Recreation Guy

How’s your customer service? Is it magic? When people come to your office are they impressed, disappointed or somewhere in between?

I’m a fan of Disney and the way they run their business, especially at the parks. Having grown up in Southern California I’ve visited Disneyland countless times. As I got older I would go to Disneyland just to observe how they ran things and their customer service.

When I got into hotel management I started to really study Disney techniques through some great books. The lessons for this post were taken from a book aptly named Lessons from the Mouse: A Guide for Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization, Your Career, and Life
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Never Let Backstage Come Onstage
At Disneyland, any place that the “guests” cannot see employees is called “Backstage”. This is where “cast members” prepare for work, take their breaks, eat, drink, gossip, complain and do what any normal person on break would do. Once they come “Onstage” they leave all that behind. “Cast members” have their game faces on when they are “Onstage”.

Onstage is where the magic happens, where the spells are cast, and expectations are exceeded. When parents come into your office do they see “Backstage”? Can they overhear complaints? Do they see the preparations of the “show”? Can employees be seen eating lunch? Is there any magic?

A couple of weeks ago our new office administrator was a bit stressed out by the way we did our online registrations versus the way we handled walk-in registrations. With a parent in front of her she said out loud, “This place is ridiculous sometimes.” This is a perfect example of allowing a customer to see “Backstage”. Any magic that the parent may have felt from our superb programming vanished right there.

Make Sure Your Area is “Show Ready”
Before the kids, teens, parents, etc. come to your facility, event or program, make sure everything is in order, working properly, and safe.

Do you find that, at times, your staff is still putting out craft supplies or preparing games when the kids have already arrived? Was your last event completely “show ready” by the time the community showed up? At camp, are you fully prepared for the start of the week when parents and kids arrive, or are staff still running around trying to finish last minute details?

During our Halloween event we had a staging room where all of our supplies were stationed. The room was a mess but we figured that since only staff would be going in and out of there, it was okay. The problem was that there were windows looking right into the room from where the main event was taking place. Everyone could see right into our “backstage” area. This is not being “show ready” and next year we’ll be blacking out those windows as well as organizing the room. I know there was some magic lost by those customers, or “guests”, that noticed it.

Are your programs “Show Ready”?

• Are your craft supplies out and ready?
• Is your sports equipment clean and in good condition?
• Is everything working properly?
• Is your staff properly trained?
• Does your staff show enthusiasm?
• Are there boxes laying around the office in plain site?

We should all try our best to create an environment of fun and magic. There’s a reason why Disney is the best at what they do and why they are so successful. It’s all in the details.

Stay tuned for more Disney lessons that you can apply to your organization and will help you to create that magical atmosphere.