Being a fan and student of the Disney philosophy, I found the Disney Institute Seminars I attended to be energizing, informative and presented with all the Disney magic! The three topics presented in the seminar included: Leadership Disney Style, Managing For Creativity Disney Style, and Loyalty Disney Style. All the sessions were very insightful, yet in this article I will focus on Loyalty Disney Style. Each year I receive calls from many organizations looking for ways to build a customer-focused culture, and develop their team to support that culture.
The Disney philosophy stresses that prior to building loyal customers, we must begin by developing loyal employees (internal” customers). By treating employees (known as “cast members”) well, it demonstrates how they in turn should treat the “guests” of the park. Disney also recognizes and emphasizes that the front-line employee has the greatest impact on the customer!
Does your organization train, reward and recognize front-line employees for the major part they play in creating the “image” the customer sees most often? Although they may not be paid the most in the organization, front-line employees are more critical to the customer than the supervisors, managers, CEO’s and everyone in between!
Disney maintains high standards and strict hiring requirements, and is ultimately rewarded with outstanding customer loyalty statistics which include:
¨ 70% of their “guests” are repeat visitors
¨ 90% hotel occupancy rate (industry average is 40-50%)
¨ less than a 20% employee turnover rate
According to Disney, the “Loyalty Relationships Model” includes three components: the brand, the customer experience, and the relationship with customers.
1- The BRAND appropriately aligns with guests when people believe in the brand, feel a sense of ownership of the brand, and use the brand as a form of self-expression. Disney’s brand promise is the creation of “happiness” for their guests.
2- A guest’s EXPERIENCE delivers superior value when the details of the offering are user-friendly, the brand promise is delivered effectively at each point of contact, and problems are resolved quickly. A “point of contact” is defined as any representation of the company that a person comes in contact with, such as brochures, billboards, advertisements, web-site, the lobby, the parking lot, as well as one-on-one contact. The Disney experience provides the “finest in entertainment.”
3- RELATIONSHIPS are built when people want to associate with your employees, and customers and employees interact positively with each other. Disney builds relationships with “people of all ages, everywhere.”
Disney stresses that identifying an organization’s “core customers” and “core strengths” helps focus and correlate “guest” needs and wants, with the “best” that the organization has to offer. Organizations should consciously create experiences that accentuate their “core strengths,” in satisfying “core customers.”
“CORE CUSTOMERS” can be identified by asking:
¨ What customers are the most profitable and loyal?
¨ What customers place the greatest value on what you offer?
¨ What customers are worth more to you than to your competitors?
After answering these questions, Disney recommends categorizing clients into “high-fit” and “low-fit” customers. By doing this you can become more focused on addressing the opportunities and needs of “high-fit” customers.
“CORE STRENGTHS” can be identified by listing:
¨ Things your organization does well.
¨ What individuals expect from your organization.
¨ The items that give your organization a competitive advantage.
“There’s really no secret about our approach.
We keep moving forward – opening up new doors and doing new things –
because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
We’re always exploring and experimenting.” - Walt Disney
Please feel free to reproduce or publish this article with full contact information.
Drop me an email to let me know at jhebert3@twcny.rr.com
Rate your organization by completing the"Loyalty Disney Style” Worksheet at http://www.heberttraining.com/
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