Page 97 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

78 The Disney Way

who operated the rides and other attractions. That’s because he recognized
that those people were the ones who made the invaluable direct impression
on the Disney guests.
If you have ever visited one of the Disney theme parks, chances are that
you’ve had a cast member stop to chat with you and ask which attractions
you’ve been on, whether you need anything, if you’re having a good time, and
so forth. In other words, they treated their guests like any good host would.
To ensure that his front-line cast members would always deliver superior
and pleasing service to the guests, Walt Disney went out of his way to make sure
that employees were satisfied with their jobs and with the company. No one had
to tell Walt that workers who are happy take pride in their work and do it well.
“Front line equals bottom line” is still an accepted rule at The Walt
Disney Company. Walt also recognized that teamwork is a necessary com-
ponent of the good show. Many of our clients are utilizing empowered teams
and reaping the benefits of more efficient and effective performance. Guests
may come first, but cast members are not far behind, as you will see in the
chapter that follows.

Questions to Ask
■ Do you know your “guests”?
■ Are your employees empowered to solve customer problems?
■ Do you view your front-line as your bottom line?
■ What special training do your front-line people receive?
■ What is the turnover rate among your front-line staff?

Actions to Take

■ Ask coworkers to experience how the customer is being treated in
your organization.
■ Recognize and reward outstanding customer service.
■ Establish a mechanism for customers to comment on how they’ve
been treated by coworkers.
■ Encourage coworkers to regularly visit customers to discuss customer
problems and dreams.
■ Pay a little more than the going scale for front-line coworkers.
■ Encourage every coworker to call two to three customers each week
to ask, “How are we doing?”
■ Recruit people who like people.