Fact: Consistency is the hallmark of world class customer service.
Insight: When an organizational culture doesn’t insist on paying attention to every detail, then employees and leaders will default to using their personal interpretation of what’s critical.
This is deadly to world class consistency.
Disney’s legendary attention to detail is driven by intentionally developing inspiring leaders. Here’s an example from yesterday, Valentine’s Day 2015.
Disney Customer Service (obviously Disney never uses the word Customer but i’m using it here to focus on external business world everyday language). Follow along with some Disney insider narration.
There’s a section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park that includes a replica of a traveling roadside carnival in small town America from a time long ago…
The traveling carnival would set up in small towns where there was ample space for their carnival rides. It was often in a large, relatively unused parking lot. Notice the faint parking space lines? See the cracked pavement? Who makes the connection? Probably no one. So why do it?
It’s not uncommon for painted white tires to become a homemade curb marker. Tires are used because they’re no longer safe to drive on. They are rubber which is long-lasting. However, these are made of concrete because Guests Customers will use them as seats (see Guest Customer on far right?). By the way, constant sitting on these tires would eventually wear them down and make them unsafe.
Guests People walk by all day (Guest Customer on right, shadow on left) and never notice nor care.
Notice the difference in tread? Never before right? But now you see that attention to detail very clearly. Why do that?
Only one of ten tires has it’s logo (GOOD~YEAR) showing.
Just a bunch of random, worn out, abandoned tires being repurposed to save money. Just like in real life.
Many organizations won’t pay attention to customer experience details because most customers will never notice many of the things being done for them. The logic, of course, is that if the customer won’t notice, don’t waste time and money.
Profit is the goal. (Or is profit the reward?) Depends on the leader’s vision.
Fear (of not meeting financial goals) is the enemy, not failure.
Failure is not permanent. Fear insidiously lasts a lifetime.
Quiz time: Are you an inspiring leader or an insidiously fearful leader?
The harsh reality is this: No one on your team will be more inspired than you. Without inspiration a so-called ‘leader’ is simply a manager.
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