How to be a Disney Hangover

Who do you Compete with?

If you ask employees this question, most will list five companies from their industry that sell exactly what they do. However, in most cases that isn’t your competition at all. Whether you are a law firm, insurance agent, jewelry store, salon, or accounting firm, comparing yourself to the competition is really pointless. After a customer receives a haircut, they don’t leave that salon and then go visit another one and say, “Wow, my salon is so much better.” Your firm’s client doesn’t hang up with you and call another accounting firm.

Creating a Disney Hangover

Whenever you leave Disney, for the next 72 hours, you are disappointed in the customer experience from other companies because Disney makes you more keenly aware of what an excellent experience is.

That is what you want to happen every time your customer comes in contact with someone from your organization. That they are disappointed with whatever business they come in contact with next, because they don’t compare to your expertise, friendliness, rapport, and your follow through.

You do that by focusing on every interaction you have, be it a guest, coworker, or total stranger. You focus on making a positive memorable moment that leaves a lasting impression.

Feeling Cared for Unlike Anywhere Else you go

Chick-fil-A has revolutionized its industry by mastering hospitality unlike any other quick-service restaurant. Its story is remarkable. With more than 1,500 locations in the United States and more than forty years of double-digit growth, Chick-fil-A is one of the best case studies for customer service consistency. Its service vision is “To make our guests feel cared for, unlike anywhere else.” Make their guests feel cared for in a way that no one else does. I love that. They didn’t say, “Make our guests feel cared for better than Burger King or McDonald’s”; they said better than anywhere else customers go. Chick-fil-A knows it is not only competing with other fast food restaurants. After you go to a Chick-fil-A restaurant, you don’t drive down the street to one of its competitors. You don’t need to, but you do go to other places, like running errands and dealing with other businesses.

Cared-for-meter

Chick-fil-A has a metaphoric “cared-for-meter” that it uses as a training example to demonstrate how much people need to feel cared for. Chick-fil-A trains their employees on how every person has a story. Making them aware of all the different situations that are going on in their customers’ lives. Besides their personal situations, think about how often people experience subpar service in a day, constantly hearing things like “No, we can’t do that” and “It’s our policy.” During any given day, a person’s cared-for-meter could be around a three or a four (out of ten); then they walk into a Chick- fil-A restaurant and they are greeted with an enthusiastic smile, and they hear words like “certainly” and “my pleasure.” All of a sudden, their cared-for-meter spikes to a nine. Something significant happens to a person when they feel cared for. They may not realize it at the time, but they want that feeling again. They need that feeling again. A few days later someone is dying for a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, but it might not only be the sandwich that is drawing them back.