallynotgreetedwithmuchenthusiasmbycastmembers.Thepropertywasnotscoringhighmarksintermsofguestsatisfaction.WhatturnedthePolynesianaround?Thecast,anditssuccessfulefforttocreateandmaintainitsownuniqueperformanceculture.

Undertheleadershipofthen–GeneralManagerClydeMin,thecastofthePolynesianundertookthechallengebytakingcuesfromthestyleandthemeofthehotelitselftobuildanewperformanceculture.TheystudiedtheislandculturesoftheSouthPacificandcreatednewconnectionsbetweentraditionalislandvaluesandtheperformancecultureofthehotel.Theresultwasanewlevelofservicebasedonho‘okipa,awordthatdescribesPolynesian-stylehospitalityandthewillingnesstowelcomeandentertainguestswithunconditionalwarmthandgenerosity.

Thecastofthehotelcreateditsownmissionstatement(“OurfamilyprovidesauniquehospitalityexperiencebysharingthemagicofPolynesiaandspiritofalohawithourguestsandlifelongfriends”)anditsownvisionofthefuture.Thatvisioncalledforaresortthatwouldbea“lushtropicalparadiseknownforcreatingmagicallifetimememories.”Italsospecifiedthatthe

Polynesianwouldbeabenchmarkinitsindustryandaplacewhereguestsandcastmemberswouldbewillingtosignuponwaitinglistsforanopportunitytovisitandwork.

Disney’sPolynesianResortValues

Aloha Weloveourfellowcastmembersandourguestsunconditionally.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwilltakeaninterestinmytraineesandfellowcastasindividualsbeyondwork.IwillgreetandwelcomeeveryguestandcastmemberImeetwithwarmthandsincerity.

Balance Westriveforstabilityandvitalityinourpersonalandprofessionallives.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillorganizemydaytoaccomplisheverythingandsticktomyplan.IwillassistotherswhoneedhelpifIfinishearly.

Courage Wepursueourbeliefswithstrengthandperseverance.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillfollowthroughwitheverydissatisfiedguestorproblemuntilcompletion.Iwillgivehonestandcaringfeedbackandcoachingtoothersandacceptitmyself.

Diversity Weseek,value,andrespectdifferencesamongourfellowcastmembers.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillrespectandlearnaboutthediversityofmyfellowcastandguests.Iwilltranslateimportantinformationforcastmemberswhoonlyspeakmynativelanguage.

Honesty Wedealwitheachotherinasincereandstraightforwardmanner.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillturninallitemsfoundandencourageotherstodothesame.IwillbetruetomyselfandadmitwhenIamwrongorneedhelp.

Integrity Weactinamannerconsistentwithourwordsandbeliefs.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillbeapositiverolemodelatalltimesandadheretodepartmentalguidelines.Iwillreplacenegativityandcriticismwithapositiveattitude.

Kina‘ole WeprovideflawlessguestserviceofourPolynesianProduct.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillkeepinformedandupdatedonnewinformationandprocedures.Iwilldomyjobtothebestofmyabilitythefirsttimeandeverytimeconsistently.

Meaho‘ Wewelcomeandentertainourguestswithwarmthandgenerosity.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillsmileandstartconversationswith

okipa SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillsmileandstartconversationswithguestsandcastandusetheirnames.Iwillintroducemytraineestomyfellowcastmembersandshowthemaroundtheproperty.Iwillgooutofmywaytomakeeachguestfeelspecialwithpersonaltouchesandinteractions.Iwillassistandaccommodateanyguestneedorrequesttomakethemfeelathome.

‘Ohana Wetreateachotherasafamilymember,supporting,encouraging,andhelping.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillencourageandmotivateotherstomakeourcastandguestsfeelspecial.Iwillbeanavailableresourcetosupportmytraineesandfellowcastmembers.

OpennessWeshareinformationfreely.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillmakeeveryefforttocommunicatetootherswhospeakadifferentlanguage.Iwillgiverecognitiontomytraineesandfellowcastwhenajobisdonewell.

Respect Wetreatotherswithcareandconsideration.SAMPLEBEHAVIORS:Iwillrespecttheopinions,ideas,andfeelingsofothers.Iwillpullmyownweighttoavoidimpactingothersinanegativemanner.Iwillallowotherstogrowandlearnfromtheirmistakes.

Tosupporttheresort’snewmissionandvision,thecastadoptedaseriesofvaluesthatfurtheredthethemednatureoftheresortbymixingtraditionalcorporatevalues,suchasdiversityandopenness,withtruePolynesianvalues,suchas‘ohana(family)andaloha(loveandwarmth).Thesevalueswerethenlinkeddirectlytocastbehaviors.

Thecastalsoidentifiedandattackedbarrierstoguestsatisfaction.Concernedthatthecheck-inwastakingtoolongandthatguestswerenotarrivingtoanexperiencethatwelcomedthemproperlytothewarmandrichcultureofthePolynesianislands,thecastredesignedtheprocess.FrontDesk,BellServices,andValetcastmemberspartneredtocreateanewcheck-insequencethatincorporatedacast-ledtourofthelobbyprovidingplentyofinformationabouttheamenitiesoftheresortandanopportunitytoaskquestions.Noadditionalcostswereincurred,andthetimeeachgueststoodatthefrontdeskwassignificantlyreducedalongwiththecorrespondingwaitforservice.

TheefforttorevitalizethePolynesianResortquicklyborefruit.Guestsatisfactionmeasuresimprovedacrosstheboard,registeringincreasesfrom21percentto68percent.Thenumberofrepeatguestsrosefarenoughtoputthepropertyintherunningforafirst-placefinishinWaltDisneyWorld’sGuest

propertyintherunningforafirst-placefinishinWaltDisneyWorld’sGuestReturnrankings.Castsatisfactionratingsrosefrompercentilesinthe70sintothehigh90s,andtheresort’scostsintermsofworkers’compensationandsafetyaccidentsdroppeduntiltheywerethelowestinWaltDisneyWorld.Here’sanotherstatisticthatspeaksvolumesforhowcastattitudestowardtheresortchanged:OnBringYourChildToWorkDayin1996,onlyeightchildrenvisitedtheproperty;twoyearslater,113childrencametoseewheretheirparentsworked.

Further,Disneyhasalmostcompletedbuildinganotherisland-themedperformancecultureatitsnewestproperty,Aulani,avacationresortandspainKoOlinaontheHawaiianislandofOahu.ImaginethepowerofaperformanceculturelikethatofthePolynesianResortlocatedinaspotwherethesettingandcultureareindigenoustothestory.

BUILDINGYOURPERFORMANCECULTURE

Buildingculturesisnotascience.Infact,itisafairlymysteriousprocessthatwhendonewelliscapableofunitingtheenergyandemotionsoftheentireworkforceintoalaserlikefocus.Anyonewhohaseverbeenexposedtosuchaculturecantellyouthatmagicallevelsofservicecanbeachieved.Butjustasoften—maybeevenmoreoften—culture-buildingeffortsfail,leavingbehindhigh-mindedstatementsthatdonotreflectanyexistingreality.Whilewecan’tgiveyouaguaranteedformulaforcreatingaperformanceculture,wecangiveyousomeinsightintothesystematicDisneyapproachtodevelopingthemandshowyoulivingexamplesoftheirpowerfuleffectonbusinessresults.

IfyoutakeacloserlookattheworkthatproducedtheperformancecultureatthePolynesianResortandtheperformanceculturebeingdevelopedatAulani,youwillseethattheimplementationeffortswereaccomplishedinthreephases.First,newvisionsandmissionsaredesignedtoaligntheworkforcetothebusinessunitinamorepowerfulway.Second,thevaluesconnectedtothemissionandvisionareidentified,articulated,andlinkedtobehavioronthejob.Andfinally,theworkforceisturnedloosetoachievetheQualityServicevisionithaddesigned.

Tocreateanewvisionandmissioncapableofunitingeveryoneworkingwithinanorganizationorbusinessunit,itonlymakessensethateveryone,oratleastateamthatrepresentseveryone,beenlistedintheeffort.Employeesthemselvesneedtodefinetheirworkinrelationtocustomersandthecommonpurposeanddecidewhatroletheywillplayintheaccomplishmentofthatpurpose.Asanexample,thinkaboutthewaysinwhichthePolynesian’smission

purpose.Asanexample,thinkaboutthewaysinwhichthePolynesian’smissionissimilarto,andatthesametimeuniquefrom,WaltDisneyWorld’scommonpurpose.Theteamalsoneedstoconsiderhowemployeesrelatetoeachotherandhowtheyrelatetocustomers.AtthePolynesian,thecastdecidedtobeafamily,andcustomersbecameguestsandlifelongfriends.Finally,theyneedtocutthetethersthatholdthemtoearthanddreamabouthowtheirunitwouldlookifitcouldbecomeanythingtheywanted.Thisblue-skythinkingbecomesthebasisforasharedvisionforthefuture.

Thecreationofasetofsharedperformancevaluesisintimatelyconnectedtotheestablishmentofvisionandmission.Somemanagementthinkersbelievevaluesprecedemissionandvision;otherssuggesttheopposite.Ineithercase,creatingsharedperformancevaluesisanimportantfoundationalelementfromwhichemployeebehaviorandactionswillfollow.Identifyingvaluesshouldalsobeateameffort.Theteamneedstoconsiderwhatvaluesarealreadyatworkintheorganization,whatnewvaluesarerequiredtosupporttheculture,andhowwelltheywillmeettheserviceneedsofcustomers.AsthecastofthePolynesiandid,theyalsomustconsiderhowtolinkvaluestoactionbyestablishingbehaviorsthatreflectthevaluesandhowthosebehaviorswillbemeasured.

SixTipsforCulture-Building

1. Keepitsimple.everyonemustfeelcomfortablewiththeculture.Leaveroomforindividualityandpersonality.

2. Makeitglobal.everyoneatthesite,includingmanagement,mustbuyin.

3. Makeitmeasurable.Createspecificguidelines,andmakethemapartoftheperformance-assessmentprocess.

4. Providetrainingandcoaching.Incorporatetheelementsofthecultureintoemployeetrainingandongoing

performancecoaching.encouragepeer-to-peercoaching.

5. Solicitfeedbackandideasfromtheteam.Fosterasenseofownership,andexpandthepoolofcreative

inputbyallowingemployeestocontributetotheshow.

6. Recognizeandrewardperformance.buildemployeemotivationthroughformalandinformalrewardand

recognitionprograms.

Thefinalphaseofbuildingaperformancecultureistogiveemployeesthefreedomtobeginlivingit.Theyneedtoconsiderhowtheywillachievetheir

freedomtobeginlivingit.Theyneedtoconsiderhowtheywillachievetheirmissionandvision,howtheirjobsimpactservicedelivery,andhowtheycanimprovethatdelivery.Witnessthereinventionofthecheck-inprocessatthePolynesian.Employeesalsoneedtobeginthenever-endingworkoftranslatingmissionandstrategyintoactionandthepracticingofbehaviorsthatreflecttheperformancevalues.Onlythenwilltheworkofbuildingaperformanceculturebegintoproduceresults.

QualityServiceCues

Makeamemorablefirstimpression:Firstimpressionsare

lastingones.Startsendingtherightmessagesto

prospectiveandnewemployeesfromtheveryfirstpointof

contact.

Communicatetheheartandsouloftheorganizationfirst:

yourheritage,values,commonpurpose,andquality

standardsaremoreimportantthanthepaperworkassociated

withnewhires.Usenew-employeeorientationsessionsto

communicateyourorganizationalvisionandculture.

Speakaservicelanguage;wearaservicewardrobe:howyou

lookandhowyouspeakcommunicatesanimageinthe

customer’smind.makesurethatyourappearanceand

languagereflectyourbrandofQualityService.

Establishasetofbasicperformanceguidelines:The

guidelinesareasetofbehaviorsthatensurethat

employeesknowhowtoactcourteouslyandrespectthe

individualityofeachguest.Theyformthebaselinefor

deliveringandmeasuringQualityServiceperformance.

Buildaperformanceculture:performanceculturesaresets

oflocation-specificbehaviors,mannerisms,terms,and

valuesthatdirectandenhanceanemployee’sroleina

specificbusinessunit.Theyusesharedvalues,visions,

andmissionstohelptheworkforceoptimizeandcustomize

servicedelivery.

CHAPTER4

TheMagicofSetting

WaltDisneywasanOscarmagnet.HewaspersonallynominatedforAcademyAwardsonsixty-fouroccasions,themostnominationseverrecorded.Hewonthirty-twoAcademyAwards,alsothemostever.Afteracoupleofdozentripstothedais,pickingupOscarsprobablybegantofeelalittleroutinetoWalt,butthefirst,whichheacceptedin1932,mustsurelyhavebeenathrill.Thatyear,WaltreceivedthefirstawardeverpresentedinthenewcategoryofBestCartoonforFlowersandTrees,thetwenty-ninthfilmintheSillySymphonyseriesandthefirstevermadeusinganewcolorprocesscalledTechnicolor.

TheinnovativeuseofcolorinacartoonwasthemainreasonthatFlowersandTreeswassuchasensationamongbothaudiencesandcritics,butitisnotableforanotherreason.Theshortfilmshowcasedthepossibilitiesofsettinglikenoothercartooneverhadbefore.Init,twoyoungtreesfallinlove,buttheirhappinessisthreatenedbyajealousrival—inthiscase,agnarledstump.Theoldstumpsetstheforestafiretoseparatethelovers,butisitselfconsumed.Theforestreturnstolife,andtheyoungloversarewed.Thewoodlandsettingandthemusic,byMendelssohnandSchubert,communicatethestorytotheaudience.Infact,thesetting,whichinothercartoonsofthaterawouldhaveonlyprovidedthebackgroundfortheaction,hadsuddenlybecometheentirefilm.

In1938,WaltandtheDisneyStudiospickeduptwomoreAcademyAwards.Thistime,oneofthestudio’sinventions,themultiplanecamera,receivedanawardintheScientificandTechnicalcategory,andthefirstfilmmadewiththecamera,anotherSillySymphonyentitledTheOldMill,wonforBestCartoon.Themultiplanecamerarepresentedanothermajorstepincapturingthefullpotentialofsetting.ItallowedDisneyanimatorstoovercomewhatWalt’sbiographerBobThomascalled“theessentialflatnessoftheanimatedfilm.”1Thecameracouldbepointedandmovedthroughstacksofanimationcelsandglassplates,creatingthesameeffectasalive-actioncamera

movingthroughaset.Theresultwasadepthofsettingthathadneverbeenseenbefore.Themultiplanecameracreatedafantasyworldthatwasmoreconvincingbecauseaudiencessawitinthesamewaythattheysawlife.“Whenwedofantasy,wemustnotlosesightofreality,”explainedWalt.2

In1940,whenFantasiawasreleased,Walt’sinnovativeuseofsettingwasagainmuchinevidence.Broomsticksmarchedandflowersandmushroomsdanced.Fantasiaalsobrokenewgroundintheuseofsound,animportantelementofsetting.ThefilmusedFantasound,whichrecordedmusicusingseveralmicrophonesandplayeditbackthroughacorrespondingnumberofspeakers.WaltreceivedanotherAcademyAwardforthistechnicalbreakthrough.Unfortunately,theoutbreakofWorldWarIIcloseddownFantasia’sforeignmarkets,andtheexpensiveaudioequipmentneededtoproperlypresentthefilmmadedomestictheaterownersreluctanttoshowit.Fantasiacost$2.2milliontomake,morethanfourtimesthecostoftheaveragelive-actionfilmatthattime,anditfloppedonfirstrelease.Twodecadeslater,inthe1960s,itwasrereleased,tookanewgenerationofmoviegoersbystorm,andwasproclaimedaclassicofanimation.3

Walt’sinsistencethatanimatedfilmsmustbebelievabletotheaudiencetobeeffectivewastranslateddirectlyintothesettingsofDisneyland.YoumightthinkthatWalt’sideaforthefirstthemeparkwasmetwithinstantacclaim,butthatwasnotthecase.Inthelate1940s,asWaltbecamemoreandmoreintriguedwithcreatinghisownkindofamusementpark,hegotlessandlesssupportfortheidea.Walt’sbrotherRoy,hislongtimebusinesspartnerandtheholderofthecompany’spursestrings,didnotseethefinancialmeritinthisriskyleapbeyondtheircurrentbusinessandwasreluctanttofundtheidea.In1952,Waltgottiredofwaitingand,withhistypicaldrive,wentaheadwithouttherestofthecompany.Hecreatedanewcorporation,WEDEnterprises,Inc.,andfundeditbyborrowingagainsthisinsurancepoliciesandsellinghisvacationhomeinPalmSprings.HealsohijackedthefirstclassofImagineersoutoftheDisneyanimationstudios,stashingtheminemptyofficesandworkshopsaroundthepropertytoworkonthepark.

SincethepeoplewhodesignedandbuiltDisneylandcamefromtheanimationsideofthebusiness,theytreateditssettingsasintegralandimportantpartsoftheparkfromtheveryfirst.Disneylandwasgoingtobealivingmoviethatitsguestswouldexperiencebymovingthroughit.And,asinanimatedfilms,tomakethatvisioncometolife,theaudiencehadtohavetheopportunitytobecometotallyimmersedintheexperience.“Disneylandisashow,”saidWalt,andeverydetailofthesettinghadtosupporttheshow.4

DisneylandislikeAlicesteppingthroughtheLookingGlass;to

stepthroughtheportalsofDisneylandwillbelikeentering

anotherworld.

—WaltDisney

“Waltwasaskedwhyheworkedsohardtomakeitalllookrealistic,”recallsImagineerTonyBaxter.“Hesaidwhatwe’resellingisabeliefinfantasyandstorytelling,andifthebackgroundwasn’tbelievable,peoplewouldn’tbuyit.”5Withthebenefitof20/20hindsight,thesoundnessofWalt’sthinkingisobvious.Theaudiencedidn’tsimplybuytheideaofDisneyland;theyfellinlovewithit.

TheroleofsettingintheDisneythemeparkswasrevitalizedinthemid-1980swhenMichaelEisnerassumedleadershipofTheWaltDisneyCompany.Michaeldidn’tknowmuchaboutthemeparkconstruction,butheknewhowtocreatecompellingentertainment.

“Hewasamovieguy—ABC,Paramount,”explainedPeterRummell,whoheadedupDisney’sconstructionprojectsworldwideatthetime.“Formonths,everytimehesawPUD[plannedunitdevelopment]onaplan,I’mconvincedhethoughtitmeant‘producersusingdrugs.’ButwhathedidbringwasatotalunderstandingofwhatDisneyis;whatitsstrengthis;whatitrepresentstotheworld.Youallknowthehorriblyoverusedrealestatemaxim‘location,location,location’asakeytosuccess.Michael’schantveryquicklybecame‘entertainment,entertainment,entertainment.’Hewasconsistentandunrelenting.”6

Twoweeksintohisnewjob,MichaelsuggestedbuildingahotelshapedlikeMickeyMouse.Itwasn’tfeasible,buttoDisneyinsiders,thefreshlyhiredCEO’swillingnesstoswingforthefencessignaledawholenewballgameintermsofsetting.Shortlythereafter,Michaelscrappedplansfortwonew,butarchitecturallymundane,hotelsatWaltDisneyWorld.Itwasagutsymovethatriskedalong-termrelationshipwithavalueddevelopmentpartner,butitpaidoff.The1,514-roomWaltDisneyDolphinHotelandthe758-roomWaltDisneySwanHotelreplacedthecanceledhotels.Designedbyworld-renownedarchitectMichaelGraves,theycreatedanewstandardforsettingintheDisneyresorts.

TheSwanandDolphinsignaledarenaissanceinDisneyarchitecture.Soon,thebestarchitectsintheworldwereworkingoncommissionsforthecompany.AtWaltDisneyWorld,resortssuchastheGrandFloridian,WildernessLodge,BoardWalk,andYachtClubandBeachClub(thelatterdesignedbyRobertA.M.Stern)tooksettingtoawholenewlevel.“Ourhotelsbecameexperiencesand

entertainmentsinthemselves,”wroteMichaelinhisbookWorkInProgress.“Successfulasourhotelsareinartisticterms,thesimplesttributetothemcomesfromourguests.Tothisday,theoccupancyrateateachofthemrunsinexcessofninetypercent—thehighestintheworld.”7

SettingcontinuestoplayanessentialroleinthedeliveryofQualityServicethroughoutDisney.AsyouwatchDisneyfilms,boarditsships,shopinitsstores,andvisititsparks,lookcloselyatthedetailsoftheenvironmentyou’veentered.Youwillfindasurprisinglevelofdepthandcoherence.Thinkabouthowthisenhancesyourexperience.

SETTINGDELIVERSSERVICE

Ifyouaskmostbusinesspeoplehowtheircompanydeliversservicetocustomers,theywillsurelymentionpeopleandprocesses(thetopicsofthelastandnextchaptersrespectively)astheprimarydeliverysystems.Buttheideathatanorganization’ssettingcandeliverserviceislesswellunderstood.Canasettingreallydeliveranythingatall?Andifso,howdoesitdeliverservice?

Infact,settingcandeliverboththephysicalandpsychologicalaspectsofservice.AttheDisneythemeparks,forexample,therearemanyattractionswherecastmemberswillloadandunloadguests,butthebulkoftheserviceexperienceisdeliveredduringtheridebythesettingitself.Thisisbecomingmoreandmorecommoninallbusinesses.Inthesedaysofe-commerce,wearewitnessingatransformationalshiftinphysicalservicedeliveryfromemployeestosetting.Whenyoubuybooks,music,oranyoneofwhatseemslikeazillionotherproductsandservicesavailableonline,youareservedbyasetting—thatis,theWebsitefromwhichyouarebuying.Inmostofthesetransactions,youaretheonlyhumaninvolvedinthesale.Thesettingandelectronicprocessesaredeliveringservice.Employeesareinvolvedinthecreationandmaintenanceofthesettingand,afterthefact,inthefulfillmentoforders.

Theuseofsettingtodeliverthepsychologicalaspectsofserviceissimilarlycommon.Allorganizations,knowinglyorunknowingly,buildmessagestotheircustomersintothesettingsinwhichtheyoperate.Picturealuxurycardealershipandausedcarlot.Now,athemeparkandacarnival.Andnow,adesignerclothingretailerandanoutletstore.Ineachpair,consumersarebuyingsimilarproducts—cars,entertainment,andapparel.Butineachcase,thesettinginwhichtheybuytheseproductsiscommunicatingagreatdealaboutthequalityoftheproductsandthelevelofservicetheycanexpect,nottomentiontheeffectithasonthepricetheyarewillingtopay.

hasonthepricetheyarewillingtopay.AsnotedinChapter1,thesimplefactiseverythingspeakstocustomers.

Notonlydoeseverything,animateandinanimate,speak,italsoactsuponcustomers.Themessagesdeliveredbysettingestablishandchangecustomerperceptionsabouttheproductsandservicesthatwesell.AsR.BuckminsterFuller,oneofmostoriginalthinkersandinventorsofthetwentiethcenturyandthecreatorofthegeodesicdomeonwhichthe180-foot-tallSpaceshipEarthinEpcotisbased,aptlysaid,“Youcan’tchangepeople.Butifyouchangetheenvironmentthatthepeoplearein,theywillchange.”8

Inshort,settingistheenvironmentinwhichserviceisdeliveredtocustomers,alloftheobjectswithinthatenvironment,andtheproceduresusedtoenhanceandmaintaintheserviceenvironmentandobjects.ItisacriticalpointontheQualityServiceCompass,anditisvitalthatsettingsbedesignedandmanagedtoeffectivelycommunicateanddeliverservicetocustomers.

InDisney-speak,settingisthestageonwhichbusinessisconducted.AttheDisneyresorts,theprimarysettingisknownas“insidetheberm.”ThephraseoriginatedatDisneyland,whereWalthadalowlandscapedhill,aberm,constructedaroundthepropertytophysicallydelineateitsboundaries.Thebermblockedoutexternaldistractions,suchashighwaysandbuildings,whichmightinterruptthelivingmoviehewasbuilding.“Idon’twantthepublictoseetheworldtheyliveinwhilethey’reinthepark,”saidWalt.“Iwantthemtofeelthey’reinanotherworld.”9ThesharpcontrastbetweentheworldontheoutsideofthehillborderingDisneylandandtheoneinsidethehillpromptedcastmemberstostartidentifyingbeingatworkasbeinginsidetheberm.

ItonlytakesashorttourofanyoftheDisneyresortstoseehowseriouslyeverydetailismanagedinsidetheberm.Further,theideaofmanagingthesettinginsidethebermisnotrestrictedtophysicalproperties.TheDisneyWebsitesthatdescribeandpromoteourresortsarepartofthesetting,asarethetelephonesystemsusedtotakereservationsandcommunicatewithguestsandtheDisneygiftkioskintheOrlandoairport.ElaboratelythemedMonorailsandmotorcoachesarepartofthesettingandcommunicateservicemessagestoguests,too.AnysettinginwhichourguestscomeintocontactwithusmustdeliverQualityService.

SelectedComponentsofSetting

Architecturaldesign

Landscaping

Lighting

Color

Signage

Directionaldesignoncarpet

Textureoffloorsurface

Focalpointsanddirectionalsigns

Internal/externaldetail

music/ambientnoise

Smell

Touch/tactileexperiences

Taste

Asthedefinitionabovestates,settingalsoincludestheobjectswithintheenvironment.AttheDisneyresortsandparks,thatmeansthefurnitureinthehotelrooms,theutensilsintherestaurants,thetreesandflowersontheproperty,and,ofcourse,theattractionsintheparks.Alltheseobjectscontributetothedeliveryofentertainmenttoguests.Ifthebedisuncomfortable,thesilverwareclunky,theplantssparse,andtheridesjerky,whowouldwanttoreturnforasecondvisit?Withanever-increasingnumberofchoicesavailableforspendingtheirshrinkingleisuretimeandhard-earnedmoney,howmanyinstancesofpoorlydesignedsettingwouldittaketodriveaguestawayforever?Theseareincreasinglyimportantquestionstowhichtoday’ssuccessfulorganizationsmustcontinuallyfindanswers.

Finally,settingincludestheworkofmaintainingandenhancingtheenvironmentandtheobjectswithinit.Eventhebest-designedsettingmustbecontinuouslymaintainedandimproved.Attractionsmustbekeptingoodrepair,roomsmustbecleaned,plantsfedandwatered,etc.Apoorlymaintainedsettingisjustastellingasapoorlydesignedone.

Ifitallsoundslikealotofwork,that’sbecauseitis.Creatingpracticalmagicishardwork,anditisatenuousbusinessthatisentirelydependentonattentiontodetail.ListentohowthelateandlegendaryImagineerJohnHenchdescribedit:

Interestinglyenough,forallofitssuccess,theDisneythemeshowisquiteafragilething.Itjusttakesonecontradiction,oneout-of-placestimulustonegateaparticularmoment’sexperience...tackupafelt-tipbrown-paper-bagsignthatsays“KeepOut”...takeahost’scostumeawayandputhiminbluejeansandatanktop...replacethat

GayNinetiesmelodywithrocknumbers...placeatouchofartificialturfhere...addasurlyemployeethere...itreallydoesn’ttakemuchtoupsetitall.

What’soursuccessformula?It’sattentiontoinfinitedetail,thelittlethings,thelittle,minor,pickypointsthatothersjustdon’twanttotakethetime,money,orefforttodo.AsfarasourDisneyorganizationisconcerned,it’stheonlywaywe’veeverdoneit...it’sbeenoursuccessformula.We’llprobablybeexplainingthistooutsidersattheendofournexttwodecadesinthebusiness.10

OneorganizationthatdoesnotneedfurtherexplanationaboutsettingisMetairie,Louisiana–basedEastJeffersonGeneralHospital.EastJefferson,anot-for-profithospitalwithmorethan450beds,beganitsownQualityServicejourneyattheDisneyInstituteandwentontoimplementawidevarietyofimprovementsinitssetting.

Committedtoacommonpurposethatstates,“Providingcareandcomfortisourhighestmission,”thehospitalundertookaseriesofdesignchangesineverythingfromthelandscapingofitsgroundstoanewdesignforitsIntensiveCareUnit(ICU).Staffbeganparkinginaneighboringparkinglotandtakingashuttletoworksothatpatientsandvisitorscouldusetheparkinglotonthehospital’sgrounds.Whenanewparkinggaragewaserected,itwasdesignedsoguestswouldnothavetowalkmorethanthirty-fivestepsbeforeencounteringastaffmember.

EastJefferson’sICUwastransformedintoamodelofservicedeliveredthroughsetting.Forthistwenty-bedcritical-carearea,EastJeffersoncreatedtworowsoftenroomsliningawidecorridor.Almosttheentirefrontwallofeachroomwasglass,curtainedforprivacy,thatcouldbeswungopenlikeadoor,allowingX-rayandotherbulkyequipmenttobemovednearthepatient.AnX-raydevelopmentstationwasinstalledintheunitsoimagescouldbeprocessedandreadonthespot.

TheICU’sinteriorroomwallswerelinedwithshutteredbinsandcabinets.Everythingacritical-carenurseneededwaswithinasteportwo.Sothatnursescouldstayinconstantcontactwithpatients,thetraditionalnurses’stationwasredesignedintoaseriesofcountersfeaturingtelephonesandcomputersthatwerelocatedjustontheothersideoftheglasswallsofthepatients’rooms.Patientsandon-dutynursesarealmostalwayswithineyesightofeachother.ThepatientcareandefficiencyofoperationbuiltintoEastJefferson’sICUsettingwontheICUDesignAwardjointlygivenbytheAssociationofHealth-

settingwontheICUDesignAwardjointlygivenbytheAssociationofHealth-careArchitects,theFoundationofCriticalCareMedicine,andAmericanAssociationofCriticalCareNurses.

IMAGINATION+ENGINEERING=IMAGINEERING

ItisimpossibletodiscusstheroleofsettingatDisneywithouttakingafewminutestotalkaboutWaltDisneyImagineering.ThewordImagineeringwascoinedbyWalthimself.WhenaskedaboutDisney’ssuccess,hereplied,“There’sreallynosecretaboutourapproach.Wekeepmovingforward—openingnewdoorsanddoingnewthings—becausewearecurious.

Andcuriositykeepsleadingusdownnewpaths.We’realwaysexploringandexperimenting...wecallitImagineering—theblendingofcreativeimaginationandtechnicalknow-how.”11

ImagineeringisTheWaltDisneyCompany’smasterplanning,creativedevelopment,design,engineering,production,projectmanagement,andresearchanddevelopmentarm.Representingmorethan150disciplines,itstalentedcorpsofmorethan1,600employeesisresponsibleforthecreationofDisneyresorts,themeparksandattractions,hotels,waterparks,real-estatedevelopments,regionalentertainmentvenues,cruiseships,andnew-media-technologyprojects.Itsmotto:Ifyoucandreamit,youcandoit.

WhenyoumarvelattheattractionsintheDisneythemeparks,withtheirdetailingandspecialeffects,youarepayingtributetotheImagineers’work.Theyarethepeoplewhofirstimagineandthendesignandbuildoursettings.TheImagineershaveproducedsomeoftheworld’smostdistinctiveexperientialstorytelling,includingusingAudio-AnimatronicscharacterstotelltheswashbucklingtalesofPiratesoftheCaribbean;developingafaster-than-gravity“freefall”throughanotherdimensioninTheTwilightZoneTowerofTerror;andintegratinghigh-speed,large-formatfilmprojectionwithabreakthroughridesystemtotakeguestsonabreathtakinghanggliderflightinSoarin’OverCalifornia.Intheprocessofdevelopingitsuniqueprojects,WaltDisneyImagineeringhasbeengrantedmorethan115patentsinareasincludingridesystems,specialeffects,interactivetechnology,liveentertainment,fiberoptics,andadvancedaudiosystems.

HowdoImagineerscreatesettingsthatdeliverDisney’scommonpurposeandqualitystandards?FormerImagineerViceChairmanMartySklargaveaconciseanswertothatcomplexquestionwhenhecreatedalistofsetting-designprincipleshelabeledMickey’sTenCommandments.“TheycameoutoftheImagineeringprocessandwhatI’velearnedfrommyprincipalmentors,

theImagineeringprocessandwhatI’velearnedfrommyprincipalmentors,WaltDisneyandJohnHench,”Martyexplained.Theysetthestagefortherestofthischapter.

1. Knowyouraudience:Beforecreatingasetting,obtainafirmunderstandingofwhowillbeusingit.

2. Wearyourguest’sshoes:Thatis,neverforgetthehumanfactor.Evaluateyoursettingfromthecustomer’sperspectivebyexperiencingitasacustomer.

3. Organizetheflowofpeopleandideas:Thinkofsettingasastory,andtellthatstoryinasequenced,organizedway.Buildthesameorderandlogicintothedesignofcustomermovement.

4. Createa“wienie”:Borrowedfromtheslangofthesilent-filmbusiness,awieniewaswhatWaltDisneycalledavisualmagnet.Suchamagnetisavisuallandmarkthatorientsandattractscustomers.

5. Communicatewithvisualliteracy:Languageisnotalwayscomposedofwords.Usethecommonlanguagesofcolor,shape,andformtocommunicatethroughsetting.

6. Avoidoverload—createturn-ons:Donotbombardcustomerswithdata.Letthemchoosetheinformationtheywantwhentheywantit.

7. Tellonestoryatatime:Mixingmultiplestoriesinasinglesettingisconfusing.Createonesettingforeachbigidea.

8. Avoidcontradictions;maintainidentity:Everydetailandeverysettingshouldsupportandfurtheryourorganizationalidentityandmission.

9. Foreveryounceoftreatment,provideatonoftreat:Giveyourcustomersthehighestvaluebybuildinganinteractivesettingthatgivesthemtheopportunitytoexercisealloftheirsenses.

10. Keepitup:Nevergetcomplacent,andalwaysmaintainyoursetting.

WiththeImagineer’sCommandmentsinmind,let’stakealookattwomajorusesofsetting:itsabilitytosendmessagestocustomersanditsuseasaguidetotheserviceexperience.

SENDINGAMESSAGEWITHSETTING

AsguestsmovefromoneattractiontoanotheratDisneyparks,theyaretoldnewstories.Thesestories,orthemes,changefromattractiontoattractionandfromparktopark.Theyextendintothehotelsandrestaurants.Settingplaysaprimaryroleinthedeliveryofeachofthosestories.Whensettingsupportsandfurthers

roleinthedeliveryofeachofthosestories.Whensettingsupportsandfurthersthestorybeingtold,itissendingtherightmessage.

OneofmanyexamplesofthiscanbeseenattheentrancetotheMagicKingdomatWaltDisneyWorld.Whenyouarriveatthemaingate,youscanyourpassandentertheparkthroughtheturnstiles.Youarenowinanoutdoorlobbythatfeaturesphonesandrestrooms.Oncepastthelobby,youwalkintooneoftwoshorttunnelsleadingintoMainStreet’sTownSquare.Thetunnelsarelinedwithposters“advertising”theattractionswithin.Asyouleavethetunnels,evenfirstthinginthemorning,yousmellfreshpopcorn,whichismadeincartsplacednearthetunnelopenings.Theexperienceofenteringtheparkisexplicitlydesignedtoremindguestsoftheexperienceofenteringamovietheater.Thereistheticketing,theturnstiles,thelobby,thehallstothescreeningroomlinedwithpostersdisplayingthecomingattractions,andeventhepopcorn.

Asstorieschange,somusttheirsetting.TheDisneyparksarenotedforthebeautyoftheirlandscaping,butnoonewhoenterstheHauntedMansionwouldcallitwellmanicured.AtWaltDisneyWorld,asguestslineuptoentertheride,theyfindthemselvesunderacanopythatcutsoffthebrightFloridasunlightbeforeitreachesearth.Theypassanabandonedcemeteryinwhichtheleavesliewheretheyhavefallenfromthetreesandtheplantsarewildandstuntedfromthelackoflight.Insidethemansion,dustandcobwebsareeverywhere.Thislevelofdishevelmentistoughtomaintain.Theparkpurchasesdustinfive-poundbagsandspraysitovertheattractionwithakindofreversevacuumcleaner.Thecobwebsaremadefromaliquidthatisstrungupbyasecretprocess.12

TheresortsofWaltDisneyWorldalsomakegooduseofsettingmessages.TheWildernessLodgeislocatedrightnexttotheContemporaryResort,butthemodernworldneverimposesontheLodge’sAmericanWestsetting.Guestscan’tseetheContemporary;theviewsarepurposelyblocked.Theyenterthelodgealongawindingroadthatisflankedbytallpinetreesanddottedwithold-fashionedstreetlightsandaBEARCROSSINGsign.Ifyouwalkstraightthroughthemainlobbyandoutofthebuilding,youseealongviewoveracompletelyundevelopedlakethatismeanttoremindguestsoftheopenspacesandnaturalwondersoftheU.S.NationalParks.LestyougettheimpressionDisneycancontroleverything,noticetheSpanishmosshangingfromthepinesontheproperty.Itdoesn’tgrowoutWest,butnomatterhowhardthelandscapingteamtried,theycouldn’tgetittostopgrowinginFlorida.TheybowedbeforeMotherNature.

Disneyisn’ttheonlyorganizationthattellsstories.Everyorganizationtellsitsownuniquestoriestoitscustomers,andthosestoriesmustbesupportedand

itsownuniquestoriestoitscustomers,andthosestoriesmustbesupportedandfurtheredbysetting.Forexample,NewYorkCity–basedprofessionalservicespowerhousePricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC)sendsacompellingmessagetoprospectiveemployeesbyborrowingWaltDisneyWorld’ssetting.OneoftheBigFouraccounting,auditing,andconsultingfirms,withmorethan$26.6billioninannualrevenues,PwCemploys160,000peopleglobally,andlikemanylargecompanies,itusesaninternshipprogramtoattractthebestandbrightestcollegestudentstoitsdoors.AsignificantportionofPwC’sinternsgetjoboffersupongraduation,andthat’swhyPwCbroughtthesettingofWaltDisneyWorld,alongwithDisneyInstitutetraining,intothepicture.

In1998,andforyearsafterward,PwCconcludeditsannualinternshipprogrambybringingitsentireclassofinternstoWaltDisneyWorldforfivedaysoftrainingandfunthattheycalledDiscovertheMagic.Aninstanthitwithstudents,theprogramsentacompellingmessageabouthowmuchPwCvaluestheirpotential.“Thetripseemedtocapoffwhatwouldbeanexcitinginternshipfromstarttofinish,”saidKevinPost,aninternfromLehighUniversity.“TheideaoftravelingtoFloridaattheenddemonstratedanenormouscommitment.ItwasapparentthatPwCrecognizedthattheirgreatestassetwastheindividual.”13

In2011,PwCrelaunchedtheprogram.Thistime,thecompanydecidedtoboostthejobofferacceptancerateofgraduatinginternsbyinvitingthe2,400ofthemwhohadbeenofferedfull-timejobstoWaltDisneyWorld.Thecurriculumincludesprofessionalinsights,learning,leadershiptrainingskills,andpersonalenrichmentsessions.Itsgoal,accordingtoPaulaLoop,PwC’sU.S.andGlobalTalentLeader,is“ahighenergy,unforgettableexperiencethathelpsprepareinternsfortheirfull-timecareer.”

AnotherorganizationthatcountsstudentsamongitscustomersisDover,Delaware’sWesleyCollege,a2,500-studentprivateschoolaffiliatedwiththeUnitedMethodistChurch.AfterattendingaCouncilofIndependentCollegesseminarattheDisneyInstitute,WesleyadministratorsdecidedtotakebetteradvantageoftheirsettingduringtheopenhousesheldtointroduceprospectivestudentsandtheirfamiliestoDelaware’soldestprivatecollege(foundedin1873).“Weneededtohelptheadmissionsstaffdomorethanpointtoabuildingandsay,‘That’sthesciencebuilding,’”explainedthen–ActingVicePresidentforAcademicAffairsLorenaStone.“Weneededtotellamemorablestoryduringourcampustours.”

Thenewlydesignedopenhousetourwasnotmuchlongerthantheoldone,butitincludedanewpathandscriptsdesigned,asDr.Stonesaid,“tobringthecollegetolifeforstudents.”Forinstance,thenewtourstartedintheamphitheater,wherethecollege’sgraduationceremoniestakeplaceand

amphitheater,wherethecollege’sgraduationceremoniestakeplaceandprospectivestudentsareshownwheretheycouldbefouryearslater.AttheCannonBuilding,wherethescienceclassesareheld,theadmissionsguidestoldthestoryofAnnieJ.Cannon,anotedfemaleastronomerwhotaughtattheschoolandinventedanidentificationsystemforstarsstillinusetoday.AndattheCampusCommunitySchool,whichofferseducationalprogramsforlocalchildren,theteachers-to-beintheaudiencegotagoodlookatthefieldexperiencetheywouldgainwithoutleavingthecampus.AtWesley,thesettinghelpedtosellthecollegetoprospectivestudents.

Agoodexercisetobetterunderstandthemessagesdeliveredbythesettingistovisualizeastorethatyoupatronizeor,betteryet,actuallyvisitit.Driveuptothefrontentranceandlookatthesignageandlandscaping.Whatimpressiondotheyconveyaboutthebusinesswithin?Enterthebusiness.Lookattheentryway.Isitclearhowtoproceed?Isthestorecleanandorderly?Whatdoesthestoreitselftellyouaboutthiscompany?Continuetoobservethesettingthroughouttheprocessofmakingapurchase.Ateachstep,thinkaboutwhatthesettingistellingyou.Now,returntoyourownorganization.Approachitlikeoneofyourcustomersandrepeattheexercise.Whatdoesyoursettingtellcustomers?

Sometimes,lookingthroughacustomer’seyestakesanadjustmentinperspective.Disney’sImagineershavebeenknowntodonkneepadsandcrawlaroundtheparkstoexperiencethemfromachild’sperspective.ThenexttimeyouwalkdownMainStreetintheMagicKingdom,noticehowlowtothegroundthewindowsoftheshopsextend.Theyallowchildrentoseethedisplaysascomfortablyasadultscan.

AsJohnHenchdeclared,tellingastorythroughsettingmeansgettingthedetailsright.Anorganizationcan’tsendcustomersabelievablemessageregardingQualityServiceunlesseverydetailofsettingsupportsit.Anoverflowingtrashbasketoradeadplantcanundercutamessageaboutthequalityofyourproductorhowmuchyoucareaboutyourcustomersinasingleglance.Asignwithmissinglettersormisspelledwordstellscustomerssomethingaboutyourcompany.AWebsitewithdeadlinksorapagethatwon’tloadproperlycommunicatesanegativemessage.Whenyouaretellingastorytoyourcustomers,makesurethatyoursettingissendingmessagesthatreinforceyourstory.

GUIDINGTHEGUESTEXPERIENCE

Settingcandomuchmorethansimplycreateanimpressioninacustomer’s

Settingcandomuchmorethansimplycreateanimpressioninacustomer’smindandreinforcethestoryyouaretelling.Itcanalsobeusedtoassistcustomersastheyproceedthroughtheserviceexperience.Cuesinthesettingcanorientcustomers,explainingwheretheyhavebeenandwheretheyaregoing.Theysignalchangesandprovidedirection.Whenthecomponentsofsettingareusedtoinstructcustomers,wesaytheyareguidingtheguestexperience.

AnyonewhohasbeentotheMagicKingdomalreadyknowsthatDisney’sthemeparksarelaidoutaroundacentralhub.ThisdesigncamedirectlyfromDisneyland,whereWaltDisneyfirstusedittoguideguests.

“ThisisthehubofDisneyland,whereyoucanenterthefourrealms,”explainedWalttohisfuturebiographerBobThomasduringapreopeningtouroftheparkin1955.“Parentscansitintheshadehereiftheywantwhiletheirkidsgoofftooneoftheotherplaces.Iplanneditsoeachplacewasrightoffthehub.Youknow,whenyougotoaworld’sfair,youwalkandwalkuntilyourfeetaresore.Iknowminealwaysare.Idon’twantsorefeethere.Theymakepeopletiredandirritable.Iwant’emtoleaveherehappy.They’llbeabletocoverthewholeplaceandnottravelmore’nacoupleofmiles.”14

Walt’shubdesigndoesmorethaneasetiredfeet.Italsodirectsguests.IntheMagicKingdomatWaltDisneyWorld,forexample,thereisoneentrancetothepark,whichleadsguestsontoMainStreet,U.S.A.FromMainStreet,thereisonlyonedirectiontogo—forwardtowardthehub,whichoffersdirectaccesstoeachofthepark’slandsandservesasthecentralreturnpointformovementthroughoutthepark.Behindandloomingoverthehubisabeacon,CinderellaCastle,themostvisiblefeatureinsidethepark.ThecastledrawsguestsupMainStreetandintotheheartofthepark.AsMickey’sTenCommandmentsspecify,itisthewienie,themostimportantofallthevisualmagnetsintheMagicKingdom.

GuestscanalsomovebetweenthelandsintheMagicKingdom,andwhentheymakethosetransitions,theyexperienceanotherconceptborrowedfromtheworldoffilm:thecross-dissolve.Across-dissolveisusedtogetthemovieaudiencefromonescenetothenext.TheDisneyImagineersexplainhowitworksintheparksasfollows:

AstrollfromMainStreettoAdventurelandisarelativelyshortdistance,butoneexperiencesanenormouschangeinthemeandstory.Forthetransitiontobeasmoothone,thereisagradualblendingofthemedfoliage,color,sound,music,andarchitecture.Eventhesoles

ofyourfeetfeelachangeinthepavingthatexplicitlytellsyousomethingnewisonthehorizon.Smellmayalsofactorintoadimensionalcross-dissolve.Inawarmsummerbreeze,youmaycatchawhiffofsweettropicalfloraandexoticspicesasyouenterAdventureland.Onceallthesechangesareexperienced,thecross-dissolvetransitioniscomplete.15

Thespacesbetweentwodistinctareasandotherperipheralareasinyourplaceofbusiness,suchasparkinglotsandwaitingrooms,areespeciallyimportantplacesinwhichtousesettingforservicedelivery.Customersusuallyhavelowexpectationsofthesein-betweenareas,andsmallinvestmentsineffortcanyieldexceptionalimpressions.

Thecentralhubandcross-dissolvearetwomajorexamplesofhowsettingguidesguestsattheDisneyparks,buttherearemanymoresettingcuesthatdirectguests.Landscapingisanimportantsignalerofdirection,andsignageisanobviousguide.Colorcanalsogivedirectionalcues.Forinstance,icecreamwagonsinourparksareoftenblue,signalingacoolrefreshment.Popcornwagonsarered,signalingawarmtreat.

TheUniversityofChicagoHospitals&HealthSystem(UCH)isa451-bedmedicalcomplexlocatedonChicago’sSouthSidethatisconsistentlyrankedamongthenation’stophospitalsbyU.S.News&WorldReport.AsaDisneyInstituteclient,UCHconsideredeverydetailofitsserviceexperienceandexpandeditsdefinitionofsettingwellbeyonditspropertyboundariestoensurethatitssettingwasdoingasgoodajobguidingitspatientsasitsexpertstaffwas.

“Weflowchartedthehome-to-homeexperience—evenwithdetailslikewhatsignswereontheexpresswayandwhatkindofsupportmaterialswereprovidedinadvance,”explainedJeffFinesilver,whowasVicePresidentandDirectorofUCH’sCenterforAdvancedMedicinesatthetime.“Wealsocreatedavaletparkingexperience—theCenterforAdvancedMedicinenowoperatesthebusiestvaletparkingexperienceintheentirecityofChicago.Wealsopaidattentiontoarchitecturalfeatures,fromskybridgesignagetoelevatorandhallsignage—alltheonstageandbackstageareas—tomaintaindecorandfacilitateasmoothexperienceforvisitors.”

Theuseofsettingasatoolforguidanceisnotconfinedtophysicalspace.Itworksinthevirtualworldaswell.Wehaveallhadtheexperienceofbeingshuffledthroughavoicemaillabyrinthonlytoreachadeadendthatleavesnoalternativebuttohangupandstartoveragain.Whencustomerscallyourorganization,howwelldoesthephonesystemguidethemtotheirdesired

organization,howwelldoesthephonesystemguidethemtotheirdesireddestination?Websitescanbeevenmoreannoying.Everyonlineshopperhashadtheexperienceoffillinganelectronicshoppingcartfullofgoodsonlytohaveitdumpedoffacybercliffonthewaytocheckout.Isyoursitedesignedtobeintuitiveforcustomers?Doesitcutcustomersoffinthemiddleoftheirtransactions?Settingneedstobemanagedwhereveryourcustomersmeetyou.

APPEALINGTOALLFIVESENSES

Takingfulladvantageofsettinginordertoenhancethecustomerexperiencemeansdesigningforallfivesenses.Peopleunderstandtheirenvironmentandgatherimpressionsthroughsight,sound,smell,touch,andtaste.Eachsenseoffersanopportunitytosupportandenhancetheshowcreatedforguests.

Sight

About70percentofthebody’ssensereceptorsarelocatedinoureyes,makingsightthegreatesttransmitterofsetting.Obviously,aswe’vealreadynotedinourexamples,theDisneyparksaredesignedtodisplaydelightfulandentertainingviewswhereverguestslook.Sightlinesareamajorconsideration.Whatyouseeand,justasimportant,whatyoudon’tseefromyourhotelwindoworfromanywhereelseonthepropertiesiscarefullyplanned.

Colorisconsideredthroughouttheparks.Forinstance,manyguestscommentontheunusualpurple-and-redcolorschemeonthedirectionalsignsonthepublicroadsinandaroundWaltDisneyWorld.Asanexperiment,flagsofdifferentcolorswereoncesetoutonthepropertyandguestswereaskedwhichonestheyrememberedseeing.Purpleandredwerethecolorstheyrecalledmostoften.

TheImagineersareexpertsintheusesofcolorandhavecreatedtheirown“colorvocabulary”thatdefineshowcertaincolorsandpatternsactonguests.“Differentprojectscallfordifferentusesofcolor,”explainedNinaRaeVaughn,theformerDirectorofConceptDesign&IllustrationatWaltDisneyImagineering.“Ifaprojectwantstocommunicate‘fun,’asin[Disneyland’s]Mickey’sToontown,Iwillexperimentwithbrightcolors,applyingthebrightestofbrightsagainstthedarkestofdarks.Iftheideasays‘adventure,’liketheIndianaJonesAdventure,Iwillusecolorsthatshoutactionandexcitement.Thesearehotredsandoranges,withshadesofcomplementary

colorslikeblues,thatmakethehotcolorsevenmorevibrant.”16

Sound

Soundsarecausedbyvibrationsofinfinitelyvaryingpitch,quality,andloudness.Indesigningsetting,theonlyvibrationsguestshearshouldbegoodones.IfyouhaveeverfoundyourselfunabletobanishfromyourmindthetunefromaDisneyattraction,suchas“It’saSmallWorld,”youknowthepowerofsoundinsetting.AsJohnHenchsaid,“Peopledon’twalkoutofattractionswhistlingthearchitecture.”17

TogetanideaofhowsophisticatedthesoundsystemsgetattheDisneyparks,listentotheparadesonMainStreet.AtWaltDisneyWorld,asinglecastmemberworkingamixingboardcontrolstheaudioportionoftheparades.Speakersonthefloatsaresynchronizedwith175speakersalongtheparaderoutesothatnomatterwhereyouareviewingtheparade,youaresurroundedbyanappropriateaudiotrack.Howdoesthesoundtrackmoveintandemwiththeparade?Therearethirty-threesoundzonesalongtheparaderoute,andsensorsareembeddedinMainStreet.Aseachfloattriggersasensor,thesoundtrackforthatfloat“moves”alongwithit.

Guestsaren’ttheonlypeoplewhorespondtosound—castmembersdo,too.WhenHongKongDisneylandinstalled“CostuMagic,”anRFID-basedself-servesystemthatcastmembersusetoobtaintheircostumes,soundplayedanintegralrole.Astheycheckouteachgarmentusingscannersinkiosks,asoundlikeabubblepoppingtellsthecastmemberthatithasbeensuccessfullyscanned.Whencheckoutiscomplete,TinkerBell’s“magicaljingle”plays,signalingacompletedtransaction.“Wewantedourcastmemberstofeelthemagicwhencheckingouttheirgarments,”explainedcostumemanagerSoonKuanYeap.Ifthereisproblemwithcheckout,suchasanincorrectgarmentorsize,abuzzernotifiesboththecastmemberandthedepartment’scostumeassistantsthathelpisneeded.

Smell

Thereareapproximatelyfivemillionreceptorcellsinthehumannose,anditisonlyashorttripfromtheretothebrain.Smellsarestoredinourlong-termmemory.Infact,scientistshavefoundthatifyouassociatealistofwordswithsmells,youwillbetterrememberthewords.

AttheDisneyparks,smellsareusedtohelpdelivermagicalmemories.

AttheDisneyparks,smellsareusedtohelpdelivermagicalmemories.We’vealreadymentionedthepopcorncartspositionedattheentrancetunnelstotheMagicKingdom.Vendorsdon’tsellmuchpopcornat8:30inthemorning,butthecornisalreadypopping.Thesmellofpopcorncommunicatesthe“livingmovie”messageofthepark.Alittlefartheron,thebakeryonMainStreetpurposelypumpsthescentoffreshbakedgoodsintothestreettosupportthestoryofAmerica’ssmalltowns.

Touch

Theskinisthelargestorganinthehumanbody,andtouchisthesensethatresidesthere.Whetheritcomesthroughthehandsorfeetorface,peoplegetlotsofdatafromthetactilepropertiesofourenvironmentandtheobjectswithinit.AttheDisneyparks,thesenseoftouchisconsideredinthewalkways,attractions,hotelsandrestaurants,andeverywhereelse.

Thetouchofwaterisanintegralpartofmanyofourattractions.AtWaltDisneyWorld,watersplashesongueststoheightentheexperienceatCatastropheCanyonduringtheDisney’sHollywoodStudiosBacklotTourandinJimHenson’sMuppet*Vision3Dshow.Thewaterparksandresortpoolsareallabouttouch.Youngguestslovethesurprisefountainsallaroundtheproperty.Theyspendhourstryingtoanticipatefromwhereandwhenthenextstreamofwaterwillshoot.

Touch,orthelackofit,isalsothesensethatweplaytowhentheelevatorinTheTwilightZoneTowerofTerrordropsunderfootandplungesthirteenstories.Tointensifytheexperience,theImagineerscreatedaridethatdropsevenfasterthanthespeedofafreefall.

Taste

Thereareabouttenthousandtastebudsinthehumanmouth,andeachtastebudcontainsroughlyfiftytastecellsthatcommunicatedatatoourbrains.WaltDisneyWorld’seateriescatertoasmanyofthosecellsaspossiblewithawiderangeofdiningexperiences.

Inadditiontohundredsofrestaurantsfeaturingavastselectionoffoodatourparksandresorts,menuschangeasthesettingdictates.FromturkeylegsinFrontierlandtosaltwatertaffyatDisney’sBoardWalk,tastesfollowsettingaswellasthepreferencesofourguests.WorldShowcaseatEpcotinWaltDisneyWorldisa1.3-miletourofglobalcuisine;itisjustafewshortstepsfromthe

Worldisa1.3-miletourofglobalcuisine;itisjustafewshortstepsfromthesushiinJapantothefreshlymadefettuccineinItaly.

Sight,sound,smell,taste,andtouch—designinganddeliveringQualityServicemeansappealingtoallofyourcustomer’sfivesenses.

ONSTAGEANDBACKSTAGE

Anothermajorconsiderationinthedeliveryofqualitycustomerexperiencesthroughsettingistheseparationofonstageandbackstageactivities.InChapter1,whenweintroducedtheconceptofpracticalmagic,wetalkedaboutthedistinctionbetweenbeingonstageandbackstageatourparksandresorts.“Onstage”isallpublicareasofthepark,whereguestsroamfreelyandserviceisdelivered.“Backstage”isallofthebehind-the-scenesareaswhereguestsdon’tgo,aplacewhereallthemechanismsandtechnologiesthatruntheproperty(andallthepeoplethatrunthem)resideandwherecastmemberscanmovefreelyandpreparethemselvestogoonstage.Botharepartoftheoverallsetting.

ThefirstandbestreasontokeeponstageandbackstageareasseparatedisthatanythingthatdoesnotsupportorenhancetheQualityServiceexperiencedetractsfromit.Justasimportantaswhatwesee,hear,smell,touch,andtasteiswhatwedon’tsee,hear,smell,touch,andtaste.Forexample,nohotelguestneedstoseethelaundryorthepowerplant.Restaurant-goersfindstacksofdirtydishesanunappetizingsight.Guestsshouldnothearcastmemberssharingprivateconversations,etc.

Second,itisanunnecessaryexpensetodesignandmaintainbackstageareastothesamestandardsasonstageareas.Infact,expensivelightingfixturesandelaboratemoldingsdon’tstandmuchofachanceofsurvivingunscathedincorridorswheremechanizedcartsandforkliftsaremovingsupplies.

Finally,thepresenceofcustomerswouldbeadistractiontoemployeesatworkbehindthescenes.Anelectricianrepairingafaultycircuitbreakerdoesn’thaveattentiontospareforaguest.Equallyimportant,employeesneedsomewherethattheycanrelax—itisdifficulttobeonstageallday.Givingcastmembersarealbreakisimportant.Youwon’tseeorhearDisneymoviesandmusicplayingintheemployeecafeteriasandbreakareasinourparksandresorts.Thecastmemberscometothoseplacestoeatandunwind;theyarenotworking.

AttheMagicKingdominWaltDisneyWorld,theseparationofonstageandbackstagerequiredsomecarefulplanning.Builtonwetlands,wherethewatertableisonorveryclosetothesurfaceoftheground,theparkdidnothavetheluxuryofbasements.Instead,thelandhadtoberaisedsothattheground

theluxuryofbasements.Instead,thelandhadtoberaisedsothatthegroundfloorofthesitecouldbeusedforutilitypurposes.Thepublicareaoftheparkswasbuiltontopofit,onthesecondfloor.Theground-floorbackstageareaiscalledtheUtilidor(shorthandfor“utilitycorridor”).Itcoversmorethannineacresandincludes1.5milesofcorridors.

Utilidorsareworkspacesandsoareclean,practical,andcomposedofmaterialsandpaintedincolorsthatyouwon’tseeonstage,suchascinderblocksthatarepaintedinstitutionalgraysandgreens.Unlikethepathwaysabove,theyruninstraightlinesdesignedtogetcastmemberstotheirdestinationsasquicklyaspossible.UsingtheUtilidorundertheMagicKingdom,forexample,castmemberscandontheircostumesandgetanywhereintheparkinjustafewminutes.ThatwaythereisnoneedtoeverworryaboutapiratepoppingupinTomorrowland.

TheUtilidorsareconnectedtootherbackstageareas“above”theground.Theseareasareoftenlocatedonlyafewfeetfromtheonstageareas,butthankstotheuseofvisualscreens,guestsneverseethem.OnMainStreet,forexample,thesidestreetsoftenendinasuitablydecoratedgateordoorwaywithapolitesignthatsignifiesacast-onlyarea.Ontheothersideofthatdoorisanenvironmentthatlooksmorelikethebackofasupermarketoramanufacturingplantthanathemepark.Theviewfrominsidetheparkisblockedbythedesignofthesetitself.Ifabuildingneedsasecondstorytoscreentheview,itisbuilt.

TheWolfsburg,Germany–basedVolkswagenGroup,whichborroweditssettingfromWaltDisneyWorld’stocreateamemorabledealerlaunchfortheNewBeetle,builttheonstage/backstagedistinctionintoitsVolkswagenMarketplaceconcept,thentheidealdesignforitsdealershipsworldwide.OnefeatureoftheMarketplaceplanwastheconstructionofbackstageareasforthesalesstaff.Thisisaplacewheretheycangetoffstage,takeabreak,orhavemeals.Itdoublesasameetingandtrainingarea.

“Salespeopleneedaplacewheretheycanlettheirhairdownwithoutappearingrudetothecustomers,sowemovedthesefunctionsbehindthescenes,”explainedBillGelgota,nowtheSouthernRegionMarketingManagerofVolkswagenofAmerica.“WewanttocontrolourenvironmentlikeDisneydoes.Theworldwidedesignstandardhelpsuscontrolandreinforcetheexperiencewethinkthecustomerwantstohave.”

WithallofDisney’semphasisontheseparationoftheonstageandbackstageareasofsetting,itwasslightlyironictodiscoverthatguestswantedtovisitbackstage.ItturnsoutthattheyareintenselycuriousabouthowthestoriesinDisney’sparksandresortsarebroughttolife.Inresponsetorepeatedrequestsforalookbehindthecurtain,wecreatedanumberofbehind-the-scenestours

foralookbehindthecurtain,wecreatedanumberofbehind-the-scenestoursthatare,ofcourse,ascarefullyscriptedastheonstageentertainments.Ifyourcustomersarecurioustoseehowyourproductsandservicesarecreated,awell-craftedbehind-the-sceneslookmaybejustthetickettoimprovetheirserviceexperience.

TheVolkswagenGroupalsoaccommodateditscustomers’desireforabehind-the-sceneslookattheirdealerships.Thecompanyunderstoodthatalthoughpurchasinganewcartakesanhourortwo,carownersoftenspendmuchmoretimethanthatintheservicedepartmentoverthelifeoftheirvehicle.Asaresult,customerswanttobeassuredthattheservicecomponentoftheirpurchase,deliveredinthebackofthedealership,isaspleasantasthesalescomponentdeliveredinthefront.

Thecarmakerbuiltthatassuranceintothesettingofitsidealdealership.OneoftheimportantdesignelementsofVWMarketplacewastheopeningofthesalesfloorontotheservicedepartment.Inthisway,newbuyerswereabletoseetheserviceareasofthedealership,getafeelforwheretheywillspendtimeduringservicevisits,andseetheproduct—thenewcars—beingpreppedfordelivery.Thesalesprocess,bytheway,wasredesignedtotakeadvantageofthisseamlessconnectionbetweensalesandservice.Whencustomersboughtcars,theyweregivenatouroftheserviceareaandintroducedtothedealer’sserviceadvisers.

Beforeweleavethistopic,itisimportanttonotethatorganizationsordepartmentsthataren’tdirectlycustomer-facingalsohaveanonstageandbackstagecomponent.Their“backdoor”isalwayssomeone’s“frontdoor,”whetherthatsomeoneisasupplierorafellowemployeeorajobapplicant.Thus,thesettinginthesesituationsshouldbewell-maintainedandcommunicatewhatishappeningonstageintheorganization.Assomesocialscientistshavetheorizedthe“brokenwindow”theorysuggests,ifbackstageareasareallowedtodeteriorate,chancesaregoodthattheneglectwillspreadtoonstageareas.

MAINTAININGTHESETTING

Mostofthischapterhasbeendevotedtodescribingelementsandprinciplesofsettingthatareusuallyaddressedduringthedesignandconstructionphases.Butthereisonemoreimportantsubjecttodiscussbeforemovingon:themaintenanceofsetting.Onceyouhavecreatedtheperfectsetting,theworkofkeepingitthatwaybeginsandcontinuesaslongasthesettingisinuse.

keepingitthatwaybeginsandcontinuesaslongasthesettingisinuse.Maintenancemeansmorethanjustkeepingthesettingclean.Italsomeansprotectingitfromdamageandrepairingwearandtear.

Afteronstageandbackstagefieldexperiences,ourInstitutefacilitatorsoftenaskprogramgueststoestimatethesizeofthemaintenancecastattheDisneyparksandresorts.Therepliesvarywidely,butthecorrectanswerisalwaysasurprise.Therearecloseto120,000peoplemaintainingthesettingatDisney’sparksandresorts.Thatisbecausemaintenanceisanintegralpartofeverycastmember’srole.FromBobIgeronthroughtheranks,youwillneverseeacastmemberpassbyapieceoftrashonthepropertyorignoreaphysicaldetailoftheparksneedingrepair.

Keepingourparksandresortscleanispartofourorganizationalculture.It’sahabitthatcanbetraceddirectlybacktoWalthimself.“WhenIstartedonDisneyland,”heoncerecalled,“mywifeusedtosay,‘Butwhydoyouwanttobuildanamusementpark?They’resodirty.’Itoldherthatwasjustthepoint—minewouldn’tbe.”18

Thereisalso,ofcourse,alargededicatedmaintenancestaffatallofourresorts.Theyworkaroundtheclockkeepingthesettingspristine.Streetsarecleaneddaily;therestroomseverythirtyminutes.TherearehorsesonMainStreet,butyouhavetobeonthespottoseeanyoftheirnaturalbyproducts;thecostumedcustodialcastisneverfarbehind.Maintenancetechniciansareonhandtomakesurethatalloftheattractionsrunsmoothlyduringtheday.Thestaffswellsintothehundredsaftertheparkscloseandthescheduledmaintenanceandrepairsaremade.

Maintenanceisasignificantexpenseinanylargeorganizationandsoshouldbedesignedintothesettingwheneverpossible.WhenjournalistScottKirsnervisitedbackstageattheMagicKingdominWorldDisneyWorld,hewasstruckbythetechnologyemployedtomaintainthelandscape.

Basedoninputfromtheweatherstations,MaxiCom’sPC-basedsoftwaredetermineshowmuchwatereachoftheproperty’s600zonesneeds.Eachhasupto10individuallywateredbeds;whenamessagecomesinfromthegardenersthatarowofazaleasat[Disney’sHollywoodStudios]isdryingout,thehorticulturistwillincreasetheamountofwaterdeliveredthereeachnight.Whenatorrentialrainstormpassesovertheproperty,theMaxiComsystemadjustsbywateringless—about50automatedraincansthatmeasurebyhundredthsofanincharescatteredaroundthepropertyandpluggedintothenetwork.“Everymorningat1:25,wedownloadthedatatoclustercontrolunits(CCUs)situatedaroundtheproperty,”says[horticulturemanagerScott]Shultz.

TheCCUsmanagethesprinklertimers,whichgovern50,000sprinklerheadsbetweenthem.Shultz’screwalsoprowlsthepropertydailyinavanequippedwithalaptopandcellularmodem,troubleshootingthewholesystem—oneofthemostsophisticatedlarge-scaleirrigationsetupsanywhere.19

Thesamelevelofsophisticationisusedthroughoutourparks.HongKongDisneylandinstalledastate-of-theartsystemtoirrigateits18,000treesandonemillionshrubs.Aftertheparkclosesatnight,acomputerdirectshundredsofsprinklers,whichdelivertheexactamountofwater,calculatedbytheneedsofeachindividualplantandtheweather,acrossthe618-acrepark.Thissystemachievesa40to45percentwatersavingcomparedtotraditionalirrigationsystemsanda70percentreductioninuseoffreshwatercomparedwithsimilarthemeparks.20

Inthewateringofthelandscapeandthroughoutourproperties,thecastandmaintenancetechnologycombinetocreateacontinuousandconsistentfocusonkeepingthesettinginperfectrepair.Asaresult,thesettingsupportsandenhancestheguestexperienceanddeliversQualityService.

QualityServiceCues

Defineyoursetting.Settingistheenvironmentinwhich

serviceisdeliveredtocustomers,alloftheobjects

withinthatenvironment,andtheproceduresusedtoenhance

andmaintaintheserviceenvironmentandobjects.

Tellyourstorythroughthesetting.Walkthroughthe

serviceexperienceinyourorganizationwearingthe

customer’sshoes.observeandcritiquethesetting,and

alignitsmessageswiththeservicestoryyouwanttotell.

Guidethecustomerexperiencewithsetting.Considerthe

directionalaspectsofsetting.makesurethephysical

layoutofyourorganization(orWebsiteorphonesystem),

interiordesign,andsignagekeepcustomersonthetrack

foragreatserviceexperience.

CommunicateQualityServicetoallfivesenses.Customers

buildtheirimpressionsofyouusingalloftheirsenses.

ensurethatyourcustomers’experienceswiththesights,

sounds,smells,touches,andtastesofyourorganization

areconsistentwithexpectationsandwithyourtheme.

Separateonstageandbackstage.Screenbusinessfunctions

thatdonotinvolvecustomerssothattheydonotinterrupt

thedeliveryofservice.giveemployeesabackstagespace

torestandrelax.

Maintainyoursettingwithaconsistent,comprehensive

effort.Usethedesignprocesstobuildmaintenanceinto

thesetting,andenlisteveryemployeeinthemaintenance

effort.

CHAPTER5

TheMagicofProcess

Akidinagarage.Itisthestartingplaceofmanyacontemporarybusinesslegend.AppleComputer,Amazon.com,andCiscoSystemswereallstartedintheirfounders’homegarages.WaltDisneywasonceakidinagarage,too.

In1920,attheageofeighteen,WaltgothisfirsttasteofanimationattheKansasCityFilmAdCompany.Hewasdrawingfiguresthatwereusedinadvertisingfilmsseeninlocalmovietheaters.Inwhatwouldbecomeapersonaltrademark,Waltfeltconstrainedbytheprimitivetechnologyusedonthejob,andhepushedhimselfandthecompany’shead,A.VernCauger,toimprovethequalityofthecompany’sminute-longads.HeevenconvincedCaugertolendhimastop-actioncamera,whichhebroughthometoa“studio”thatheandhisbrotherRoyhadhastilyconstructedinthefamilygarage.

TheresultoftheloanwasthreehundredfeetofcartooningthatsatirizedthepoorroadconditionsinKansasCity,whichWaltsoldforthirtycentsafoottotheNewmanTheaterCompany.Audienceslikedhiscartoonsomuchthathewasengagedtoproduceoneeachweek.TheNewmanLaugh-O-gramwasborn,andsoonafter,Waltfoundedanewcompanytomakethem,Laugh-O-gramsFilm,Inc.Thiscompanywouldnotsurviveverylong,butWalthadbecomeananimator.1

Aloneatnight,workinginthegarage,Waltprobablydidnotthinkmuchaboutprocess.Inthosefirstanimations,theimagesweredrawn,cutout,andpinnedtoabackgroundinposesmeanttosimulatemotion,thenphotographed.Theresultingfilmwascrude,withflat,one-dimensionalcharacters.Soundandcolorwere,ofcourse,stillyearsaway.Waltsimplydecidedonasubjectandstrungtogetherenoughdrawingstocreatethenumberoffeetoffilmneeded.Butifyouhadaskedtheyounganimatortoarticulatehismethods,hewouldhavedescribedprocesses—thementalprocessoftellingthefilm’sstoryandthephysicalprocessofmakingthefilmitself.Waltwasusingprocesstodeliver

physicalprocessofmakingthefilmitself.Waltwasusingprocesstodeliverentertainment.

Bythe1930s,theroleofprocessinthecreationofDisneyanimationwasmuchmoreexplicit.InthefastexpansionfollowingthesuccessofMickeyMouse,Waltcouldnolongerremembereverydetailofeverycartooninproductionortakeahandineverycreativedecision.Heneededtoformalizeanapproachtothedailyoperationsofthecompany,sohebegantoconstructtheprocessesthatwouldmanufactureanddelivertheDisneybrandofentertainment.

Peoplestillthinkofmeasacartoonist,buttheonlythingIlift

apenorpencilforthesedaysistosignacontract,acheck,or

anautograph.

—WaltDisney

Previously,WaltandartistUbIwerkswouldhuddleinanofficeandcreatethecontinuityscriptanddrawingsforacartoon.Theywouldemergewithacompleteworkandhanditovertothestafftobeanimatedandproduced.Nowthecartoonswerescriptedanddrawnusingateam-basedcreativeprocessinwhichnoonepersondominated.AflexibleProductionUnitwasassembledinwhichadirectoroversawtheentireproject,astylistcreatedthemoodandatmosphere,astorymantoldthetale,andastorysketchmandrewthefirstroughvisuals.Thecharactersweredeveloped—theirvoicesandbodiescreatedandrefined.Asortofcrudemoviewasmade,astoryreelcombiningthestorysketchesandsoundtracks,beforetheworkonthefinishedfilmbegan.Throughoutthispreliminaryprocess,theteam,Walt,andothersoutsidetheteamwouldexamineandthinkandargueandcontributeideas.Andthatwasjustthebeginning—hugechunksofwork,suchasthelayout,animation,soundtrack,andfilming,werestilltocome.

TheDisneyprocessdidnottameanimation.Likeanycreativeendeavor,itremainedchaoticand,accordingtoinsiders,ever-changing.“Inspiteofconstanteffortsandpersistentclaims,Waltneverdidbuildanorganizationinthestrictestsenseofthatword.Whathebuiltwasalooselyunifiedgroupoftalentedpeoplewithparticularabilitieswhocouldworktogetherincontinuallychangingpatterns.Theydidthiswithaminimumofcommandandamaximumofdedication.WhatWaltwantedwasthegreatestcreativeeffort—notthemostefficientoperation,”wroteFrankThomasandOllieJohnston,twooftheNineOldMen,astheDisneyanimatingsupervisorsduringthatgoldeneraofanimationwereknown.2Theinterestingthingisthattheirdescriptionsounds

exactlylikethestructuresthatsomanycompaniesaretryingtocreatetoday.Walthadbuiltaflexibleorganizationaroundaprocess-basedstructure.

Tosimultaneouslyorganizeworkand,insteadofstiflingenergyandcreativity,toactuallyenhanceit,isanaccomplishmentthatisrarelyachieved.Toaccomplishitinanichebusinesslikeanimationwasevenmoreunusual.That’sonereasonwhybiographerRichardSchickelwrote,“Thatanyyoungmanwaswillingtoattemptsuchabusinessmustremainasapermanenttributetohisstubbornness.ThatWaltDisney,aloneofallthemenwhowentintoanimation,wasabletoemergefromitafull-fledgedtycoon(severalmadeabitmoneyoutofiteventually)muststandasatributetoorganizationalabilitiesofaveryhighorder.”3

WhenitwastimetodesignDisneyland,Waltbroughtthesameprocessorientationhehadappliedinthestudiooutintothephysicalworld.Therewasoneimportantdifferencenow.Tomakeananimatedfilm,youranitthroughtheprocessonceandcreatedafinishedproductthatcouldbeviewedoverandoverwithoutadditionalwork.Inathemepark,eachprocesshadtoruncontinuouslyandturnoutthesameoutcomeseachtime.(Themeparksare,infact,anoddkindofprocessindustry.Insteadofproducingpetroleumorchemicals,theiroutputisentertainment.)WaltknewthatthekeytodeliveringQualityServiceinalivingmoviemeantdesigningdefect-freeprocessesandflawlesslyrepeatingthem.

Therewasonebigadvantagetoworkingwithrepetitiveprocessesthatweredeliveringastandardizedproductversusmakingasingleproduct,likeananimatedfilm.AndWaltrealizeditimmediately.Hetoldareporter:

Theparkmeansalottome.It’ssomethingthatwillneverbefinished,somethingIcankeepdeveloping,keep“plussing”andaddingto.It’salive.Itwillbealive,breathingthingthatwillneedchanges.WhenyouwrapupapictureandturnitovertoTechnicolor,you’rethrough.SnowWhiteisadeadissuewithme.Ijustfinishedalive-actionpicture,wrappeditupafewweeksago.It’sgone.Ican’ttouchit.TherearethingsinitIdon’tlike,butIcan’tdoanythingaboutit.Iwantsomethinglive,somethingthatwouldgrow.Theparkisthat.NotonlycanIaddthings,buteventhetreeswillkeepgrowing.Thethingwillgetmorebeautifulyearafteryear.AnditwillgetbetterasIfindoutwhatthepubliclikes.Ican’tdothatwithapicture;it’sfinishedandunchangeablebeforeIfindoutwhetherthepubliclikesitornot.4

Waltcouldfine-tuneDisneyland’sprocessestohisheart’scontent,andhedid.Hecalledthiseffortatcontinuousimprovement“plussing,”andheappliediteverywhereinthepark.Hewouldwearoldclothesandastrawfarmer’shatandtourtheparkincognito.DickNunis,whowasatthetimeasupervisorinFrontierland,remembersbeingtrackeddownbyWaltduringoneofthesevisits.WalthadriddentheJungleBoatattractionandhadtimedthecruise.Theboat’soperatorhadrushedtheride,whichhadendedinfourandahalfminutesinsteadofthefullsevenminutesitshouldhavetaken.

“Howwouldyouliketogotoamovieandhavethetheaterremoveareelinthemiddleofthepicture?”demandedWalt.“Doyourealizehowmuchthosehipposcost?Iwantpeopletoseethem,notberushedthrougharidebysomeguywho’sboredwithhiswork.”

DickandWalttooktheridetogetheranddiscussedthepropertiming.Theboatpilotsusedstopwatchestolearntheperfectspeed.WeekswentbyuntilonedayWaltreturned.HerodetheJungleBoatsfourtimeswithdifferentpilots.Intheend,hesaidnothing,justgaveDicka“Goodshow!”thumbs-upandcontinuedonhisway.5

PlussingisstillanimportantpartoftheDisneyculture.Ifsomethingcanbemadebetter,it’sdone.DisneylandPariswasoriginallynamedEuroDisney,buttoEuropeans,theresort’stargetaudience,thewordEurosignifiedcurrencyandcommerce.ThisdidnotcreateapictureoftheHappiestPlaceonEarthinmostofourguests’minds,sothenamewas“plussed.”

WhentheDisneyStoreretailchainwasfirstgettingoffthegroundinlate1980s,then-CEOMichaelEisnerstartingvisitingnewlyopenedlocationsonweekendsálaWalt.Hestudiedthedetails,weedingoutsubstandardproductsandanalyzingthelighting,presentation,andserviceexperiencefromtheguest’sperspective.ThelateFrankG.Wells,thenDisney’sPresidentandCOO,insistedthatthestoresadoptservicestandardsandofferTraditions-likeemployeetraining.ThetwoexecutivesknewthatbuildingasuccessfulretailchainrequiredastandardizedprocessthatliveduptotheDisneynameandcouldbetransplantedtoeverynewstore.AndasMichaelsaidatthetime,“Ifthebosscares,Ihadlongsincelearned,theneveryoneelsecares.”Theprocess-buildingandplussingeffortspaidoff.By1991,therewere125storesgeneratingmorethan$300millioninrevenues.6By2010,thereweremorethan350DisneyStoreswithannualrevenuesapproaching$1billion.

PROCESSANDCOMBUSTION

Processes,intheirbroadestmeaning,areaseriesofactions,changes,orfunctionsthatarestrungtogethertoproducearesult.Theycombinehuman(cast)andphysical(setting)resourcesinvariouswaystoproducedifferentoutcomes.Acarisproducedusingaprocessthatcombinespartsandlaborinspecificsequencesonanassemblyline.Anappendectomyisperformedusingaprocessthatcombinesmedicalstaffandanoperatingroominasequenceofactions.Allorganizationscanbethoughtofasacollectionofprocesses.

Aprocessdeliversaresult.Thatis,itdeliversanoutput,suchasaproductorservice.Infact,morethanthree-quartersofservicedeliveryinmostindustriesandinstitutionsisprocess-based.AndsinceQualityServiceisallaboutdelivery,itiscriticaltopayspecialattentiontoprocesses.

OntheQualityServiceCompass,processesarecomposedofthepolicies,tasks,andproceduresthatareusedtodeliverservice.Thinkofprocessasarailroadengine.Iftheenginedoesnotrunproperly,itdoesnotmatterhowfriendlytheconductoractsorhowattractivethepassengercarslook,thetrainwillstillnotmoveandthepassengerswillnotpaytheirfares.ProcessistheengineofQualityService.

Wecantaketheengineanalogyonestepfurtherandtalkabouttheworkingsoftheengine.Enginesaredrivenbycombustion.Adieselorgasolineengineispoweredbyinternalcombustion.Thefuelisfiredinsidetheengine;itexplodesandmovesthepistons.Inasteamengine,thecombustiontakesplaceoutsidetheengineinaboilerthatcreatespressurizedsteamthatinturnmovesthepistons.Serviceprocessesaremorelikeasteamengine.Thecombustionisexternallyproduced—byguests.Itderivesfromtheirsatisfactionandrepeatbusinessandrecommendations.ForthepurposesofQualityService,guest-producedcombustionisthebestkind.Whenguestsarepoweringtheengine,weknowthattheprocessisfocusedproperlyontheirneeds.

Whenserviceprocessesworksmoothly,theirkeycombustionpointsarecontrolled.QualityServiceisdeliveredwithoutahiccupandeveryonewins.However,whencombustionpointsareoutofcontrol,serviceprocessesmisfire.Guestsareinconvenienced,andunlesstheirproblemsaresolved,combustionpointscaneasilyturnintoexplosions.Identifyingandcontrollingcombustionpointsareanimportantpartofdeliveringservicethroughprocess.

Thebestwaytoidentifykeycombustionpointsistostudyyourcustomers.Whatdotheycomplainabout?Wheredotheygetstuckduringtheserviceexperience?Whatarethecommonproblemstheyfacewheninteractingwithyourorganization?Theanswerstothesequestionsarecombustionstatements.Combustionstatementsareimportantcluestotheprocessissuesyouneedto

addressinordertodelivermagicalservice.Let’sexaminesomecommonhasslesaboutwhichguestscomplain:

“Thisistakingtoolong!”Anyonewhohaseverspenttoomuchtimeonholdwithcustomerserviceorwaitedtoolongforfoodataquick-servicerestaurantknowsthislament.Whatdoesitindicate?Ittellsusthatwehaveaproblemwiththeflowoftheserviceexperiencethatneedstobesolved.“Nooneknowstheanswer!”We’veallbeenfacedwithguestswhohavebeenbouncedfromplacetoplaceinsearchofananswertoaquestion.Whenyouhearthis,itmeansthatthecommunicationprocessbetweencastandguesthasbrokendown.“Mysituationisdifferent!”Creatingastandardizedprocessisagreatwaytoservethetypicalguest,butwhatabouttheguestwhohasspecialwantsorneeds?Whenyouhearthisitmeanstheprocessitselfisnotabletoaccommodatecertainguests.“I’mstuckinadilemma!”Finally,processesarenotinfallible,andsometimestheyjustdon’tworkasplanned.Whenyouhearthisitmeansthatthereisaproblemwithaserviceprocessthatneedstobediagnosedandrepaired.Themorecomplexthedilemma,themorerigoroustheproblem-solvingneedstobe,perhapsincludingguestologyresearchandtheassistanceofspecializedcastmembers,suchasindustrialengineers.

ThesecombustionstatementsarenotuncommonattheDisneyparksandresorts.Youhaveprobablyheardthemfromyourcustomers,too.That’sbecausetheseexamplesrelatetofourservice-processissuesthatareuniversal:customerflow,employee-to-customercommunication,customerswithspecialneeds,andpoorprocessdesign.Thesearetypicalcombustionpointsinserviceprocesses,andintheremainderofthischapter,wewilltakeacloserlookathowtokeepthemfrombecomingexplosionpoints.

GUESTFLOW

“Theselinesaretoolong!”Ourguestshatelonglines.Infact,longlinesarethemostfrequentcustomercriticismheardinthethemeparkindustry.OnDisneyland’sopeningday,adaythatWaltDisneyafterwardlabeled“BlackSunday,”theguestflowwasafiasco.Counterfeitticketsturnedwhathadbeenplannedasaninvitation-onlyeventintoamobsceneasanestimated33,000guestsoverwhelmedthepark.Everystreetwithintenmilesofthefrontgatewas

jammedwithtraffic.OneofthefirstquestionsWaltaddressedafterBlackSundaywashowtobettermanagethoselines.7

Overlylonglinesareaservice-processissuethatinvolvestheflowoftheguestexperience.IfyourunaWebsite,theflowofservicecanbeimpededbyslow-loadingpagesoroverloadedserversthatcan’thandlearushofcustomeractivity.Ifyouoperateamanufacturingcompany,theproductionflowmightbeblockedbyacertainassemblytaskorapartsshortageoraninefficientmachine.Nomatterwhatthespecificserviceorproductbeingdelivered,waittimeistheenemyweareallfighting.

Solutionstothewait-timeconundrumtendtofallintothreeseparatecategories.Tominimizewaittime,wecanoptimizetheoperationoftheproductorserviceprocess,theflowofgueststhemselves,ortheexperienceofbeingonthelineitself.AttheDisneyresortsandparks,allthreesolutionshavebeenimplemented.

Optimizingtheoperationofproductandserviceprocessesmeansmanagingyourassetsinwaysthatminimizewaits.Considergivingguestsaccesstoyourfacilitiesearlierorlaterthanusual.Youcanalsocutwaittimebyextendingaccessonaselectivebasis,suchasopeningsomeservicespriortoothersoropeningkeyareasearlierthantherestoftheorganization.Anotherideaistoprovidespecialaccesstoyourbestguests.Inthisway,youcanrewardloyaltyandreducewaittimessimultaneously.

OneprogramdesignedtooptimizetheoperationsatWaltDisneyWorldiscalledExtraMagicHours.Everyday,oneofthefourthemeparksopensanhourearlyandclosesuptothreehourslaterthanusualforthoseguestsstayingatresortsontheDisneyproperty.Thisprovidesagroupofvaluablecustomersthechancetoexperiencetheparkswhentheyarerelativelyuncrowded,andtheprogrampaysadditionaldividendsbyhelpingtoreducethenumberofguestsenjoyingtheparksatpeakhours.TheRopeDropprogramisanotherexampleofoptimizingtheoperation.Here,selectedservices,diningareas,andretailstoresopenpriortotheopeningoftherestofthepark.Guestsgetearlyaccessandcaneat,shop,andotherwiseprepareforthedayandbereadyfortheirfavoriteattractionsastheyopen.

Optimizingguestflowmeansenablinggueststoself-managetheirmovementthroughtheserviceexperience.Thesetechniquesaredesignedto

givegueststhegiftoftime.Theyprovidechoicesabouthowguestswillspendtheirtimeandprovidethosechoicesupfront,beforeguestsgetcaughtinawait.Theyalsoincludeeducatingguestsaboutthebenefitsofcertainchoicesandmonitoringflowcontinuallysoyoucanofferthemaccurateinformationwithwhichtomaketheirdecisions.

AtDisney,guestscanbegintolearnabouttheiroptionslongbeforetheyarriveattheentrancestotheparksthemselves.Thebest-sellingBirnbaum’sguidebookstotheparksoffersuggestionsforgettingthemostvaluefromDisneyvacations.Thebrochuresandguidesprovidedattheparksalsoincludeplentyoftipsformakingthemostofavisit.

AnotherfeatureyouwillfindatacentrallocationintheDisneyparksistheTipBoard.Anideadevelopedbythecast,theTipBoardliststhemajorattractionswithintheparkandestimatesthecurrentwaitateach.Updatedregularly,TipBoardsallowgueststoplantheirtravelswithintheparksandminimizethetimetheyspendstandinginlines.(WaittimesontheTipBoardsareslightlyoverestimated,becauseashorter-than-expectedwaitismuchpreferabletoalonger-than-expectedone.)Greetersalsoplayanimportantroleinhelpingguestsmanagetheirvisits.Thesecastmembersarededicatedinformationsourceswhoseroleistoguideguestsamongthemanyentertainmentchoicesintheparks.

Optimizingthequeueexperiencemeansmanagingotherwiseunavoidablewaittimeinaserviceprocesstomaximizetheguestexperienceandminimizetheirdiscomfort.Wecanaccomplishthisfeatbytestingproductsandservicestobesurewaittimesareminimizedbeforeopeningthemtothepublic.Itisalsoimportanttoclearlyexplainwaittimesatthestartofaprocessand,asmentionedabove,doyourbesttostayunderthemaximumtimequoted.Youcaninstructandpreparegueststomovethroughaprocessefficientlyand,duringwaits,usetheopportunitytoeducate,inform,andentertainthem.Youcanalsomeasurethelengthsofthewaitsandmakesureyourcastmembersunderstandtheirimpactonguests.

Liketheparks’TipBoards,eachattractionhasitsownwait-timepostingthatguestscanseebeforetheystepintotheline.Andwemakesuretobuildthethemeandentertainmentintothequeuesthemselves.Thecastmembersaretrainedtoentertainandotherwiseoccupythe

Thecastmembersaretrainedtoentertainandotherwiseoccupytheattentionofguestswaitinginline,andthesettingisdesignedtomakewaitsseemshorter.Forinstance,asguestswaittoenterJimHenson’sMuppet*Vision3DshowatDisney’sHollywoodStudios,theyareentertainedbyatwelve-minutepreshow.Muppetcharactersmoveacrossabankoftelevisionmonitorsanddrophintsabouttheshowtocome.

Inthepastfewyears,theImagineershavetakenthequeueexperienceastepfurtherbycreatinginteractivequeues.Forinstance,thegraveyardthatguestspassontheirwayintoTheHauntedMansionhasbeenexpanded,andelaboratecryptswithinteractivefeatureshavebeeninstalled.Whenguestsreachthetombofthecomposer,forexample,theyfindinstrumentscarvedintoit.Touchitandmusicbeginstoplay.AtSoarin’,thequeueincludesgiantvideoscreenswithmotiondetectorsandheatsensors;groupsofguestscanplayvideogamesonthemastheywaittoentertheattraction.Whymakesuchaninvestment?“Guestswerewillingtowait12percentlongerbecauseoftheinteractiveexperience,”explainedWaltDisneyresortsandparksVicePresidentofResearchLoriGeorganna.8

Finally,Disney’sresortsandparksbusinessmakesliberaluseofseveraltechniquesdesignedtotestandreducewaittimesbeforeweopenattractionstothegeneralpublic.AttheDisneyparks,forexample,CastPreviewDaysintroducethecasttonewattractionsandhelptoferretoutprocessflawsbeforeguestsarrive.Recently,ashiploadofluckycastmemberstookapreviewcruiseontheDisneyDreamtoensurethatitwasguest-ready.Theywereaskedtohavefun,butalsotoevaluatetheentireserviceexperience,includingwaittimes.GuestsareinvitedtoattendSneakPeeks,pilottestsinwhichalimitednumberofguestsgetanadvancelookatnewattractions,whichoffersusanopportunitytofurtherrefineourserviceprocessesbeforethegrandopening.

PerhapsthemosteffectiveweaponinthewaragainstwaittimeisDisney’sFASTPASSService.Firstintroducedin1999,FASTPASSisaninnovativecomputerizedreservationsystem.WhenguestsarriveataFASTPASSattraction,theycanchoosethetraditionalwaitinlineorswipetheiradmissionpassinaturnstile,whichinturnproducesapassgoodforaone-hourusageperiod.Theguestssimplyreturnduringthespecifiedhourandareprocessedthroughashorter,dedicatedlinedirectlyintothepreshoworboardingareaoftheattraction.FASTPASSalmosteliminatestheinfamousthemeparklines.Italsoallowsparkgueststovisitlesscrowdedareas,shop,orstopforabitetoeatwhilewaitingfortheirride,insteadofstandinginline.

whilewaitingfortheirride,insteadofstandinginline.

FactorsAffectingGuestPerceptionsofWaitTime

DisneyInstituteclientUniversityofChicagohospitals

(UCh)surveyedpatientsaboutexpectationsregarding

patientwaittimes.althoughsomewaittimeisareality,

mostUChpatientsinthestudycommentedlessonthelength

ofthewaitthanhowthewaitwashandled.Threeimportant

dimensionsrelatingtopatientcareare:

Access—patientswantaccesstocareandarefrustrated

byvoicemail,schedulingdifficulties,and

restrictions.

Respect—patientsdescribeastrongneedtobe

recognizedandtreatedwithdignity.

Informationcommunication—patientsexpressfearthat

theyarenotbeingcompletelyinformed.

St.Simon’sIsland,Georgia–basedRichSeaPakCorporationisaDisneyInstituteclientthatworkedhardtoremovewaittimefromitsorder-managementprocess.Asubsidiaryofthelargestfamily-ownedfrozenfoodsmanufacturerintheUnitedStates,RichProductsCorporation,RichSeaPakisaleadingproduceroffrozenseafoodandsnackproductsandtheleadingretailbrandwithinthefrozenspecialtyshrimpcategory.Thecompanyenjoysabroadcustomerbasethatincludesgrocerystores,wholesaleclubs,restaurantchains,andfood-serviceclients,anditprocessestensofthousandsofordersannually.

Overtheyears,however,SeaPak’sorderprocesshadgrownunwieldy.Customerordersmovedbetweenseveralinformationsystemsthatweredevelopedatdifferenttimes.SeaPakassociateshadtomovebetweensystemstolocateordersandtherewere“stop–and-gos”whereorderspausedintheprocess.

Thecompanyknewthatifitreengineeredtheprocess,itcouldimproveitsservicedeliveryandincreaseprofits.

Across-functionalteamoftwenty-fiveSeaPakassociates,whovisitedtheDisneyInstitutetostudyQualityServiceandcreativity,rethoughthowordersaremanagedfromthecustomer’sinitialcontactthroughfulfillment,billing,andthepaymentofinvoices.Theycreatedalesscomplex,integratedinformationsystemcapableofeliminatingpausesbyprocessingordersinacontinuousflow,providinginstantorder-informationaccesstocustomersatanypointintheprocessandeliminatingerrorsinthebillingprocess.Theneworderprocesswill

processandeliminatingerrorsinthebillingprocess.TheneworderprocesswillcutdaysoffSeaPak’sorderflow.Italsosolvesacommonproblemamongfood-productscompaniesbytrackinginventoryandpricingvariationsinrealtime,withthegoalofproducingperfectinvoiceseverytime.

Creatingtheperfectopen-houseprocesswasthegoalofafifteen-memberteamatNorthCarolina’sLees-McRaeCollege,asix-hundred-student,110-year-oldprivateinstitutionknownforitsperformingartsprogram.AfterattendingtheDisneyInstitute,thecollegedecidedthattheopen-houseprogramsitholdseachyearforprospectivestudentsandtheirfamiliesneededsomesprucingup.“Therewasnothingactuallywrongwiththewaywehadbeenconductingopenhouses,”formerVicePresidentforEnrollmentandStudentDevelopmentAlanCoheleyexplained.“Theywereniceandhelpful,buttheyweren’tprovidinga‘wow,’amemorableexperienceforourguests.”

Tobuildsomewowsintotheprogram,theopen-houseteamdecidedtoexpandtheirviewoftheprocessandconsideredtheentireguestexperience,fromthearrivalofaninvitationtovisitthecollegeuntilthecompletionoftheprogramitself.Theythenusedstoryboards,atechniquediscussedinthenextchapter,toreworktheopenhousesinthreephases.

First,theteamrefinedthepreparationphaseofaguestvisitbyredesigningelementssuchasthedirectionstoanddescriptionsoftheareaandtheprogramthatguestsreceiveinthemail.Second,theyimprovedthearrivalphaseandstartedwelcomingguestsbeforetheysetfootoncampusthroughtheuseoftechniquessuchassendingarepresentativefromthecollegetomeetandgreetfamiliesastheycheckedintothelocalhotel.Finally,theteamreengineeredtheentireon-campusportionoftheexperiencebyaddingacounty-fairthemetotheiropenhouses.Asguestsmovedfromlocationtolocationaroundthecampus,theyfoundanewattractionineachspot.Theseattractionsinformedandentertainedguestsatthesametime.Eventhemenusfortheprogramswereadjustedtoreflectthekindsoffoodsyoumightfindatafair.Thenewopen-houseprocessextendedthecollege’scontroloveritsguestexperience,itbuiltsomefunintothecollegesearchprocessforprospectivestudents,and,notleastofall,itensuredthatwhenitcametimetomaketheirfinalchoices,Lees-McRaestoodoutinthemindsofstudentsandtheirparents.

CAST-TO-GUESTCOMMUNICATIONS

“Whendoesthethreeo’clockparadestart?”ThisisaverycommonguestqueryintheMagicKingdom.Itissofrequently

intheMagicKingdom.ItissofrequentlyaskedthatDisneyUniversityusesitasanexampleintheTraditions

program;theDisneyInstituteusesitaswell.Theguestswhoaskthisquestionarenotdumb;theyknowtheparadestartsatthreeo’clock.Whattheyarereallyaskingiswhattimetheparadewillgettoacertainlocationorwherethebestplacetoseeitisorwhatitsrouteis.Infact,theonlywronganswerstothequestionare“Threeo’clock”orawisecrack.

Answeringguestquestionsisaregulartaskinallorganizations.Howwellandhowefficientlythesequestionsarefieldedhasanoversizedeffectonhowguestsratetheserviceexperience.Isthereanypersonontheplanetwholikesgettingananswerthatmakesthemfeelstupid?Orlikesbeingbouncedfromplacetoplaceinsearchofananswertowhatshouldbeasimplequestion?Theonlyvaryingfactorisexactlyhowlongpeoplewillhangonbeforelosingtheircoolaltogether.Whenthathappens,combustionbecomesexplosion.

OnpropertiesthesizeofDisney’sresortsandparks,withannualguestlistsoftensofmillionsofpeople,effectiveguestcommunicationisacriticalelementinservicedelivery,andmuchofthatcommunicationflowsdirectlyfromthecasttotheguests.Accordingly,Disney’sperformancetipsrequirecastmemberstoseekoutguestcontact,tolistentoandanswerquestions,andtoalwaysofferassistance.Butitisnotenoughtosimplytellthecasttohelpguests;theymusthavetheinformationtheyneedtofulfillthattask.Thus,wehaveawidevarietyofserviceprocessesaimedatpreparingourcasttogivegueststheanswerstheyneedonthespot.Theseprocessesaredesignedtoprovidetherightinformationintherightmannerattherighttime.SomeofthemaremeanttodisseminateinformationtothecastthroughoutDisney’sproperties.AtWaltDisneyWorld,forexample,thereisabiweeklynewspaperwrittenbyandforthecast,Eyes&Ears,whichhasabiggercirculationthanmanycommunitynewspapers.Itincludesarticlesaboutnewprojects,attractions,andevents,executivemessages,etc.Pocket-sizefast-factscardshavebeenprintedanddistributedsothatcastmembershaveinformationaboutnewattractionsandspecialeventsattheirfingertips.And,ofcourse,thecorporateintranethasbecomeanever-more-effectivemeansofcommunicationoverthepastdecade.

Creatingawarenessamongourcastmembersaboutalltheattractionsandresourcesintheresortsandparksisanimportantprocess.WhenDisney’sAll-StarMoviesResort,cateringtovalue-orientedguests,waspreparingtoopeninWaltDisneyWorld,theresortheldan“OpenMouse”andinvitedallcastmembers,theirfamilies,andfriends.Inadditiontorefreshmentsandcharacterappearances,theresortstaffmadesuretheirfellowcastmemberslearnedaboutthenewhotelbycreatinganon-sitetourcontest.Eachinternalguestreceivedamapofthesitethatwasstampedatlocationsalongthetourroute.Theyturned

mapofthesitethatwasstampedatlocationsalongthetourroute.Theyturnedthemapsinattheendasentriesinprizedrawings.

Job-shadowingtechniquesarealsousedtoteachcastmembersaboutotherareasoftheproperties.WhenthecateringandconventionservicesteamatWaltDisneyWorld’sCoronadoSpringsResortwantedtospreadtheword,theyplannedConventionMousenap,duringwhichhigh-performingcastmembersfromaroundWaltDisneyWorldwere“mousenapped”andspentadaylearningabouttheresort’samenitiesandcapabilities.Internaltradeshowsarealsoheldperiodicallyandgivecastmembersachancetosharetheirbestpracticesthroughouttheorganization.AndthereisacentralrepositoryforinformationattheWaltDisneyWorldLibraryandResearchCenter,whosearchivesincludethousandsofDisney-relatedpublications,newsclippings,andpressreleasesaswellasstatisticalinformationfortheexclusiveuseofourcast.

Therealsoaretechniquesdesignedtocommunicatesite-specificinformationtothecastmemberswhoperformineachareaofourparksandresorts.Theyhelpavoidinformationoverloadbycommunicatingdetailedinformationtoeachspecificsite’scastmembers,butnottothelargerpopulation.Someofthesite-specifictechniqueswehaveusedovertheyearsaresimplyscaled-downversionsofproperty-widetechniques.Therewasabiweeklynewspaper,BusBulletin,forbus-transportationcastmembers.ThecastoftheretailstoresweregivenMerchantainmentCueCards,acollectiblecardseries,similartothefast-factscards,whichfeaturedaDisneycharacterononesideandcharactertriviaalongwithpolicyandproceduresontheother.

Othersite-specificcommunicationtechniquesaredesignedfortheseparateperformancecultures.Forinstance,castmembersgetup-to-the-minuteinformationbyattendingpreshiftmeetingsthatareknownaroundthepropertyas“homerooms.”Afterfindingthatcastmemberswhostartedworkbetweenshiftsweresometimesmissingimportantinformation,thecastofTheLandPavilionattractioninEpcottookthehomeroomconceptastepfurther.Theystartedvideotapingthedailymeetingandcreatedabackstageareawhereallemployeescouldwatchitbeforetheystartedtheirdailyperformance.

Speakingofbackstageareas,itisalmostimpossibletowalkthroughanyofthemwithoutseeingtheubiquitousbulletinboard.BackstageCommunicationBoardsconveyloadsofinformationonchangesinpolicyandprocedures,recentimprovements,anticipatedguestcounts,andoverallbusinessperformance.Similarly,forlast-minutenewsflashes,ElectronicMessageDisplayBoardsarepositionedsocastmemberswillseethenewsbeforewalkingonstage.

OnethingworthnoticingisthatfewofDisney’sprocessesforenhancingcast-to-guestcommunicationarecomplex.Thisisnotacoincidence.The

cast-to-guestcommunicationarecomplex.Thisisnotacoincidence.Theimportantpointisnothowsophisticatedyourcommunicationmethodsarebuthowwellandhowthoroughlytheyprepareyourstafftoassistcustomers.Infact,thelesstimeandmoneyspentoncommunicationthebetter—itis,afterall,anoverheadcost.Concentrateinsteadonprovidingcriticalcontentandmemorablepresentationsinthesimplestwayspossible.

Ofcourse,sometimesthesimplestcommunicationmethodisalsoahigh-techsolution.WitnessHouston,Texas–basedCrownCastleInternationalCorporation(CCIC).Beginningwithitsfoundingin1994,CCICracedtoaleadingroleinthewirelesscommunicationsindustrywithanaggressiveseriesofacquisitions.Bytheendof2010,thisDisneyInstituteclientownedorleasedalmost24,000wirelesstowersites—71percentofthoseintheU.S.inthehundredlargestwirelessmarketsintheUnitedStates.Oneoftheleadingprovidersofwirelessinfrastructure,CCICleasestocellulartelephoneserviceproviders,televisionandradiobroadcasters,andothercustomersneedingwirelessnetworks.

AsCCICgrewinthelate1990s,itexpandeditsvisionfarbeyondleasingspaceontheirtowerstothedeliveryofworld-classturnkeywirelessservices.CCICcustomerscouldchoosetocontractforacompletenetworkoranyportionthereof.Thisbreadthofservice,theinternationalnatureofthebusiness,andtherapidadditionofacquiredassetsaddeduptoauniquecast-to-guestcommunicationconundrum.CCIChadtoassistitstechnicalpersonnelintheconsistentandreliabledeliveryofthefullrangeofcomplexserviceofferingsnomatterwheretheywerelocated.

Afterdiscoveringthateachofitscustomershadadifferentdefinitionofwhatturnkeyservicemeant,CCICbeganmappingeverydetailofeveryproductandserviceprocessitdelivers.Inessence,itcreatedprocessmodulesthatitsengineerscouldcombinetobuildacustomizedsolutionforeachcustomer.

“Bytakingalltheprocessesnecessaryandbreakingthemdownintodefinableareasandsteps,weformalizedourapproachtoservicedeliveryacrossthecompany,”explainedthecompany’sformerCOOJohnKelly.Theprocessmodulesguidedemployeesthroughthedesignandimplementationoftheservicepackageandensuredhighqualityandfastdelivery.AndLiveLink,afeatureontheCCICcorporateintranet,deliveredallofthatknowledgedirectlytoitsengineers.Thus,theinformationthatCCIC’scastneededtoservetheirguestswasdeliveredwhereandwhentheyneededit.

SERVICEATTENTION

SERVICEATTENTION

Haveyouevergottenlostinavoice-mailsystemthatoffersalitanyofoptionsthatdon’tfityourparticularneed,withnoinstructionsforconnectingtoaliveperson?Howdidyourespond?Perhapsyoupickedachoiceatrandomorblindlypunchedthephone’soperatororstarkeyshopingtotransfertoahumanbeing.Maybeyoujusthungup.Howdidyoufeelaboutthatserviceexperience?Whenyougetstuckinanunresponsivephonesystem,youaretraversingaserviceprocessthatsimplydoesnotworkforyou.Itmightworkforthevastmajorityofpeoplewhocanuseit,butthatisn’tmuchconsolationtothoseofuswhocan’t.

Thisiswhyitissoimportanttoacknowledgeand,whenpossible,incorporatetheindividualneedsanddesiresofguestsinservicedelivery.ItisalsoanotherwayinwhichweachievethesecondqualitystandardintheDisneyresortandparks:thestandardofcourtesy.Towardthatgoal,thereisagenreofprocessesthatserveguestswhoseneedscannotbesatisfiedbyexistingprocessesthatwecallserviceattentionprocesses.

Therearetwokeyingredientsincreatingeffectiveserviceattentionprocesses.First,theremustbeappropriateresourcestomaketheguestexperienceagoodone.Second,theavailabilityofthoseresourcesmustbecommunicatedtocastandguests.HereisacloserlookathowtheDisneyparksandresortsextendserviceattentiontothreegroupsofguestswhodon’talwaysfitthestandardprofile:internationalvisitors,smallchildren,andguestswithdisabilities.

InternationalGuests

Today’sglobalorganizationsoftenserveanextraordinarilydiversecustomerbase.AtWaltDisneyWorld,forexample,roughly25percentofguestsliveoutsidetheUnitedStates,andwhileallguestscometoWaltDisneyWorldtobeentertained,internationalguestsbringalongawholerangeofdifferentexpectations,behavioralhabits,andneeds.Forinstance,non-English-speakingguestswillhavetroublereadingsigns,tosaynothingofunderstandingcastmembersandotherguests.

IfyouvisitWaltDisneyWorldinthesummer,youwilloftenseelargegroupsofBrazilianchildren,inseparableandcladinbrightlycoloredT-shirts.Brazilianstendnottowanticeintheirdrinks,andsincegratuitiesareusuallyincludedonthebillinBrazil,theyalsotendnottotip.InBrazil,peopleliketotourinlargegroupsandstayclosetogether,oftensingingandchanting.Asyou

tourinlargegroupsandstayclosetogether,oftensingingandchanting.Asyoumightimagine,whenacrowdofhappy,boisterouschildrensinginginPortugueseconvergesonaqueue,itcanbeadisconcertingexperienceforotherguestsandcastmemberswhoareculturallypredisposedtowantmorepersonalspace.

TobetterserveBrazilianguests,Portuguese-speakingcastmembersareonhandtosupporttheirvisitsandtoactastranslators.TherearebrochuresandguidesinPortugueseforguestuse.CastmemberslearnaboutBraziliancultureandbehavior.Andfinally,WaltDisneyWorldworkswithBraziliantourguidestobreakdownculturalbarriersandmaximizetheirguests’experiences.TheserviceattentionfocusedonBrazilianguestshasbeenwellworththeeffort.TheirattendancequicklygrewuntilBrazilianswereamongWaltDisneyWorld’stopthreemostfrequentforeignvisitors.

SmallChildren

EventhoughkidsofallageslovetheDisneyparks,theparksarenotalwaysdesignedtofittheneedsofoursmallestguests.Someattractionspackintoomuchexcitementforsmallchildren;othersmightborethem.Smallchildrenalsohavedifferentconcernsandneedsthanadultguestsandolderchildren.Therecognitionoftheseconcernsledtothecreationofserviceprocessesfromachild’s-eyeview.

Forinstance,whatcanbemoredisappointingthanstandinginlineatBigThunderMountainwithyourfamilybutnotbeingtallenoughtoentertheride?Andwhatdoyourparentsdowhentheirturncomes?Musttheyleaveyoualone,orstandinlinetwicesoeachcanridetherollercoaster?Instead,thereisaprocessdesignedtosolvethiscommondilemma.Oneparentcanstaywiththechildwhiletheothertakestheride.Attheconclusionoftheride,thewaitingparentmayboardimmediately.Andwhataboutthechildwhocan’trideatall?Castmembershaveasupplyofspecialcertificatesthatentitlethechildtoboardtheridewithoutwaitinginlinewheneverheorsheistallenough.

OftensmallchildrendonotfindmuchtointeresttheminEpcot’sWorldShowcase,soforthemthereisKidcot.Kidcotincludesacraftoractivityineachofthenationalpavilionsdesignedespeciallyforsmallerchildren.Everychildalsogetsadiscoverybookletthattheyfilloutastheymovefromcountrytocountry.Similarly,inDowntownDisney’sMarketplace,theboredomalmosteverysmallchildfeelswhenshoppingisalleviatedwithasetofstickersthatchildrencancollectintoabookastheymovefromshoptoshop.

Again,service-attentionprocessesdesignedspecificallyforguestswhodon’tfittheaverageprofilecontributetoabetterexperiencefortheguestswithspecialneedsandthoseintheirparties.

GuestswithDisabilities

Everyorganizationservescustomerswithdisabilities,andtoday,itisnotonlygoodbusinesstoprovidefortheirspecialneeds,itisalsolegallyrequired.Severalbasicprinciplesapplywhendesigningserviceattentionforguestswithdisabilities:

Wheneverpossible,giveguestswithdisabilitiesmainstreamaccesstoyourorganization.Forexample,attheDisneyresortsandparks,everyeffortismadetoprovideaccessthroughthemainentranceofattractions.Thisway,guestscanstaywiththeirpartiesandenjoythepropertyalongwitheveryoneelse.Sincenotalldisabilitiesareobvious,findwaystoallowgueststocommunicatetheirspecialneedswithoutforcingthemtoexplainthemrepeatedly.AtWaltDisneyWorld,forexample,therearethreedifferenttypesofSpecialAssistancePassesthatguestscancarrytocommunicatetheirneedstocastmembers.Communicatetheresourcesavailabletoguestswithdisabilitiesatthewidestpossiblelevel.AllofourcastmembersaregivenbasictrainingandguidanceinassistingtheseguestsintheTraditionsprogram.Inaddition,DisneyUniversityoffersspecializedtrainingtomanagersandkeycastmemberswhohavehighlevelsofguestcontact.Finally,communicateavailableresourcesdirectlytoyourguests.Forinstance,WaltDisneyWorldoffersaspecialguidebookdetailingtheresourcesandone-to-oneassistanceavailableatGuestServiceslocations.

ThereareahostofresourcesavailableatDisneyresortsandparksforguestswithdisabilities.Amongthemareaudiotoursforthosewithvisualdisabilities.Therealsoarewirelessaudioboosters,sign-languageperformances,andreflectivecaptioningforthosewithhearingdisabilities.Thereareguest-assistancepackagescontainingscripts,flashlights,andpenandpaperofferedatmanyofourshowsandattractions.Allofthesearemeanttoensurethatdisabledguestsgetthebestshowpossible.

Allorganizationshavecustomerswithneedsthatfalloutsidetheirstandardprocesses.WhenDisneyInstituteclientEastJeffersonGeneralHospital

processes.WhenDisneyInstituteclientEastJeffersonGeneralHospitalexamineditspatientbase,itfoundthatoncologypatientshadverydifferentneedsanddesiresfrommaternitypatients.Oncologypatientswantedquiet,privatewaitingareaswheretheycouldmeetwiththeirfamilieswhileavoidingthegeneralpopulationandrepeatedexplanationsoftheirillnesses.Maternitypatients,ontheotherhand,wantedtocelebratetheirnewarrivalswithfriendsandfamily.Inresponse,EastJeffersoncreateddifferentprocessesandsettingsforeachgroupofpatients.Thehospitalprovidedpeace,quiet,andprivacyoutsidethemainstreamforoncologypatientsandafestiveatmospherewithextraspaceforvisitorsforthematernitypatients.

Beforewemoveon,takeafewminutestoidentifyyourcustomerswhoneedserviceattention.Howcanyouimprovetheirserviceexperience?

SERVICEPROCESSDEBUGGING

Asmentionedearlier,Disneyhasalongstandingtraditionofplussingtoimprovetheproductsandservicesofferedtoguests.Whenplussingisappliedtoimprovingserviceprocesses,wecallitdebugging.Everyserviceprocessneedstobedebuggedtoworkinthebestinterestsofguests.

Debuggingmayseematoddswiththemaximof“doitrightthefirsttime,”buttherealityofbusinessandlifeisthatdoinganythingperfectlyfromthestartisarelativelyrareoccurrence.

First,eventhoughwestrivetocreateflawlessorganizations,wearedealingwithlivingsystems,andtheyarenevercompletelypredictable.Second,evenifwecouldperfectourorganizations,thatperfectionisonlyachievedforashorttime.Newtechnologiesandtechniquessoonappearthatallowustomakethemevenbetter.

Justasktheworld’sleadingdedicatedtoyandjuvenileproductsretailer,Wayne,NewJersey–basedToys“R”Us.In1948,founderCharlesLazarusreinventedtheretailtoyindustry—andretailingingeneral—whenhecreatedthefirstself-servetoysupermarket,aone-stopshopforeverythinganykidcouldeverwant.Today’sbig-boxspecialtyretailchainsowetheirveryexistencetoMr.Lazarus’sbusinessmodel.Toys“R”Usisa$13.9-billioncompanywithmorethan1,600storesandabout70,000employees.

YoumightthinkthatToys“R”Ushasitsbusinessdownpat,butitsmanagementdoesn’tthinkthatway.Timeschangeandsodocustomers,andthecompanycontinuestoreinventitselfanditsbusinessprocesses.Overtheyears,itexpandedinternationally,addedacatalogsalesbusinessasthehomeshopping

itexpandedinternationally,addedacatalogsalesbusinessasthehomeshoppingtrendbegantobuild,andwiththeadventoftheInternet,thecompanystarteditsdrivetodominatetoysalesincyberspace.

Thecompanyalsoperiodicallyredesignsitsstorestoimprovethecustomerexperienceandenhanceresults.In1999,forinstance,thecompany’sleadersunderstoodthatCharlesLazarus’ssupertoystorewasnolongerasuniqueasithadbeenadecadeearlier,sotheydecidedtouptheanteintheindustryonceagainbyaddingpracticalmagictothesalesmix.AfterbenchmarkingitsQualityServiceatWaltDisneyWorldandtraininganimplementationteamatDisneyInstitute,Toys“R”Usintroducedanewbrandofservice.OntheeveningofJune13,1999,everyassociateandmanagerinNorthAmerica,includingtwothousandnationalsupportstaffassociates,learnedthebasicsofcreatingmagicalserviceexperiences,delightingtheirguests,andanewservicevisionandvocabulary.AtmidnightonJune14,the“magicmoment”struck,andeveryemployeeknewthatmakingpracticalmagicfortheirguestswasToys“R”Us’snewbusiness.

LikeToys“R”Us,youcanrecognizetherealitiesofanever-changingmarketplaceandcontinuallyimproveyourbusinessmodelandprocessesoryoucaninsistthatyougotitrightthefirsttimeandstickyourheadinthesand.Ifyouchosethefirstoption,readon.Ifnot,considerwhatBobIgerrecentlytoldtheFinancialTimesaboutDisney’sstudioentertainmentbusiness:“Thebusinessmodelthatunderpinsthemoviebusinessischanging.Ifwedon’tadapttothechangetherewon’tbeabusiness—that’smyexhortationtomyteam.”9Indeed,thesameeventuallyholdstrueforeverybusiness.Standingstillisnotaviableoption.

Opportunitiesfortheimprovementofserviceprocessestendtoarisefromtwokindsofcircumstances.Thefirstkindsgrowoutofdesignflawsoroversightsortheavailabilityofimprovedtechnologies.We,asserviceorganizations,ownthoseproblems.Thesecondkindsemergedirectlyoutoftheneedsofourguests,orguest-ownedactions.Let’stakeacloserlookatthesetwokindsofimprovementopportunities.

DebuggingFlawedProcesses

OneofthemostpopularfeaturesattheDisneythemeparksistheabilitytomeetandbephotographedwithMickeyMouseandtheentirecastofDisneycharacters.Characterappearanceshavebeenastandardpartoftheguestexperiencesince1955,whenDisneylandfirstopened.Forguests,however,

experiencesince1955,whenDisneylandfirstopened.Forguests,however,spendingthetimetheywantedwithourcharactershasnotalwaysbeenasimpletask.

WhenguestologystudiesatWaltDisneyWorldrevealedthedesireforgreateraccesstocharacterappearancesandthedifficultyofnavigatingthecrowdsthatquicklyformedaroundthecharacters,theresortsandparksbegantodebugtheexperience.FirstcameToontown,whichbroughtthecharactersintooneareathatcouldbemanagedforthebestguestexperience.Thenfixedcharactergreetinglocationswereestablishedthroughouttheparks,andtheirlocationswerecommunicatedinguidebooksandwithsignage.Finally,toensurethatourguestscouldfindPocahontasorSnowWhiteortheirfavoritecharacter,CHIPwascreated.CHIPistheCharacterHotlineandInformationProgram,atelephonenumberthateverycastmembercancalltotellourguestsexactlywhenandwheretofindeachcharacter.

Sometimesdebuggingaprocessflawrequiresinconveniencingaguest,suchaswhenaproductmustberecalled.Anyonewhohaswitnessedthepublic-relationsnightmaresthatensuewhentheseincidentsaremishandledknowstheycanbeverydamagingtoanorganization’sreputationandbottomline.Ontheotherhand,awell-conducteddebuggingcanenhancebothcustomerloyaltyandlong-termprofits.

TheVolkswagenGroupexperiencedthelatterphenomenonsoonafterthelaunchofitspopularNewBeetlein1998.ThecompanyhadundertakenthemostelaboratelaunchinitshistorytocelebratetherebirthofitsclassicVWBug.Tointroducethenewcartoitsdealers,thecompanybroughtninethousandemployeesandfamilymembersfromitsNorthAmericanheadquartersanditsdealershipnetworktoWaltDisneyWorldforseminarsandsomefun.Theconsumerlaunchwasevenmoreextensive,featuringmarketingandadvertisingcampaignsthatblanketedNorthAmerica.

AfterahugelysuccessfullaunchthathadcarbuyerssigninguponwaitinglistsfortheNewBeetle,thecompanydiscoveredthatawiringassemblyinsomeofthecarscouldhavebeeninstalledinawaythatmightleadtochafing.Thecompanywasconcernedthat,intheworstcase,thishadthepotentialtocauseafire.Inatextbookexampleofservicedebugging,thecompanyauthorizedafullrecall.Nocustomerwouldeverhavetowonderifhisorhernewcarwassafe.Tocompensatetheircustomersfortheinconvenienceofhavingtoreturntheirnewcarstothedealerforrepair,Volkswagenauthorizeda$100allowancepercustomer.Toapologize,dealerswereauthorizedtospendthemoneyanywaythecustomerwanted.

Thecompany’sfast,sensitiveresponsesavedtheday.Notonlydidits

Thecompany’sfast,sensitiveresponsesavedtheday.Notonlydiditscustomersatisfactionnumbersremainconstant,thecompanyactuallyreceivedthank-youlettersfromNewBeetleowners.Thecar,whichhadbeentargetedtoeventuallybuildtoannualsalesoffiftythousandvehicles,soldoverseventythousandunitsinitsfirstyear.

ImprovingOutdatedProcesses

TheticketingsystemattheDisneyparksisagoodexampleofadebuggingopportunitythatarosefromchangesintechnology.Theticketingprocesshadgrownextremelycomplicatedoverthedecades.Castmembersspentmoretimeworryingaboutticketsthanservingguests.Atonetime,thereweretwothousandactivecategoriesofpaperticketstomanage,andticketchangesrequiredatleastathree-weekleadtime.Ontopofthat,theprintedticketswereuseablepriortotheirissuance,sothereweremanyloss-controlandsecurityissuesinherentinthesystem.

Therapiddevelopmentofautomatednetworksandsmart-cardtechnologyallowedWaltDisneyWorldtocompletelyreengineertheprocess.AnewAutomatedTicketingSystem(ATS)basedonmagneticallycoded,creditcard–sizeticketswasputintoplace.Soon,therewereonlyeightcategoriesoftickets,whichcouldbeencodedinaninfinitenumberofvariations,andticketsdidnotbecome“live”untilthepointofsale.Evenbetter,theencodedcardcouldbesimplyswipedattheautomatedturnstileslocatedattheentrancetotheparks,leavingthecastplentyoftimetogreetandassistguests.

Disney’s“MagicYourWay”ticketsareanotherexampleofdebuggingdesignedtoimprovetheguestexperience.Inthisprogram,guestsaregivenchoicesthatallowthemtopurchaseticketstoourthemeparksthatbestfittheirneeds.Theycanpurchaseticketsbasedonthenumberofdaystheywillbevisitingandthenumberofparkstheyplantovisiteachdayandsaveonthepriceaccordingly.

DebuggingGuest-ownedProcesses

Guestssometimesmakemistakes.Iftheyareabandonedtodealwiththeresultsofthoseproblemsalone,weareabrogatingourresponsibilitytocreateQualityServiceexperiences.Providingamagicalguestexperiencemeanssolvingtheproblemsourguestscreatewiththesamededicationweshowinattackingproblemswecreateourselves.Aperfectexampleofasuccessfullydebuggedguest-ownedproblemisthesolution,describedinChapter1,thatWaltDisney

guest-ownedproblemisthesolution,describedinChapter1,thatWaltDisneyWorldcastmembersfoundtohelpguestswhohadforgottenwheretheyhadparkedtheircars.

Sometimestheguest-ownedproblemisveryminorindeed.Aguestmighthaveasqueakywheelonababystrollerorloseabuttonor,asanyonewithpoorvisionwellknows,loseoneofthosetiny,impossible-to-findscrewsthatholdapairofeyeglassestogether.EntertheMagicPouch.ThesecuritycastmembersatEpcotinventedtheMagicPouchinresponsetotheminorproblemsthatguestscommonlyencounter.Eachnowwearsapouchcontainingthesolutionstothosecommonproblems:acanoflubricatingoil,asewingkitandsafetypins,andevenaneyeglasses-repairkit.Voilá—problemsolved,andguestexperienceenhanced.

OurexplorationofthemainpointsontheQualityServiceCompassisalmostcomplete.We’veexploredhowtocenteroureffortsonguestsanddiscoverwhattheywant,howtocreatequalitystandardsandacommonpurpose,andthethreemajorservice-deliverysystemsthatallcompaniesshare:cast,setting,andprocess.Thereis,however,onecompasspointleft,themostimportantofall:Integration—thejobofputtingeverythingtogethertocreatethepracticalmagicofQualityService.

QualityServiceCues

Takeaprocessorientationtoservicedelivery.roughly

three-quartersofserviceisdeliveredviaprocesses.

processesarethepolicies,tasks,andproceduresusedto

deliverservice.

Collectandanalyzecombustionstatements.Combustion

statementsindicateserviceissuesthatneedtobesolved.

Listentoandstudyyourgueststoidentifyandoptimize

thoseissuesbeforecombustionpointsbecomeexplosion

points.

Optimizeguestflowthroughouttheserviceexperience.

Createtheperfectserviceflowbyoptimizingtheoperation

ofproductsandservices,allowinggueststoself-manage

theirexperience,andeffectivelymanagingunavoidable

waits.

Equipyourcasttocommunicatewithguests.Fielding

questionsimmediatelyisanimportantcomponentofcustomer

satisfaction.provideyourcastwiththerightinformation

intherightmannerattherighttime.

Createprocessesforguestswhoneedserviceattention.

TreatallofyourguestslikeVIps—veryimportant,very

individualpeople.Identifyguestswhoneedservice

attention,suchaschildren,internationalcustomers,and

peoplewithdisabilities,thenimplementprocessesdesigned

toensuretheygetapositiveserviceexperienceand

communicatethoseprocessesthroughouttheorganization.

Debugserviceprocessescontinuously.“plus”yourservice

processesateveryopportunity.Fixdesignflawsand

oversights,adaptnewtechnologiesandtechniques,and

solveyourcustomers’problemsbeforetheyaskforhelp.

CHAPTER6

TheMagicofIntergration

Bytheearly1940s,therewasnodisputingthatTheWaltDisneyCompanyhadbecometheworld’sleadinganimationstudio.Thestaff,thefacilitiesandequipment,andthefilmmakingprocesshadcombinedtocreatethegreatestanimatedentertainmentaudienceshadeverseen.WaltDisneyhadharnessedthemagicofintegrationand,indoingso,turnedoutgreatfilms,suchastheanimationclassicSnowWhite,whichpremieredonDecember21,1937,andquicklybecamethehighest-grossingfilmofalltime.

Whetherbyplanorintuition,Walthadbuiltthecapabilitiesofthethreedeliverysystemsthatallorganizationsshare.Hiscast,thestudiostaff,wasthebestinworld.Thankstoextensivein-housetrainingandapprenticeshipprograms,thecompanywascontinuallybuildingthecompetenceandexpertiseofitsworkforce.Waltwasalsobusyconstructingaworld-classsettingfortheproductionofanimatedfilms.In1940,thecompanybeganmovingintoitsbrand-newstudioinBurbank,whichWalthadbuiltwithhisusualattentiontodetail.Finally,stepbystepandinnovationbyinnovation,Walthadcreatedaprocesscapableofproducingafull-lengthanimationfeature.

WhenWaltbroughtthesedeliverysystemstogether,hisdreamofturninganimationintoarespectedformofentertainmentwasfullyrealized.“AlltheHollywoodbrassturnedoutformycartoon!”herememberedlongafterthetriumphantopeningofSnowWhite.“Thatwasthething.AnditwentwaybacktowhenIfirstcameouthereandIwenttomyfirstpremiere.I’dneverseenoneinmylife.IsawalltheseHollywoodcelebritiescomin’inandIjusthadafunnyfeeling.Ijusthopedthatsomedaythey’dbegoingtoapremiereofacartoon.Becausepeoplewoulddepreciatethecartoon.Youknow,they’dkindoflookdown.”1

WaltputthethreedeliverysystemsofQualityServicetogetheronceagaintocreatetheuniqueentertainmentknownasDisneyland.Hestaffedhisnewkind

tocreatetheuniqueentertainmentknownasDisneyland.Hestaffedhisnewkindofamusementparkwithanewkindofemployee.Huckstersandthesour-facedneednotapply.Instead,Waltinsistedonaclean-cutimageandapermanentsmile.AndheestablishedthefirstcorporateuniversitytoteachhiscasthowtotreatDisneyland’sguests.Thesettingwasplanned,constructed,andplusseddowntothesmallestdetail.Theserviceprocesses,suchasthetimingoftheJungleBoatcruise,wererefinedandexecuteddowntothesecond.

Theresult,notcountingBlackSunday—thatroughopeningday,whenthecrowdssimplyoverranthenewpark—wasaresoundingsuccess.Withinsevenweeksofitsopening,onemillionguestshadvisitedDisneyland.Theattendanceexceededthecompany’stargetedgoalsby50percent,andguestswerespending30percentmorethananticipated.In1950,theDisneyCompanyhadrevenuesof$5million.In1955,whenDisneylandopened,revenueswere$27million.Andbyyear-end1959,thecompany’srevenueshadgrownto$70million.ThemagicofintegrationhadturnedWaltDisney’scartoonstudiointoanentertainmentempire.2

IntegrationisstillworkingitsmagicthroughoutTheWaltDisneyCompanytoday.EverymoviegoerwhosatentrancedthroughtheToyStoryfilms,thePiratesoftheCaribbeanfilms,TheLionKing,andaslewofotherDisneyhitswastreatedtoanintegrateddoseofQualityService.EveryoneofthemillionsofannualvisitorstotheDisneyresortsandparksaroundtheworldgetsthesameintegratedguestexperience,eventhoughtheywouldsurelynotdescribetheirvacationinexactlythoseterms.

Getagoodideaandstaywithit.Dogit,andworkatituntilit’s

doneanddoneright.

—WaltDisney

PUTTINGQUALITYSERVICETOGETHER

Here’sonesceneyouwillneverwitness:YourneighborshavejustreturnedhomeafteravisittoaDisneypark;sayit’sTokyo

Disneyland.“Howdiditgo?”youask.“Wow,”saytheparents,“you’vegottaexperiencethecommonpurposeatTokyoDisneylandtobelieveit.Thosefolksknowtheirqualitystandards.”

“Yeah,”chimeinthekids,“thatFantasyland,boy,talkaboutaperformanceculture.Andyouhavetoseehowtheycombinecast,setting,andprocessinPooh’sHunnyHunttodeliverQualityService!”

Pooh’sHunnyHunttodeliverQualityService!”Disney’sguestsaresurroundedbyallofthosethings,butelementssuchas

qualitystandardsanddeliverysystemsprovidetheinfrastructureofQualityService,andlikemanyinfrastructures,thisoneissupposedtobeinvisibletothecustomer.LikeasurferontheInternetwhoeffortlesslyjumpsfromsitetosite,navigatingaroundtheglobewithaclickofthemouse,guestscanseeandjudgetheservicesupportedbytheinfrastructure—buttheydon’tneedtoknowhowitisconstructed.

WhenyourneighborsraveabouttheirexperiencesstayingataDisneyresortoratanattractioninoneoftheparks,whattheyarereallydescribingishowwellallofthepointsontheQualityServiceCompasshavebeenintegratedtodeliveraseamless,magicalguestexperience.Integrationistheoperativeword.ItistheworkofbringingalloftheelementsofQualityServicetogethertocreateacompleteexperience.Itisthecritical,finalpointontheQualityServiceCompass.IntegrationenablesustoachieveQualityServicebyidentifyingwhichdetailstoattendtoandwhatguestexpectationstoexceed.

Whentheelementsofasystemareproperlyintegrated,theresultisaboosterrocketforprogress.Thevalueoftheentireorganizationbecomesgreaterthanthesumofitsparts.Thismultipliereffecthappensbecausetheeffectiveoperationofonesystemnotonlyachievesitsowngoals,italsosupportsandenhancesthegoalsofothersystems.Forinstance,theWhisperingCanyonCaféinWildernessLodgeinWaltDisneyWorldopensontothemainlobby,anditscastactsandiscostumedlikecharactersfromtheOldWest.Asaresult,thecastdoesmorethansimplyservefoodanddrink.Theyentertaintheguestsintherestaurantwiththeircolorfulactionsandaccents,andtheyaddtotheshowintheentiremainlobby.Thecastisaddingvaluetothesetting.

Buttheelementsofasystemmustbeproperlyintegrated.Itisalwayspossibletomakeoneelementmoreeffectiveatthecostofanother.DisneylandPariscouldspeeduptheboatrideinthePiratesofCaribbeanattractionandmoreguestswouldseetheshoweachhour.Theguestflowprocesswouldbemoreefficient,butwhateffectwouldthathaveonthecast,nottomentiontheabilityofgueststoenjoythedetailsofthesetting?Elementsinasystemmustbealignedtoworktogethersotheydon’tdetractfromeachother.

ExactlywhatisintegratedandalignedtocreateQualityService?Thesimpleansweristhequalitystandardsoftheorganizationanditsprimarydeliverysystems.ThequalitystandardsintheDisneyparks—safety,courtesy,show,andefficiency—representbehaviorsthatfulfillourcommongoal,andthedeliverysystems—cast,setting,andprocess—arethedistributionchannelsusedtoensurethatthosestandardsreachguests.Sothegoalofintegrationisthe

toensurethatthosestandardsreachguests.Sothegoalofintegrationisthedeliveryofyourorganization’squalitystandardstoyourcustomersviapeople,process,andplace.

Everyqualitystandardcanbedistributedoverallthreedeliverysystems.Forexample,atBoardWalkResortatWaltDisneyWorld,safetyisdeliveredthroughthecast,setting,andprocesses.Thecastistrainedattheorganizationalanddepartmentallevelsinsafetytechniques.Thesettingdeliverssafety,too.Onehalfoftheboardwalkattheresortissupportedbysteel;itwasdesignedasafirelaneandprovidesemergencyaccesstothestoresandrestaurantsliningthevintageAtlanticCityoceanfront.Finally,safetyisbuiltintoprocesses,suchastheloadingandunloadingproceduresonthewaterlaunchesthatbringgueststoBoardWalkResortfromotherparksandresorts.Thestandardsofcourtesy,show,andefficiencycanalsobedistributedoverallthreedeliverysystems.

Eventhoughallthreedeliverysystemscandistributeeachqualitystandard,therearecertaindeliverysystemsthatareespeciallywellalignedwithspecificstandards.AttheDisneyInstitute,theseareknownasheadlinersbecauseofthepowerinherentinthesespecialcombinations.Forinstance,althoughcourtesyisdeliveredviasettingandprocess,itisthecastthatisespeciallysuitedtodeliverthepersonaltouchtoguests.Likewise,theDisneystandardofshowisbestcommunicatedviasetting,andefficiencyisoftenaprocess-relatedissue.Headlinerswillvarydependingonyourorganization’squalitystandards,butyoushouldidentifythemandmakesurethattheyreceivespecialattentionduringtheintegrationphaseofQualityServicedevelopment.

Justbecausetherearenaturalintegrationheadlinersdoesn’tmeantheothertwodeliverysystemscanbeignored.Thesecondarysystemsarecalledlandmarks,andtheyalsoofferfineopportunitiestoexceedguestexpectations.Itisimportantthataprocessdeliversanefficientserviceexperience,butmanyofusexpectstreamlined,time-savingtransactionsthesedays.Whenthecastandthelayoutoftheorganizationstreamlinethatexperienceevenmore,however,customersareoftenwowed.

THEINTEGRATIONMATRIX

TheIntegrationMatrixisahelpfultoolthatcanguideyouthroughtheanalysisandimprovementofservice.Thematrixinthefollowingdiagramisasimplechartdesignedtotrackthedistributionofqualitystandardsthroughdeliverysystems.Tobuildoneofyourown,createanexpandedtic-tac-toeboardwithenoughrowsalongthesidetolistyourorganization’squalitystandardsandthreecolumnsacrossthetoptoaccommodatethedeliverysystemsofcast,setting,and

columnsacrossthetoptoaccommodatethedeliverysystemsofcast,setting,andprocess.Nowinsertyourqualitystandardsontheside,inpriorityorderfromtoptobottom.

Takeamomenttoconsidertheboxesinthebodyofthematrix.Eachrepresentsanintersectionbetweenasinglequalitystandardandadeliverysystem.Intheupper-left-handcornerofthediagram,safetyandcastarecombined.Inthelower-right-handcorner,efficiencyandprocessmeet.Eachofthesemeetingsrepresentsaservicemomentoftruth,apoint

IntegrationMatrix

atwhichyoucanaffectthequalityoftheguestexperience.Inessence,eachboxasksaquestionofthecreatorsofQualityService.Forexample,inthatupper-left-handcorner,thequestionis,howwillyourcastdeliversafetytoguests?Inthelowerright,howwillyourprocessescreateamoreefficientguestexperience?Byfillingintheanswersineachbox,youcancreateacompleteQualityServiceexperience.

Theabilitytodesignafreshandfullyintegratedapproachtotheguest

experienceisjustoneoftheusesoftheIntegrationMatrix.Itcanalsobeusedasadiagnostictooltoisolate,analyze,andbrainstormsolutionstoservicelapses.Youcanfine-tunethematrixbyimposingotherparameters.Forexample,youcoulduseittoidentifyeffectiveandinexpensiveapproachestocreatingservicemoments.Finally,theIntegrationMatrixisausefulbenchmarkingtool.Itcanbeusedtoanalyzeacompetitor’sorapartner’sservice.

Thelevelatwhichyoucanapplythematrixissimilarlydiverse.Itcanbeusedatthestrategiclevel.Forexample,youmightgeneratebroadboundariesforQualityServicebyusingittoanalyzeandimprovetheend-to-endguestexperience.Youcouldalsonarrowthefocusofthematrixtothedepartmentalorsingle-processlevelbyaimingitatsales,customerservice,orcollections.Oryoucannarrowthefocusofthematrixevenfurtherbyhoninginonandexpandingasingleservicemoment—inessenceconcentratingononeboxinthematrix.Byadjustingthefocusofthematrix,itbecomesusefulatalllevelsoftheorganization,fromtheseniorleadershipteamtoagroupoffrontlinecastmemberswhoarechargedwithcreatingincrementalimprovementsintheirownshow.HereisalookataspecificIntegrationMatrixdrawnfromthehighlysuccessfulStarGuestProgramimplementedatHongKongDisneyland.

INTEGRATINGTHESTARGUESTPROGRAM

TheStarGuestProgramwascreatedinresponsetoseveralchallengesatHongKongDisneyland.Theparkwasahugehitfromthedayitopened,onSeptember12,2005,butguestologyrevealedthatsomethingwasnotquiteright.“Inlatermonths,”explainedNobleCoker,VicePresidentofParkOperationsandOperationsDevelopment,“wenoticedatrendoffeedbackfromlocalguestsexpressingdisappointmentinsomeofourserviceofferings.Ourcastfounditdifficulttostaymotivated,andourleadersstruggledtomanagecastandguestexpectations.”3

Whenthepark’sleadersinvestigatedtheproblem,theyfoundthattheWesternversionofDisney’sQualityServicewasnotaswellalignedwithChinesecultureasitcouldhavebeen.ManyofourChineseguestsaremorereservedthanWesterners,andsometimesthefriendlinessofthecastmakesthemuncomfortable.Infact,guestologyrevealedthat90percentofourlocalguestspreferredtoseesomeoneelsegetpersonalrecognitionratherthanthemselves.Also,theChinesetendnottoverballypraisegreatserviceatthemomentitisdelivered;insteadtheywillgiveasmallgiftatalatertime.Asaresult,thecastfounditdifficulttostaymotivated.

founditdifficulttostaymotivated.TheStarGuestProgramwasconceivedasasolutiontotheseproblems.Itis

aprogramthatallowsfamiliesorgroupsvisitingHongKongDisneylandtopickupaStarRecognitionPackatCityHallonMainStreet,U.S.A.,anddesignateoneoftheirpartyasaVIPguest.StarGuestswearabadgeandreceivespecialattentionandexperiences—MagicalMomentsthatarecreatedbythecast—duringhisorhervisit,suchasexclusiveMeet&GreetsandrideswithcharactersandthechancetoconducttheDisneylandband.TheStarGuestalsoreceivestworecognitioncards,whichcanbegiventocastmemberswhodeliversuperlativeservice.

Therearemanybenefitstotheprogram.Itenablesgueststhemselvestochoosewhowillreceivethecast’sattention,eliminatingpotentialdiscomfort.ItinvolvesthecastincreatinganddeliveringMagicalMoments—honingtheirQualityServiceexpertise.Itprovidesguestswithaculturallyacceptablewaytoproviderecognitionandsimultaneouslybuildscastmorale.Thereisalsoonemorevaluablebenefit:HongKongDisneylandfirstlaunchedtheStarGuestProgramfromMarchtoMayof2009.Notonlywerethesetheslowestmonthsintermsofannualattendanceatthepark,butitwasalsointhemiddleoftheglobalfinancialcrisis.Sothepublicityandguestinterestintheprogramhelpedstimulateattendance.

Infact,allofthesebenefitswereachievedin2009.Thecastcreatedanddelivered185differentkindsofMagicalMoments,becomingbetterQualityServiceexpertsintheprocess.TheStarGuestProgramhelpedincreaseguestsatisfaction:guestscoresfor“havingacarefreevisit”rose19percent,“friendlinessofcast”gained11percent,and“overallexperience”rose10percent.Guestsgavethecastover43,000recognitioncards;928ofthecastmembersreceivedspecialcostume-approvedrecognitionpinsforreceivingfifteenormorecards.Andnotleastofall,theprogramdrovea10percentriseinattendanceinthemidstofaglobalrecession.

Ofcourse,theStarGuestProgramwasdevelopedusingthesamequalitystandardsanddeliverysystemsinusethroughDisney’sparksandresortsbusiness.Here’showtheIntegrationMatrixcanbeusedtoanalyzeit.

Thefirstquestions,ofcourse,involvethetopservicepriority,thenonnegotiablequalitystandardofsafety.HowdidtheStarGuestProgramensureguestandcastsafety?Happily,theanswerstothosequestionswerealreadywellestablishedatHongKongDisneyland.Thecastdeliversasafeexperiencebybeingpreparedforemergencies.Theygetthesameproperty-wideandlocation-specifictrainingthatallDisneyparkscastmembersreceive.Thephysicalsettingandobjectsassociatedwiththeprogramwerealsovetted

Thephysicalsettingandobjectsassociatedwiththeprogramwerealsovettedforsafety.AndtheprocessesinvolvedindeliveringMagicalMomentswereevaluatedfirstandforemostfromasafetyperspective.

BysimplymovingdowntothenextrowontheIntegrationMatrix,wereceiveournextseriesofquestions.Thistime,theycoverthedeliveryofthestandardofcourtesyintheStarGuestProgrampreviewexperience.Sincethedeliverysystemofcastistheheadlinerforcourtesy,HongKongDisneylandensuredthatthecastplayedaprimaryroleindeliveringacourteousguestexperience.Forexample,theparkmodifiedDisney’saggressivefriendlinessfortheChineseculturebyfocusingontheculturalmoresandbehaviorsofitslocalguests.Andextensivefieldcoachingforcastandleaderswasprovidedtoensurethattheirbehaviorsweresensitivetothelocalculture.

Withactionsoftheheadlinerestablished,wecanstartthinkingabouthowthelandmarkdeliverysystemsextendthestandardofcourtesy.IntheStarGuestProgram,careandcourtesywerebuiltintotheprogramby,forexample,providingguestswithrecognitioncardstogivetocastmembers.TheStarGuestprocesswasalsodesignedtoensurecourteoustreatment.Forexample,guestspickVIPsamongthemselvestoeliminatethepossibilityofunwantedattention.

MovingdowntothethirdrowintheIntegrationMatrix,weareconfronted

MovingdowntothethirdrowintheIntegrationMatrix,weareconfrontedwithathirdsetofquestions.Thistime,weconsiderthequalitystandardofshowandhowitisdeliveredbythecast,setting,andprocessintheStarGuestProgram.Startingwiththeheadliner—inthiscase,setting—HongKongDisneylanddesignedandprintedStarRecognitionPacksfortheguests,utilizedtheexistingsettingsoftheparks,andinstalledrecognitionboardsandcreatedacostumepinforthecast.

Inthiscasethecastactuallycreatedtheshow,developingthe185MagicalMomentsontheirown.ThenprocessesweredevelopedtostandardizeandscaleupthedeliveryofeachoftheMagicalMoments,suchasweeklyprizedrawingstomotivatecastmembersandaleadershipmodelingprocessfordemonstratingdesiredprogrambehaviors.

ThefinalrowinouranalysisoftheStarGuestProgramasksquestionsaboutthequalitystandardofefficiency.Theheadlinerhereisthedeliverysystemofprocess.HongKongDisneylandpursuedefficiencyviaprocessinavarietyways.Forexample,metricswereidentified,andusageoftheStarGuestProgramwasthoroughlyanalyzed,withtheresultsusedtoimprovetheprogramandindividualMagicalMoments.ThecostsoftheMomentswerestudied,andwhenitwasdiscoveredthatno-costandlow-costMomentsthathadmorepersonalinteractionwithcastmemberswereoftenvaluedmorehighlybymanyguests,thefocuswasshiftedtothem.Asanadditionalbenefitofthismeasurementandanalysis,paidMagicalMoments,whichcreatedanewrevenuestream,wereintroducedforthoseguestswhoexpressedadesireformoreelaborateexperiences.

Inwhatshouldstartfeelinglikeafamiliarpattern,HongKongDisneylandthenconsideredthelandmarksystemsofcastandsettingandhowtheycoulddeliveranefficientStarGuestexperience.Forcast,theparkconductedatrial

deliveranefficientStarGuestexperience.Forcast,theparkconductedatrialrunoneweekbeforetheformallaunchoftheprogramtobuildconfidenceandsurfaceanylast-minuteproblems.Italsoformedacross-functionalleadershipteamtosmoothimplementationofMagicalMomentsthatinvolvedmorethanonelineofbusinessandfunctionalarea.Inthesettingbox,thenumberofStarRecognitionPackswaspurposelylimitedsothatcastmemberswouldnotbeoverwhelmedbytheneedtodelivertoomanyMagicalMomentsandtopreservetheexclusivityofbeingaStarGuestforcustomers.

ThiscompletestheIntegrationMatrixfortheStarGuestProgram,butthereareacoupleofancillarypointsworthnotingbeforeweputitalltogether.First,tokeepthiscasestudymanageable,wedescribedonlyafewoftheideasusedbyHongKongDisneylandineachserviceboxinthematrix.Infact,eachboxintheStarGuestProgramhasalonglistofactionsdesignedtodeliveramagicalserviceexperience.Second,forclarity,wedescribedtheuseofthematrixinalinearfashion.Inreality,youcanstartanywhereandproceedasconvenient.Theimportantthingisthatintheendeveryboxhasbeenthoroughlyconsidered.Withthatinmind,here’swhattheStarGuestProgram’scompletedIntegrationMatrixlookslike:

TheStarGuestProgramIntegrationMatrix

THREEELEMENTSOFMAGICALSERVICEMOMENTS

BillMartin,oneoftheoriginalImagineerswhohelpeddesignDisneyland,madethefollowingobservationabouthisexperiencesworkingwithWaltDisney.“Waltusedtosay,‘Idon’tcarewhatyoucan’tdo.Iwanttohearwhatyoucando.’Iftherewerefifteenwaystosolveaproblem,Waltwaslookingforallfifteen.”4ThatisonereasonwhyWaltwouldhavelikedtheIntegrationMatrix.

OneofthebestfeaturesoftheIntegrationMatrixisthatitleavesroomfor

OneofthebestfeaturesoftheIntegrationMatrixisthatitleavesroomformorethanonerightanswerwhencreatingagreatservicemoment.AsyoubegintousetheIntegrationMatrixtodevelopthefeaturesofserviceexperiences,eachintersectionofqualitystandardanddeliverysystemwillyieldnumerousalternatives.Youmaychoosetoimplementoneideaorallofthemoranynumberinbetween.

WhenthetimecomestoanalyzealloftheideasyouhavegeneratedtopopulatetheIntegrationMatrixanddecidewhichideastoimplement,therearethreefeaturesofgreatservicemomentstokeepinmind.Theyarehigh-touch,high-show,andhigh-tech.

High-touchreferstotheneedtobuildguestinteractionintotheserviceexperience.Forthemostpart,wehumansenjoyconnectingwitheachother.Soifwecreateservicemomentsthatgiveguestsachancetoparticipate,makechoices,andinteractwiththecast,theywillconnectmoreintimatelywiththeexperienceandtheorganizationthatisprovidingit.High-touchisaqualitythatcastisparticularlyadeptatproviding.

AttheDisneyparksandresorts,whenyouseeacastmembertakingafamilypictureforaguest,youarewitnessingaservicethatoffershigh-touch.WhenyoucalltheWDW-DineLineatWaltDisneyWorldtomakeapriorityseatingatarestaurant,youareseeinghigh-touchappliedtoaprocess.Andwhenyoustandinfrontofoneofthetwenty-twopiecesofEnchantedArthangingaboardtheDisneyDreamanditsensesyouarethereandspringsintomotion,youaregettinghigh-touchfromasetting.

High-showreferstotheneedtobuildvividpresentationsintotheguestexperience.Whenwechooseservicesolutionsthatarehigh-show,guestsenjoycolorful,memorableexperiences—thekindthattheywilltalkabouttoothersformonthsandperhapsyearstocome.High-showisaqualitythatiscloselyalignedtothedeliverysystemofsetting,sobesuretothinkabouthowtobuilditintodesignsforyourorganization’sphysicalassets.

Disney’sGrandFloridianResort&Spaisagoodexampleofahigh-showsetting.Patternedafterthegrandhotelsofthelate1800s,itisanine-hundred-roomtripbacktotheVictorianEra,andeverydetailsupportstheshow.Youcanseehigh-showinEpcot’sIllumiNationsprogram.Everynight,fireworks,lasers,fountains,andmusicarecombinedtocreateaspectacularwrap-uptoadayatthepark.AndvisitDisney’sHollywoodStudiosforalookathowcastcandeliverhigh-show.There,theStreetmosphereperformersarecostumedandperformasthecharactersyouwouldlikelyencounterinthestreetsofmythicHollywood.Starlets,taxidrivers,andevenautographhoundsentertainguestsastheymovethroughthepark.

theymovethroughthepark.High-techreferstotheneedtobuildspeed,accuracy,andexpertiseinto

servicesolutions.Whenwedoagoodjobofcreatinghigh-techservice,wegivegueststhegiftoftime,buildproductsandservicesthatapproachthecuttingedgeofthepossible,and,often,maximizeourownprofits.Processesareparticularlywellsuitedtodeliverhigh-tech,soasyoucreateandimproveprocesses,thinkabouthowtheycanbemademoreefficientandentertainingwithtechnology.

TheautomatedticketingsystemsattheDisneyparkssupportaprocessthatencompassesthefeatureofhigh-tech.Toseehigh-techinasetting,takeaspinontheRock’n’RollerCoaster.Thevehiclesacceleratefromzerotosixtymilesperhourin2.8seconds,exertfiveg-forcesofpressureontherider,andwithfivespeakersperseat,itsoundsasiftherockbandcamealongfortheride.

Finally,toseehigh-techatworkinthedeliverysystemofcast,takeabehind-the-sceneslookattheparamedicsandfirefightersattheReedyCreekEmergencyServices.Theyemploymanyhigh-techsolutionstoprotectthecastmembersandguestsofWaltDisneyWorld.Togetafeelforwhatthatmeans,considerthatsincethepropertyopenedin1971,therehasbeenlessthan$200,000instructuralfireloss.Asinglehousefirecaneasilyexceedthatfigure.

High-touch,high-show,andhigh-tech.Asyouexplorethewaystomakethemostofyourservicemoments,besuretokeepallthreefeaturesinmind.

ONEFINALTOOL—THESTORYBOARD

ThereisonemoreeffectivetechniquefortheQualityServicetoolkit—storyboarding.Storyboardsareagreatwaytomapoutaservicesolutionandtobuildaplanforitsimplementation.ThetechniqueisusedthroughoutTheWaltDisneyCompanyaswellasthroughoutthemotionpictureindustry.Butwhatmanyofthosewhouseitdon’tknowisthatitoriginatedintheDisneyanimationstudiosbackinthe1930s.

AccordingtoWalt,thestoryboardwasinventedbyWebbSmith,ananimatorandoneofthefirststorymenatthestudio.WhenWebbplannedastory,hewoulddrawitinsteadofdescribingtheactioninwords.Atfirst,hesimplyspreadthedrawingsoutoverthefloorofhisoffice,butsoonhegraduatedtopinningtheminorderontothewalls.Inthisway,theunfoldingstorygainedavaluablevisualdimension.Accordingtolegend,Waltwasnonetoohappywiththeinnovation.Hehadjustredecoratedtheoffices,andthemarredwallsinWebb’sofficestuckoutlikeasorethumb.ButWaltalsorecognizedtheorderimposedbytheposteddrawingsandtheeasewithwhich

theentirefeaturecouldbeanalyzedandmanipulated.Soheorderedfour-byeight-footcorkboards,andthestoryboardwasborn.5

SooneveryDisneycartoonfirstsawlifeonastoryboard,andtheboardsthemselvesmovedtonewdepartmentsastheprojectprogressed.ThestorymenwouldpitchtheirideastoWaltonastoryboard;colorandsoundwerebothaddedusingthestoryboardasreferencepoint.WhenWalthijackedthestudio’sanimatorstodesigntheattractionsforDisneyland,theybroughtthestoryboardalongwiththem.Andtoday,ithasevolvedintoaubiquitoustechniqueamongtheImagineers.Here’showtheydescribeitsuse:

Thefirststepindevelopingathree-dimensionalworldistoseeitintwo-dimensionalstoryboards....Foreachride,show,orattraction,alogicalstorysequenceiscreated.Almosteveryaspectoftheprojectisbrokendownintoprogressivescenesketches,calledstoryboardpanels,thatreflectthebeginning,middle,andendofourguest’sparkexperience.

Theboardsareeventuallycoveredwitheverywrittenthought,idea,androughsketchwecancomeupwith.Ifneedbe,aseparatesetofstoryboardsisdevelopedforthesolepurposeofestablishingthecamerashotsrequiredforthevideosorfilmthatmaybepartoftheattraction.Astheyarefine-tuned,theboardsareusedasapresentationtooltoselltheideatomanagementandtoexplaintheconcepttoalloftheImagineeringdepartmentsthatwillcontributetotheevolutionoftheproject.

Acompletedstoryboardoffersusthefirstchancetoexperienceanewrideorshowandseehowtheideamight—ormightnot—work.6

Asmightalreadybeobvious,thestoryboardisalsoaneffectivewaytovisualizeandorganizethedevelopmentoftheservicesolutionsgeneratedbytheIntegrationMatrix.Itoffersawaytomaptheexperiencefromaguest’sperspectiveandimproveandtroubleshoottheproposedactionbeforeitevergetsoffthe,well,storyboard.

Herearetwofastguidelinesforstoryboarding:

Forthenonartistsamongus,don’tbeintimidatedbytheuseofdrawings.AtDisney,wehaveplentyofgreatartists,butstoryboardingisnotaboutthebeautyofthedrawings.Itisabouttheabilitytoseeandconsiderideas

throughyourguests’eyes.Don’trestrictthestoryboardtodrawings.Pinupfabricswatches,colorsamples,photos,text,brainstormingideas,andanythingelsethathelpscommunicateabetterimageoftheintendedproject.Anyoneoftheseitemsmighttriggerabreakthroughthatwilltakethelevelofyourserviceanothernotchhigher.

SothisishowQualityServicecomestogetheratTheWaltDisneyCompany.Acommonpurposegeneratesqualitystandards.Thestandardsaredefinedanddeliveredusingthreebasicsystemsthateveryorganizationshares:itspeople,itsphysicalassets,anditsprocesses.Finally,allthreeareintegratedandaligned.ThatisthebusinessbehindtheDisneybrandofmagic.

YouhavecompletedafullrevolutionaroundtheQualityServiceCompass.We’vepulledbackthecurtainandshownyouhowthelevelofQualityServicethathasmadeourcompanyaworld-classbenchmarkiscreated.AndwiththegenerouspermissionandassistanceofaselectgroupofDisneyInstituteclients,youhaveseenhoworganizationsinbusiness,education,healthcare,andgovernmenthaveappliedtheelementsoftheQualityServiceCompasstoimprovetheirownguests’experiences.

Nowit’stimetoputittoworkinyourorganizationandcreatesomepracticalmagicofyourown.

QualityServiceCues

Buildaserviceorganizationgreaterthanthesumofits

partswithintegration.Integrationistheworkofaligning

anddistributingyourservicestandardsoverthethree

deliverysystemsofcast,setting,andprocess.

Meetguestexpectationswithheadliners;thenplusthe

experiencetoexceedexpectations.headlinersarethose

combinationsofstandardsanddeliverysystemsthatare

naturalmatches.attheDisneyparksandresorts,theyare

castandcourtesy,settingandshow,andprocessand

efficiency.Theremainingcombinationscanbeusedto

distributeservicestandardsinunexpectedwaystosurprise

anddelightguests.

MaketheIntegrationMatrixpartofyourorganizational

toolbox.TheIntegrationmatrixisanexpandedtic-tac-toe

boardthatcombinesservicestandardsanddeliverysystems.

Useittoanalyzeandmanagethedesignanddevelopmentof

QualityService.

Manageeveryservicemoment.ontheIntegrationmatrix,

eachcombinationofaservicestandardandadelivery

systemrepresentsaservicemomentoftruth.eachshouldbe

fullyconsideredanddevelopedtodeliveramagicalservice

moment.

Chooseservicesolutionsthatarehigh-touch,high-show,

andhigh-tech.Whenanalyzingservicesolutions,lookfor

thosethatmeetaguest’sneedforinteraction,vivid

presentation,andefficiency.

Planandmanagesolutionimplementationsusingstoryboards.

Usestoryboards—visualmapsofservicesolutions—asanaid

toimplementation.

AbouttheAuthors

DisneyInstituteistheglobalprofessional-trainingarmofTheWaltDisneyCompany.Oneofthemostrecognizednamesinprofessionaldevelopment,DisneyInstitutetravelstheworldofferingengagingseminars,workshops,andpresentationsaswellasfullycustomizedprogramming.ImmersivelearningexperiencesarealsoofferedatDisneydestinationsintheUnitedStates,Europe,andAsia,enablingparticipantstogobehindthescenesandseefirsthandhowbusinesstheorydrivesoperationalexcellence.TheDisneyInstituteclientrosterincludesFortune500companiesaswellasawiderangeofsmallbusinesses,non-profits,andgovernmentagencies.Tolearnmore,pleasevisitwww.disneyinstitute.com,www.facebook.com/disneyinstitute,www.twitter.com/disneyinstitute,orcall321-939-4600.

TheodoreKinni(tedkinni@cox.net)isanaward-winningbusinesswriterandsenioreditorforstrategy+businessmagazine.Hehasauthoredandcollaboratedonfourteenbusinessbooks.TedisamemberoftheNationalBookCriticsCircleandtheSocietyofAmericanBusinessEditorsandWriters.HelivesinWilliamsburg,Virginia,withhiswifeandwritingpartner,Donna.

EndNotes

Chapter1

1. KelvinBailey’srecollectionsofhistripwithWaltDisneyarerecordedinRememberingWalt:FavoriteMemoriesofWaltDisneybyAmyBootheGreenandHowardGreen(DisneyEditions,1999),pp.178–179.(return)

2. SeeBobIger’sLettertoShareholdersinTheWaltDisneyCompany’s2010annualreport(http://a.media.global.go.com/corporate/investors/annual_report/2010/media/global/pdf/letter-to-shareholders.pdf).(return)

3. ThequoteappearsintheParticipant’sManualfortheDisneyInstitute’sDisneyApproachtoQualityServiceforHealthcareProfessionalsseminar.(return)

4. SeeSuzyWetlaufer’sinterviewwithMichaelEisner,“CommonsenseandConflict,”intheJan–Feb2000issueofHarvardBusinessReview.(return)

5. SeeTheExperienceEconomybyB.JosephPineIIandJamesH.Gilmore(HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,1999),pp.11–12.(return)

6. ThequoteappearsinWaltDisney:FamousQuotes(DisneyKingdomEditions,1994),p.36.(return)

7. See“Secretstosuccessatthe‘happiestplaceonearth,’”PhoenixFocus,November2010(http://www.phoenix.edu/alumni/phoenix-focus/2010/11/secrets-to-success-at-the-happiest-place-on-earth.html).(return)

8. JohnHench’squoteappearsinRememberingWalt:FavoriteMemoriesofWaltDisneybyAmyBootheGreenandHowardGreen(DisneyEditions,1999),p.156.(return)

Chapter2

1. FormoredetailontheroleofaudienceseeBobThomas’sWaltDisney:AnAmericanOriginal(Hyperion,1994).(return)

2. ThequoteappearsinWaltDisney:FamousQuotes(DisneyKingdomEditions,1994),p.9.(return)

3. KurtRussell’squoteappearsinRememberingWalt:FavoriteMemoriesofWaltDisney(DisneyEditions,1999),p.45.(return)

4. TonyBaxterrelatesthisstoryinhisinterviewwithDidierGhezinissueno.22of“E”TicketMagazine.(return)

5. SeeBobThomas’sWaltDisney:AnAmericanOriginal,p.263.(return)6. SeeRememberingWalt:FavoriteMemoriesofWaltDisney(Disney

Editions,1999),p.166.(return)7. SeeWaltDisney:FamousQuotes(DisneyKingdomEditions,1994),p.21.

(return)8. ThestatisticandquoteappearinJamesCollinsandJerryPorras’sarticle

“BuildingYourCompany’sVision”inHarvardBusinessReview,September–October1996.(return)

9. TheitalicsareThomasPetersandRobertWaterman’s.Thequoteappearsonp.168ofInSearchofExcellence:LessonsfromAmerica’sBest-RunCompanies(WarnerBooks,1984).(return)

10. Woods’squoteappearsin“GreatExpectations,”inGovernmentExecutive,March1,2000(http://www.govexec.com/gpp/0300osfa.htm).(return)

11. CollinsandPorras,“BuildingYourCompany’sVision.”(return)12. BruceJohnson’squoteappearsonp.113ofWaltDisneyImagineering:A

BehindtheDreamsLookatMakingtheMagicReal(Hyperion,1996).(return)

13. MartySklar’smemoryappearsinBethDunlop’sBuildingaDream:TheArtofDisneyArchitecture(Abrams,1996),p.14.(return)

Chapter3

1. SeeRobertLacey’sFord:TheMenandtheMachine(Little,Brown,1986)forahistoryoftheFordfamilyandcompany.HenryFord’squoteappearsonp.305.(return)

2. ThequoteappearsinRichardSchickel’sTheDisneyVersion(IvanR.Dee,1997),p.178.(return)

3. SeeBobThomas’sWaltDisney(Hyperion,1994)formoredetailonthedevelopmentoftheDisneyArtSchool.Thequoteappearsonp.124.(return)

4. Ibid.,p.143.(return)5. WaltDisney:FamousQuotes(DisneyKingdomEditions,1994),p.80.

(return)6. ThequoteappearsinthetranscriptofTomStaggs’spresentationataFeb.

17,2011,DisneyInvestorConference(http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/parks_resorts/WDPR%20-%20Tom%20Staggs%20-%20Investor%20Conference.pdf).(return)

7. Training,October1999,p.58.(return)8. ForamoredetaileddescriptionandphotographsoftheCastingCenter,see

BethDunlop’sBuildingaDream:TheArtofDisneyArchitecture(Abrams,1996).ThequotesfromRobertStern,BethDunlop,andTimJohnsonappearonpp.77–80.(return)

9. RichardParks’squoteappearsinLeonRubis’sarticle“DisneyShow&Tell,”intheApril1998issueofHRMagazine.(return)

10. StartwasacquiredbyHolland’sUSGPeople,whichin2006ranksfourthinEuropeinthefieldofstaffing,secondment,andHRservices.(return)

Chapter4

1. Thephraseappearsonp.134ofBobThomas’sWaltDisney:AnAmericanOriginal(Hyperion,1994).(return)

2. Thequoteappearsonp.200ofRichardSchickel’sTheDisneyVersion(IvanR.Dee,1997).(return)

3. FormoreonFantasiaandalloftheDisneyanimatedfilms,seeBobThomas’sDisney’sArtofAnimation:FromMickeyMousetoHercules(Hyperion,1997).(return)

4. Walt’squoteappearsinDaveSmith’sTheQuotableWaltDisney(DisneyEditions,2001),p.57(return)

5. TonyBaxterquoteappearsonp.14ofBethDunlop’sBuildingaDream(Abrams,1996).(return)

6. Ibid.,p.16.(return)7. Thequoteappearsonp.221ofMichaelEisner’sWorkInProgress:RiskingFailure,SurvivingSuccess(Hyperion,1999).(return)

8. Thequoteappearsin“TheDisneyApproachtoQualityServiceforHealthcareProfessionals,Participant’sManual.”(return)

9. WaltDisney’squoteappearsonp.90ofWaltDisneyImagineering(Hyperion,1996).(return)

10. JohnHench’squoteappearedwithoutattributionin“TheFirstTwentyYears:FromDisneylandtoWaltDisneyWorld,APocketHistory,”whichwasdistributedtocastmembersin1976.(return)

11. WaltDisney’squoteappearsonp.9ofWaltDisneyImagineering(Hyperion,1996).(return)

12. SeeBirnbaum’sWaltDisneyWorld2000:theOfficialGuide(Hyperion,1999)fordescriptionsoftheDisneyattractions.TheHauntedMansionisfeaturedonp.102.(return)

13. KevinPostisquotedin“ThePriceofAdmission,”HumanResourceExecutive,June16,2000.(return)

14. Thequoteappearsonp.13ofBobThomas’sWaltDisney:AnAmericanOriginal(Hyperion,1994).(return)

15. Thequoteappearsonp.90ofWaltDisneyImagineering(Hyperion,1996).(return)

16. Ibid.,p.95.(return)17. Ibid.,p.130.(return)18. SeeWaltDisney:FamousQuotes(DisneyKingdomEditions,1994),p.29.

(return)19. SeeScottKirsner’s“HacktheMagic”intheMarch1998issueofWired

magazineforagoodlookatthetechnologicalsystemsusedtorunWaltDisneyWorldandforthequote.(return)

20. See“Disneyspreadsalittlemagictowaterkingdom”byZuleikaSedgley,SouthChinaMorningPost,April25,2011.(return)

Chapter5

1. SeeBobThomas’sWaltDisney:AnAmericanOriginal(Hyperion,1994)forafullaccountoftheearlyyears.(return)

2. Thequoteappearsonp.185ofTheIllusionofLife:DisneyAnimationbyFrankThomasandOllieJohnston(Hyperion,1995).ThebookcontainsadetailedexaminationoftheDisneyanimationprocessbytwomenwhoexperienceditfirsthand.(return)

3. Thequoteappearsonp.102ofRichardSchickel’sTheDisneyVersion(IvanR.Dee,1997).(return)

4. WaltDisney’squoteappearsonp.244ofBobThomas’sWaltDisney(Hyperion,1994).(return)

5. Ibid.,p.290.(return)6. Seepp.240–248inMichaelEisner’sWorkInProgress(Hyperion,1999)

forafullerdescriptionofthefoundingoftheDisneyStoreretailchain.Thequoteappearsonp.244.(return)

7. Seepp.272–273ofBobThomas’sWaltDisney(Hyperion,1994)forafullerdescriptionofDisneyland’sopeningday.(return)

8. SeeJasonGarcia’s“NewlineforHauntedMansionrideisawindowtoDisney’sfuture,”OrlandoSentinel,March26,2011(http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-03-26/entertainment/os-disney-haunted-mansion-lines-20110326_1_oldest-rides-soarin-chairman-john-pepper).(return)

9. SeeMatthewGarrahan’sarticle“DisneychieftellsHollywooditmustrewritethescripttosurvive”intheOctober26,2009,issueofFinancialTimes(http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ccbfc62-c1ce-11de-b86b-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1KSrWlFZ2).(return)

Chapter6

1. WaltDisney’squoteappearsinBobThomas’sWaltDisney:AnAmericanOriginal(Hyperion,1994),p.141.(return)

2. Ibid.,p.285.(return)3. SeeNobleCoker’s“ServiceExcellence:Seeitinaculturalcontext”inLeadershipExcellence,December2009.(return)

4. BillMartin’squoteappearsonp.102ofAmyBootheGreenandHowardGreen’sRememberingWalt:FavoriteMemoriesofWaltDisney(DisneyEditions,1999).(return)

5. Thegenesisofstoryboardingisrelatedonpps.147–148ofRichardSchickel’sTheDisneyVersion(IvanR.Dee,1997).(return)

6. Thequotedmaterialappearsonp.40ofWaltDisneyImagineering(Hyperion,1996).Readthebookforanin-depthlookatthedesign-and-buildprocessusedbytheDisneyImagineers.(return)