The revised and beautifully updated edition of Be Our Guest is a book written by the Disney Institute with Theodore Kinni, and shares how to perfect the art of customer service.
Be Our Guest outlines the specific processes and practices The Walt Disney Company uses to ensure every guest who visits a Disney property or product is left feeling impressed, satisfied, and happy.
Setting off the tone of the book, it starts with “Always remember, the magic beings with you.”
Here are some of the lessons I learned from Be Our Guest:
- Onstage and Backstage — Having performed in the past at both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, I’ve seen firsthand how this approach is applied. Disney’s mentality is that you should treat your event or property as a show, and anything your customer can see, hear or touch is onstage — and serving your customers in person should be treated as if you’re onstage too. Anything backstage should not be seen by the customer, including props, resting employees, tools, and more. Components of setting include lighting, color, signage, surface textures, ambient noise and music, smell, touch, and taste.
- Delivering Magic and the Wow Factor — As part of defining its brand, Disney decided early on to bring magic to the table. From the moment a guest enters a park or sees a Disney movie, they are to be transported to a world of possibility, delight and excitement every time. To deliver magic, you must also have an obsession with details and make sure everything is presented perfectly and accurately every time.
- The Quality Service Compass — Central to Disney’s goals is always exceeding guest expectations, and the four points of the compass make this happen; guestology, quality standards, delivery systems, and integration. Guestology is understanding and knowing the needs and wants of your customer, including demographics and psychographics.
- Define Your Common Purpose — The Walt Disney Company reaches high success levels due to all employees having a common purpose. For Disney, their common purpose and service culture includes safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency.
- Guidelines for Guest Service — Highlights of Disney’s guidelines for guest service include maintaining eye contact and smiling when greeting guests, greet and welcome guests with favorable phrases, try and remedy problems and questions quickly before they escalate, display appropriate body language, appear presentable, and thank guests often.
To almost all, the Walt Disney Company remains a global force and example of impeccable customer service.
Be Our Guest dives deep and illuminates the corners of Disney’s tactics in delivering their charm and magic — inviting all companies to join in the pursuit of bringing perfection to guests.
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If Walt Disney had a blog…
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” -Walt Disney
Walt Disney was a brilliant businessman.
Beginning as a simple artist, he created a legacy that lives on in film, television, theme parks, business, and memories. He was a man who always had a dream waiting to be brought to reality – and was always willing to what was needed in order to make it happen.
We can learn from him.
If Walt Disney had a blog…
- It would rock.
- I would read it everyday like a crazed fan-addict.
- Technorati would rank it #1.
- It would be the business model and training for every Fortune 500 company.
- He would be real and genuine.
- Mickey would be in the header logo.
- It would make you laugh, smile and enjoy life.
- His goals would be perfectly outlined.
- He would use WordPress.
I feel that Walt Disney’s blog would be very successful.
Here’s why.
The Value of Creating Memories Together
Walt Disney understood a simple principle.
Memories are stronger when created with others.
Let me explain just a bit further. First of all – I’d like for you to sit back and think of a few memories. Many things might come to mind. Thanksgiving? A recent birthday? Success in the workplace? Go over in your mind who was there. Anyone? Close friends? Family?
Humans are net-workers by nature. We spend time building communities and building homes that are almost touching. Just look at place like Wyoming. Endless plains for miles, yet I’ve witnessed homes that are nearly sitting one on top of the other.
We’ve found value in doing things together. That’s why we live together. That’s why we play together. That’s why we blog together.
Walt Disney knew that if he could develop a theme park or brand where the family (social units) was together – he would find greater success. When a memory is created alongside another, then the memory is compounded, remembered and deeper ingrained in the annuls of our minds.
Those whom we’ve created the memory with will also remind us of the memory – which ties us down emotionally to that memory in even deeper ways.
How Do We Blog Like Walt Disney?
“A man should never neglect his family for business.” -Walt Disney
Now, the question begs to be answered: How are we to blog like Walt Disney?
I feel it comes down to a few simple things. Some of which I’ll expound upon. I’d like for you to give me your own gut impressions as well; and how we can better blog like Walt Disney.
- Treat Every Person Life Family – In March my family and I took a trip down to Disneyland. It was a family reunion. On the last day of the trip a few of us were riding the train that circles the park. The park was closed and we were headed towards Main Street. At one of the stops a corporate worker (a woman dressed in a business suit), hopped off the train. She headed over to a little call box, placed her call, spoke for a few minutes, and hung up. Meanwhile, we on the train were taking pictures of one another. She noticed. Within moments she asked if she could take a photo of all of us together. We let her do so, and a memory was created. She knew (I’m sure from Disney training) that families are center to Disneyland, and do everything in your power as an associate to help create them.
- Have A Goal – Disneyland always has a goal and dream. When Walt Disney set out to produce Disneyland he knew in his mind what he wanted to accomplish. That same principle lives on in the Disney mantra, business principles and design.
- Do Everything With Perfection – One time at Disneyland, while waiting for Fantasmic to start, I spoke with one of the attendants. He mentioned how Disneyland knows the exact placement of every trash receptacle, and how many times that number must be multiplied based on the current capacity of the park. How’s that for perfection? When developing your blog, do so with perfection in mind. Buy a domain name. Build a list. Generate good content. Every effort and energy you put into the blog will be rewarded.
- Use Your Creativity & Imagination – Mickey Mouse has always been the iconic character of imagination. His imagination has the power to defeat all and creative beautiful landscapes of happiness. What I love most about the principle is that we ALL have imagination and creativity within. Each, a little different. You have something unique and genuine to share with the world, so get out there and do it.
Although I haven’t dived deep into every way to blog like Walt Disney – I’ve covered a few. Just now I’ve picked up Walt Disney’s biography, The Triumph of the American Imagination, and excited for what more I’ll learn.
Now it’s your turn.
What place does imagination have in blogging? How do you tap into creativity? Would you visit Walt’s blog?
WandaVision on Disney+ Changed My Outlook On Life
***SPOILER ALERT***
WandaVision on Disney+ is the latest grand offering introduced to the streaming service — a new series linking Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and Vision to the Marvel Comics world and giving more of their story post-Avengers: Endgame.
WandaVision was created by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, starring Elizabeth Olsen (sister to the Olsen twins), Paul Bettany, Debra Jo Rupp, Fred Melamed, Kathryn Hahn, and more.
I didn’t watch WandaVision on Disney+ for a few months, not having been enticed by the thumbnail, but my family played a few episodes for me when visiting — and I was hooked, along with Barrett.
What Are the Lessons Learned from WandaVision on Disney+?
It seems the end credits in WandaVision are very long, so the actual runtime of each episode is much shorter than initially presumed — so it’s not too much of a time investment.
I wasn’t expecting the show to make an impact in my life, but its storyline carried me through a complete story and narrative arc — and I changed with Wanda along the way.
- Life Is Short — In all reality, life is very short. It’s fast, unexpected, and you aren’t going to know what’s up ahead until you get there. Buckle up, work hard, and treat each day like it’s your last because you don’t know if it really will be the last.
- You Must Accept Reality — Wanda has a hard time dealing with the death of Vision, so her grief turns into a poison that festers and starts to hurt not only herself but the people around her. It’s important that when we are faced with difficulty that we grieve and learn to live life as it goes on.
- Be Proud to Tell Your Story — Wanda’s story comes with many highs and many lows, but all points make her story complete. Throughout the WandaVision on Disney+ series, Wanda learns to discover and uncover all the areas in her life that make up her life story.
- Love With All Your Heart — Is it better to love and then lose, or to have never loved at all? Love is a gift, and not all are fortunate to have a lot of it in life — so it’s essential to cherish love where we receive it.
All in all, WandaVision was a beautiful reminder to take a moment to appreciate all those who are near and dear to us in life.
