Published on Mar 18, 2007

As a full-time customer service advocate and columnist, I try to keep my ears open for the companies that “get it” when it comes to service. For years, Disney had been one of those. I have heard comments such as “Have you checked out Disney?’ and “Disney is the model”, etc. forever.

Recently, I had my chance.

I was booked for a corporate speech which was to be presented in Orlando at the Disney resort. In addition to speaking to a fine organization (my client is a company that “gets it”….by the way, if you have to ask what “it” is, you don’t get it!), I would experience first hand the Disney experience.

I was actually eager to experience it from a business perspective. Years ago, when my children were younger, they were treated to Disneyworld, but I wanted to see it from my adult perspective.

I took a limo from the airport directly to the resort. I checked in with a great deal of anticipation. I wanted to experience the feeling that customer service icon Tom Peters states that is felt when you go into a service-focused organization.

I must say I didn’t feel it upon arrival. I got a rather routine greeting at check-in; not bad, not exceptional. The norm. I got virtually no engagement from the numerous employees I passed to get the front desk. Again, indifference.

I found it interesting that after checking in, I was told that I had a ten or fifteen minute walk to my room. In spite of having a briefcase and bag, I was not offered any kind of transportation to my room. Being a nice day, I began my walk.

Naturally, I got lost on my way to my room. I stopped and asked a Disney employee who less that enthusiastically directed me to my room.

I got to the room, ordered room service for dinner, and after being told it would be there in an hour, got it in 1 ½ hours. Again, nothing special, certainly not an “experience”.

The clincher came that evening as I thought (mistakenly) that I saw a possibility of rain the next day on the weather channel. I called the front desk and inquired what to do if it did indeed rain. I was concerned about the long walk and being wet before my speech.

“What makes you think it is going to rain tomorrow?” was the response to my question.

I explained that I thought I saw it on TV.

“I don’t think it is going to rain tomorrow” was the response.

This is where the problem begins. Note that I didn’t call to find out if it was going to rain. My question involved what if it DID rain.

I politely explained that…I wasn’t calling to ask about the rain, but what to do if it did.

“I have the weather channel on now and I don’t think it is going to rain” she repeated.

This goes on for a few more exchanges until I closed by saying “I guess what I am hearing you say is that we don’t what will happen if it rains?”

I have told this story to a number of professional colleagues since my return and they have all indicated that they think the mystic of Disney may be declining.

This is too bad, but a lesson nonetheless. Once great doesn’t mean always great. The secret to great service is what Edwards Deming referred to as Constancy of Purpose. It means NEVER taking your eye off the ball.

Looks like Disney isn’t looking these days.