Be Our Guest

1. Disney's approach to Quality Service centers on exceeding guest expectations

Quality Service means exceeding your guests' expectations by paying attention to every detail of the delivery of your products and services.

Attention to detail is the cornerstone of Disney's Quality Service approach. This philosophy permeates every aspect of the Disney experience, from the cleanliness of the parks to the friendly interactions with cast members. By consistently surpassing guest expectations, Disney creates memorable experiences that foster loyalty and repeat visits.

Practical magic is the result of Disney's meticulous focus on service delivery. This concept combines the visible, seemingly effortless performance that guests experience with the behind-the-scenes work that makes it possible. Disney's commitment to exceeding expectations is evident in:

• Personalized interactions with characters
• Immersive themed environments
• Seamless transitions between attractions
• Anticipation and resolution of guest needs

2. Guestology: The art and science of understanding customers

Guestology is Disney-speak for market and customer research needed to learn who guests are and understand what they expect from your organization.

Understanding guest needs is crucial for delivering exceptional service. Disney employs various techniques to gather and analyze guest information, including:

• Face-to-face surveys
• Comment cards
• Utilization studies
• Mystery shoppers
• Focus groups

The Guestology Compass helps Disney categorize and understand guest information:

• Needs: Basic requirements (e.g., a vacation)
• Wants: Deeper desires (e.g., long-lasting family memories)
• Stereotypes: Preconceived notions about the experience
• Emotions: Feelings experienced throughout the visit

By continuously studying and responding to guest feedback, Disney can adapt its offerings and maintain its reputation for exceptional service.

3. Common purpose and quality standards guide service delivery

We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere.

A unifying mission drives Disney's service philosophy. This common purpose aligns the efforts of all cast members and provides a clear focus for decision-making. It serves as a rallying point across the organization and creates the foundation for Disney's public image.

Quality standards support the common purpose and guide service delivery:

1. Safety: Ensuring guest welfare and peace of mind
2. Courtesy: Treating every guest as a VIP
3. Show: Providing seamless and exceptional entertainment
4. Efficiency: Optimizing operations for guest enjoyment

These standards are prioritized to help cast members make decisions in challenging situations, ensuring consistent, high-quality service across all Disney properties.

4. Cast members are the frontline of Quality Service

Disney really has practical magic figured out. Not that we get it perfect every time, but we come very, very close a lot of the time.

Hiring and training are critical to Disney's service success. The company focuses on recruiting friendly individuals and provides extensive training to transform them into Disney cast members. This process includes:

• Traditions: A one-day orientation program
• Line-of-business training
• Local orientation
• On-the-job training

Performance culture is cultivated at each location to enhance cast members' roles in delivering Quality Service. This includes:

• Location-specific behaviors and values
• Shared vision and mission
• Customized service delivery

By investing in its cast members and fostering a strong performance culture, Disney ensures that every interaction contributes to a magical guest experience.

5. Setting plays a crucial role in creating magical experiences

Interestingly enough, for all of its success, the Disney theme show is quite a fragile thing. It just takes one contradiction, one out-of-place stimulus to negate a particular moment's experience.

Immersive environments are central to Disney's storytelling. Every detail of the setting is carefully designed to support and enhance the guest experience. This attention to detail is evident in:

• Architectural design
• Landscaping
• Lighting and color schemes
• Audio and visual elements
• Scents and tactile experiences

Guiding the guest experience through setting is a key aspect of Disney's approach. Elements such as the central hub design, cross-dissolve transitions between themed areas, and visual cues help guests navigate the parks seamlessly.

Disney's commitment to maintaining the illusion extends to:

• Separation of onstage and backstage areas
• Consistent theming in all guest-facing areas
• Continuous maintenance and improvement of facilities

6. Processes optimize guest flow and enhance service delivery

By taking all the processes necessary and breaking them down into definable areas and steps, we formalized our approach to service delivery across the company.

Guest flow optimization is a critical aspect of Disney's service delivery. The company employs various strategies to minimize wait times and enhance the overall guest experience:

• Extra Magic Hours for resort guests
• FASTPASS system for popular attractions
• Interactive queue experiences
• Tip Boards with real-time wait information

Service attention processes cater to guests with specific needs:

• International visitors: Multilingual cast members and materials
• Small children: Kid-specific activities and accommodations
• Guests with disabilities: Accessible attractions and special assistance

Continuous improvement is ingrained in Disney's culture through "plussing" – the ongoing refinement of processes and experiences. This commitment to debugging and enhancing service delivery ensures that Disney stays at the forefront of guest satisfaction.

7. Integration of cast, setting, and process creates practical magic

Integration enables us to achieve Quality Service by identifying which details to attend to and what guest expectations to exceed.

Seamless experiences result from the careful integration of Disney's quality standards and delivery systems. This integration ensures that every aspect of the guest experience supports and enhances the others, creating a cohesive and magical environment.

The Integration Matrix is a tool used by Disney to analyze and improve service delivery. It helps:

• Design fresh approaches to guest experiences
• Diagnose and solve service lapses
• Benchmark against competitors or partners
• Apply Quality Service principles at various organizational levels

By continuously refining the integration of cast, setting, and process, Disney maintains its reputation for delivering exceptional, magical experiences that keep guests returning year after year.

Last updated: August 14, 2024