Disney 'cast members' put 'guests' in the spotlight - Walt Disney Co. Walt Disney Attractions' employee training

Employees at Disney attractions who operate rides, serve food or don character costumes don't just go to work every day; they give a performance for the thousands of visitors they greet.

In fact, they aren't called employees, they are "cast members," and when they are doing their jobs they are "on stage." Visitors are not customers or tourists, they are "guests," a term intended to evoke the same kind of response from cast members towards these guests as for the friends and family they entertain in their own home.

While the customer service goals of retailers apply to short-term, shopping transactions, Disney goals are much more ambitious. "Our product is happiness and we create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere," said Terry Brinkoetter, senior marketing representative at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Literally hundreds of millions of "guests" have visited Disney attractions in various parts of the globe. These include: Disneyland in Southern California; Walt Disney World, EPCOT Center, and the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park in Orlando, Fla.; Euro Disney in the Paris suburbs; Tokyo Disneyland and a series of world-class hotel resorts. Annual revenues for Disney theme parks and resorts are approaching $3.5 billion for 1993.

"About 65% of our business is repeat business, so retention is the name of the game and the service people receive is as important as their memories of the attractions," said Brinkoetter. The Disney approach is to pay attention to details and strive to exceed guest expectations.

"We empower our cast to create magic moments," he said. And that may mean simply offering to take pictures of guests or a warm hug for the kids from Mickey or Minnie.

This dedication to service is an integral part of the Disney culture and it is instilled in each new cast member during the orientation program that everyone must complete--from corporate executives to parking lot attendants. These programs are presented at each individual attraction, with on-site management and followup.

Even before new staffers begin formal training and orientation at Disney University, they are introduced to the corporate culture through the interview process, referred to as "casting." This takes place in a whimsical casting building, where "Alice in Wonderland" doorknobs alert candidates that the Disney organization is like no other, and the responsibilities of employees will be like those at no other job.

Depending on the job description, training can last from 11/2 to 10 days, and no one is allowed to begin work until the training and orientation has been completed. "We immerse them in the history of the company that is unique and very successful, and get them to buy into our culture. That first day is very emotional, with both laughter and tears, and 99.9% of our new people get that same sense of awe and uniqueness that is Disney," he said.

There is enormous peer pressure among cast members to conform to standards. "We are our own worst critics," Brinkoetter continued. "We train 16-year-olds who don't pick up after themselves to pick up after 30 million people."

Having set high expectations in customer service, management is very active in gathering feedback from guests so that any shortcoming can be remedied quickly. "We ask guests what their expectations were and whether they think they got good value for their visit, both qualitatively and qualitatively. And we are also fortunate that with millions of guests each year, many will write back to us using guest comment forms. We always thank guests for their comments and address the comment or problem in each one. We have a department that culls together all these letters each week and we have a formal feedback mechanism that helps bring problems to light very quickly," he said.

In addition to the broad goal of creating happiness for guests, Disney sets four priorities and communicates these to its cast members. Safety is paramount, followed by courtesy, the quality of the show, and delivering services effectively and efficiently. "With the knowledge that this is how the company prioritized the operation, cast members will know what is most important and this will help them make the proper decisions,' said Brinkoetter.

The Disney organization's reputation for high quality customer service prompted so many inquiries from other companies in various business sectors that regularly scheduled seminars are now conducted, and Brinkoetter's other job title is that of "seminar facilitator. " The program is being actively marketed.

Programs are tailored to the individual needs of companies, but they average 60 to 65 people in each session. Participants come from the retail sector, health care, finance and banking, airlines and manufacturing.

"We had a Target executive four years ago who was looking for customer service solutions outside his organization. After he completed the program, and Target opened some stores in this area, I visited some of the stores and was gratified to see that they have picked up our guest nomenclature, and they have created a Target University, modeled after our Disney University," said Brinkoetter. In addition, the Saturn Organization, which is already benefiting from a reputation for sensitivity toward customer needs, has also sent a team of execs through the school.

"We can tell them what works for Disney, but we tell people the first day that we don't know their business; we are not in merchandising or health care. We tell them what works for us and then it is up to the individual participants to determine the application--there is a lot of adaptation, " he added.

After concepts of customer service, employee empowerment and leadership are discussed from the Disney perspective, participants are organized into work groups to help translate key concepts into ideas that apply to their own corporate needs. "If you tell people something they will forget it; if you show them something they will understand, and if you get them involved, that's even better," said Brinkoetter, who noted that Disney has space available in this fall's programs for interested executives.

Guarantee Wins Good Cook Fans for Life

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif - When Bradshaw International established a lifetime guarantee program for its Good Cook line of kitchen gadgets, it was not prepared for the kind of letters it began to receive along with returned items.

"We had a nun write and tell us that we are remembered in her order's prayers. People have sent us pictures of their kids and grandkids. And we have a regular correspondence from a woman in Chicago who sends us multiple pages of recipes when she has time," said Mike Mclaughlin, director of marketing, for the Santa Fe Springs, Calif., company.

The Good Cook lifetime guarantee program was established about five years ago. The line itself, sold primarily in supermarkets, is only six years old. The program immediately established a link between Good Cook and its ultimate customer: the consumer. The feedback has resulted in the company's own improvements and changes in the 400-sku line, as well as a growing loyalty among the line's users.

The danger of lifetime guarantees--the potential deluge of product for one reason or another--was never a worry for Good Cook. "People are very honest. They don't want to take advantage. They are just frustrated and concerned," said Mclaughlin. Good Cook responds to those concerns with a personal letter from Mclaughlin, and a replacement, refund or both when it is requested. In addition, the company sends out four additional

Good Cook products for the customer to try out. As further proof of people's appreciation of good customer service, he noted that many have returned the refund checks to Good Cook.

The company pays for any return postage and has even replaced competitive items. Even though the company is only six years old, Mclaughlin cites cases where 10-year-old can openers have been replaced for consumers.

"We love it when they send us our competitors' goods," he noted. "It gives us a chance to send some of our products to the customer."

A lifetime guarantee sign is featured on each package and most correspondence is direct from the company to the consumer. When something is returned to a retailer, the same program goes into effect, with a copy of the correspondence going to the retailer. According to Mclaughlin, the company gets about 10 to 15 requests a week, to which they fry to respond within seven days.

"We want to build confidence in the Good Cook label," said Mclaughlin. The nun's prayers can't hurt either.

COPYRIGHT 1993 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
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