In our department meetings earlier this year we once again focused on the importance of customer service.
We talked about some information from a book called “Lessons from the Mouse” by Dennis Snow who worked for years at Disney World. Dennis said during a frustrating time early in his Disney career, his boss told him something he will never forget: “There’s no such thing as a perfect boss or a perfect company. If you’re looking for either one you’re doomed to a life of disappointment.” Dennis learned that his boss was right. Dennis said that the Disney organization isn’t perfect or infallible and that Disney screws up just like every other organization. He said that the things Disney does well, however, it does very well. Consistent focus on a few important factors has made Disney stand out as a company and created legions of diehard fans. The proof is that Disney World is usually ranked the single most popular vacation destination on earth.
Dennis went on to say that you should “never let Backstage come Onstage”.
Backstage is where cast members ate, where truck deliveries were made, etc. – things the public isn’t supposed to see.
Onstage is where we have an opportunity to impress the customer. It’s where we want to exceed the customer’s expectations. It’s where we put on a smile. If a guest were ever to view the backstage environment, the magic would be lost. After all, a partially dressed Mickey Mouse, Cinderella cussing, Donald Duck smoking a cigarette or a stack of filthy garbage could ruin the fantasy. Make sure things are “show ready” when you open for business. Double-check to make sure things are in order. Sometimes the landscaping team would leave a shovel behind or a maintenance worker had forgotten a ladder. One time a dead chipmunk was found lying in front of Peter Pan’s Flight. Another time a pair of men’s boxer shorts was found beneath the flying boats.
Here are a few tips he gave:
* Dust goes “Backstage” and that Pixie Dust goes “Onstage”.
* Take pride in the customer’s experience and in the final product.
* Never make a customer feel like they are an interruption.
* It’s our job to provide the best in customer service.
* Never complain to a customer about another department or employee.
We again stressed to our staff the importance of informing us of the barriers to great customer service and figuring out how we can alleviate our customers’ frustrations. Also, we stressed the importance of letting us know the barriers to great employee satisfaction and how we can alleviate our employees’ frustrations, so we can have a happy staff providing the best in customer service.
I once saw someone wearing a t-shirt that said, “I’m not perfect, but I’m awesome!”. In business and even as individuals, we must remember that there are no perfect companies or perfect people. Nevertheless, you must remind yourself that “You’re not perfect, but you’re awesome!” Mistakes will happen, but you just fix them and always strive to do your best.
My pastor preached a message about “Humble Beginnings & Huge Mistakes”. We shared with our staff that when you are authentic, you see the greatness of God in others. Each time you do this, your heart becomes more and more real. You need the ability to be instructed and corrected. Hezekiah was 16 when he became king. As long as he sought the Lord, God caused him to prosper. When he became strong, his heart was lifted up in pride. He wouldn’t listen to correction and fell prey to leprosy. When you’re authentic and have a heart turned towards God, you look for God to speak through His Spirit and the lives of others to correct, instruct and guide you. Don’t become fake and fall into pride like Hezekiah where you don’t listen to correction and criticism or justify why it’s okay to keep your bad habits. We can be teachable and enjoy the blessings of God. We always want to be teachable to learn from our mistakes.
Once again we described our mission statement in terms of behavior.
Part of our mission statement is “Teamwork”. We talked about what Teamwork means….You demonstrate reliability. In order to demonstrate reliability we need to do the following:
* Work hard and meet commitments.
* Follow through on assignments.
* Be consistent.
* Deliver good performance all the time, not just some of the time.
Here are some emails we sent to remind our staff about customer service, reliability, and being teachable:
Never Let Backstage Come On Stage!
May we never complain to a customer about another department or employee.
May we never make the customer feel like they are an interruption.
It’s our job to provide the best in customer service.
Teamwork means….. YOU DEMONSTRATE RELIABILITY.
Work hard and meet commitments.
Follow through on your assignments — People are counting on you.
Be consistent so you can enjoy success.
Deliver good performance all the time, not just some of the time.
You need the ability to be instructed and corrected.
As long as Hezekiah sought the Lord, God caused him to prosper.
When he became strong, his heart was lifted up in pride.
He wouldn’t listen to correction and fell prey to leprosy.
Be teachable and enjoy the blessings of God.
May we always be willing to be a student.
May we seek out knowledge and truth in order to grow in humility, wisdom and excellence.
