I have believed in Guest Relations for many years. The mere act of speaking to people can be daunting for many, it comes very easily to me, that doesn't mean you can learn how to get yourself out there. You can be taught many things, but a genuine love for your guests, comes from somewhere you can't be taught.
I have a passion for making people happy, ensuring all their needs are met and actually, going above and beyond is truly what I live for. It gives me so much joy to see the smiling faces, the pleasure in doing something for others, not because I had to either, because I enjoy it.
For some, the paycheck is the bottom line, for me, it's the simple gratitude I get at the end of a long vacation, a business trip, whatever it may be. You may have been visiting for the very first time, you may return here once a month, makes no difference to me.
Let me share a story with you, about a time not so long ago when I had the incredible opportunity to work for a Magical Place. We were chosen to work there. It took a very long time to get there too. Telephone interviews, face to face interviews with groups of others fighting for the same exact spot I wanted to have, paper work and more paper work. In the end, you never remember how you got there, just that you were.
It gave me so much pleasure to walk across that promenade everyday that it literally brought tears to my eyes most days. My fellow cast members that were walking with me would often glare at me to see if today was another day they would see tears streaming down my face as I happily walked from the parking lot to my location. I was totally in the moment. I knew that I had the ability to take of people that day and I took it seriously. It was often an out of body experience. Sure, I can see you scoff at me now, but I have truly found something I love to do and I don't find it to be work, but a fun place where I can help others.
Back to the story, this day, I was working in the restaurant as a seater. This task was one of many on the road to becoming a server. You see, at Walt Disney World, there is so much training involved when you take over a role, you have to work your way up, learning and growing as you go to ensure they are putting the very best person in that role and not just anyone. When your serving, you have a popcorn cart you start off at, get yourself into the door to greeter, seater, food runner, buser and so on until that one magical day when you become a full fledged server.
So, when your seating people, you are literally taking the guests to their tables when they are ready inside. Now, generally, people don't like to talk to people that they don't know, but I am the exact opposite. I LOVE IT! I love getting guests stories, where they come from, what they are doing whilst they are visiting, what they do for a living and so on. You see, this give me the optimal opportunity to go ABOVE AND BEYOND for my guests. I can literally find things out, Birthday, Anniversary, family reunion and can act accordingly. So, as you take the walk into the dining room, I am creating a rapport with my guests. You could often find me even laying on the floor playing with children as they waited for tables, singing and dancing with little ones to amuse them whilst they waited.
Kelsey was 6 at the time of their visit and she was visiting with her parents Linda & Mark who were from Long Island NY. Kelsey is a brilliant young girl, smarter than most and somewhat privileged as some would call her. This wasn't her first visit to Disney and certainly not her last but for this visit, it would change both our lives.
Kelsey and her parents were; as most families did, patiently waiting for their name to be called to go and be seated and eat their dinner. When they arrived, they were behind in the dining room, about 20 minutes so now, as a greeter and seater, you have to come up with some unique ways to entertain these guests as they waited. We have a plethora of things at the Canadian Le Cellier Restaurant to do, Canadian trivia, coloring pages, games and a handful of things we created as we worked. It was fun for everyone most times although there are those guests out there that are CERTAINLY NOT there for games and just want to eat, but that my friends, is an entirely different post.
Kelsey and I had an instant connection, a bond and we managed to end up sitting on the floor coloring and singing songs from her favorite Disney movies whilst we pasted the time. I chatted with her parents when I could, Kelsey was an attention grabber to say the least. We spend 20 minutes or so getting to know each other and when their name was finally called, I walked them down into the dining room and wished them well. Normally that would be the end of the story, however sometimes, certainly people take a shining to others and THAT my friends is where the magic lives ;)
Now, there is way more to the story, but the most important part is that I was 100% and beyond taking care of these guests, and if I hadn't have done that, I would not still be contacting my friend Kelsey and knowing that at age 10 she is now show jumping horses and what bands she likes.
I admit I am certainly not the norm, but when you have people like myself working for you, these guests return time and time again, your revenue increases and maybe, just maybe, you meet lifelong friends and create memories that last a lifetime.
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