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?

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. 

LESSON 1

The competition is anyone the customer compares you with.

When I first read this concept I thought, how can that be?  In the book talks about how the same people that call your organization also call other companies and people are always comparing whether they realize it or not.  Quote from the book “If someone else satisfies customers better than you do, no matter what type of business, you suffer by comparison.”  Literally everyone competes in the world of customer experience and satisfaction.  It is the same whether you are talking about an internal or external customer.

Questions for discussion with your team:

1. Recall a situation where you were very impresses with the level of service you received.  How did it raise your expectations of other companies?
2. How does our company’s service compare?
3. Who are our direct competitors?
4. Who else might our customers compare us with?
5. What does that suggest about how we might change the way we do business?