Inside the Magic Kingdom – Lesson 7

Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client. Recently I picked up the book again and had a hard time putting it down!  There is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time.  For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book.  At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well. The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author. 

Continued from previous week…

LESSON 7

Xvxryonx makxs a diffxrxncx

I covered this lesson a few weeks ago before I decided to write about all the lessons.  I think it is a very important lesson and worth repeating.  It is surprising to me sometimes how little it takes sometimes to make a difference for people. 

During some of my programs I include the paragraph below in an exercise that has very positive results.  Often after we read this paragraph I ask everyone what it means to them.  I get varied responses and they all agree with the message that everyone makes a difference.  Usually the groups are small enough to have everyone go around the room and tell each other why they are important and what they appreciate most about each other.  In many instances I can see that people are moved by what they are acknowledged for.  I have had people come up to me after the program is over and say they were surprised (and delighted) to know they were appreciated.

XVXRYONX MAKXS A DIFFXRXNCX

Somxtimxs I gxt to thinking that what I do doxsn’t mattxr.  But whxn I start thinking that way, I rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr.  Most of thx kxys workxd finx most of thx timx.  But onx day, onx of the kxys stoppxd working althogxthxr.  And that rxally mxssxd xvxrything up.  So whxn I’m txmptxd to say I’m only onx pxrson, it won’t makx a diffxrxncx if I don’t do this quitx right, I rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr.  Thxn I say to mysxlf “I am a kxy pxrson and nxxdxd vxry much.

We will debrief this session with some creative ways that people can acknowledge each other on an ongoing basis, and these are some of the suggestions:

• Thank you notes when someone does something special
• Buy a coffee (or tea, soft drink) for someone who has helped you
• Have candy or treats available for spontaneous acts of kindness
• Compliment when you see someone doing something great
• Send an email to a person’s boss telling them of something special colleague did
• Have a mascot (appropriate to the organization and culture) that is awarded weekly to the person who went the extra mile the most

The take away from this short exercise is to acknowledge each other for even the small things and this will go a long way to building a supportive team culture.  I encourage everyone to look for ways to acknowledge each other everyday.

Questions for discussion with your team:

1. How often does good performance go unrecognized?
2. In general, what’s the positive-to-negative feedback ratio in our company/plant/department etc?
3. How could we improve that ratio?
4. What is your individual ratio of positive-to-negative feedback?

Inside the Magic Kingdom – Lesson 6

Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client. Recently I picked up the book again and had a hard time putting it down!  There is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time.  For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book.  At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well. The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author. 

Continued from previous week…

LESSON 6

Reward, Recognize and Celebrate

One of the deepest human yearnings is to be appreciated.  The books highlights that a lot of organizations go through the motions of recognizing people but only a few make it part of a system.  Often companies spend more time pointing out mistakes than achievements.  This can greatly affect morale.  Recognition is about appreciating and acknowledging that someone has done something special.  Years ago when I worked in a manufacturing plant we implemented a system where employees would give each other a pin (shaped like a star) when they did something special for another employee.  At first people were a little reluctant to participate and once they started to see the visual chart we created, things changed.  It was the incentive to help get everyone on board.  Some of the things people did for each other is drive someone to the subway on a cold evening, offer to babysit when someone had a doctor’s appointment, bring someone a coffee who was having a bad day…. it worked to build a stronger team.  We had created a structure with guidelines that encouraged recognition.

Questions for discussion with your team:

1. How often does good performance go unrecognized?
2. In general, what’s the positive-to-negative feedback ratio in our company/plant/department etc?
3. How could we improve that ratio?
4. What is your individual ratio of positive-to-negative feedback?

Inside the Magic Kingdom – Lesson 5

Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client.  Recently I picked up the book again and had a hard time putting it down!  There is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time.  For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book.  At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well.  The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author. 

Continued from previous week…

LESSON 5

Customers are heard best through many ears

One of the ways that organizations measure their level of customer satisfaction is through surveys.  While this is a great way to obtain valuable feedback it is recommended that the customers be heard by many different ways.  In the book they refer to this as multiple listening posts.  These posts are about the company listening to customers as opposed to listening to oneself.  At Disney, they use the term aggressively friendly.  When I first read this I thought it was interesting and when I remember my own experience at Disney World, it was definitely the case.  Some of the listening posts suggested include: posts that allow you to take immediate action, after service surveys, phone surveys and walking around and speaking with customers.

Questions for discussion with your team:

1. How can we “put on our ears” to track customer satisfaction?
2. How could the process of gathering feedback be more creative and fun?
3. Remember the impact of immediate action.  How can we improve our response time?
4. Identify and list aspects of our job(s) that involve customer contact.  (Best used for a homogeneous discussion group.)
5. What formal or informal listening posts are we not using that we could be using?
6. How could we become more responsive to our customer needs?

Inside the Magic Kingdom – Lesson 4

Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client. Recently I picked up the book again and had a hard time putting it down!  There is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time.  For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book.  At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well. The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author. 

Continued from previous week…

LESSON 4

Everything walks the talk.

Not only does everyone walk the talk, everything walks the talk.  The equipment, facilities, trucks or anything that represents your company should walk the talk.  The gold leaves on the carousel are painted with 23-karat gold paint.  Most people would not know the difference but the staff are reminded by this what we do for our customer is the most important thing of all.  One of the points made in the book was very revealing… “a lot of managers would be shocked to find out how little their employees believe management walks the talk.”  The key as described in the book is turning common sense into common practice. 

Questions for discussion with your team:

1. Remember the gold leaf paint on the carousel.  What messages are being sent to our associates/employees about the value of customers?
2. Keeping in mind the importance of things unseen, in what ways could we remind employees that customers are “pure gold?”
3. Imagine that everything in our company walked the talk.  What would that look like?
4. What’s the one thing that could be changed so that it did a better job of walking the talk?

Inside the Magic Kingdom

Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client. Recently I picked up the book again and had a hard time putting it down!  There is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time.  For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book.  At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well. The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author. 

Continued from previous week…

LESSON 3

Everyone walks the talk.

If you are like me you have most likely had the experience of going into a business and received inconsistent treatment.  They use the term “aggressively friendly” at Disney.  All staff are trained to stop everything when they see a guest in need. (I wish the staff would do that at the home reno store when I am standing there looking confused and not sure what to do – lol)  The Disney culture says Everyone walks the talk always!  The real point here is more about the way you do your job.  Think about this statement: “Every time a customer comes in contact with your company, you have an opportunity to create value.  Capitalize on that opportunity and you win.  Waste it and you lose…it is a simple as that!  The guest is always in charge.

Questions for discussion with your team:

1. Think about the way people do their jobs here.  Could we adapt the “aggressively friendly” concept to our company’s environment?
2. How might we expand customer service from a department to a tradition?
3. How could we individually do an even better job of “walking the talk” than we do right now?
4. What does “walking the talk” mean around here?
5. How would a customer’s experience be different if everyone here “walked the talk?”

Inside the Magic Kingdom

Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client. Recently I picked up the book again and had a hard time putting it down!  There is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time.  For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book.  At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well.  The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author. 

Continued from previous week…

LESSON 2

Pay fantastic attention to detail.

I know from personal experience when a company I am involved with pays attention to the smallest details it makes a huge difference for me.  It truly permeates everything. At Disney, the horse headed pitching posts that line the streets are repainted every night, no exceptions. Not only are they repainted every night, the starting time is based on the temperature and humidity to make sure the paint is dry by the next morning.  Truly attention to detail is part of the Disney culture and this is only one small of example.

Questions for discussion with your team:

1. What details get in the way of our being easy to do business with?
2. What details could be improved to keep our customers coming back?
3. What details in our workplace could become hitching posts?