Customers & you

Guests, customers.......whatever title you provide for them is fine but what is most important is exactly how you TREAT them. Are you giving them 100% of yourself to them?
Often times, the day to day routines get in the way of great customer service. Tending to the check lists, ensuring your getting everything accomplished for your Supervisor/Manager but are you truly focused on your guests?

Remember, they pay the bills, THEY are the reason you even HAVE that job. It's NOT the company that provides you with work it's those guests. As soon as they step FOOT on your soil, they MUST be attended to. I don't mean SMOTHER THEM EITHER.

I want you to remember a fantastic experience you have had recently or even in the past for that matter. Recall how you felt, how the attendant dealt with you, what made it special?
For some, creating a fabulous guest experience is essential, is well....in their DNA.
When we think about places like Disney, what comes to mind? Does guest service fit into that thought?


Yes, we that are former cast members, continue to speak about our incredible experiences working for Disney because we had experiences, much like you the guests did. It could have been a fellow cast member assisting us or us ourselves creating magic for a guest. Whatever the reason, those experiences carry over into our other careers. Doesn't matter if I am NOT working in F&B any longer, what matters is how I treat my guests.

Sure, I have had incredible training, mostly from Disney but I have to admit, the companies I have worked for SINCE Disney are the ones that have truly benefited from my time there. I have offered their guests the incredible treatment that is expected from having Disney on my resume.



Having leaders who nurtured my passion for guest service excellence was obviously key and more than I could have ever imagined I would receive and yet, there are still those cast members currently working for the Mouse who have leaders that, shall we say haven't provided such a magical experience for them and for that, I am truly sorry to hear. My experiences were incredible to say the very least. I was always provided with communication and encouragement and support. I have to admit, my time with the Mouse was something others dream about and something I don't ever take for granted. I have tried my very best to pass along to others the keys to my success with Disney and to share in the magic so to speak.
Of course, there are those that are willing to accept the times and experiences I had and are ignorant to it but that is obviously their loss and I can't help but wonder why anyone would deny assistance when it comes to bettering your business but there are those that think they know it all, those that scuff at the Disney magic and say it is for strange people such as myself.

Well, to them I say, YOUR LOSS. I will continue to pass along my talents that I honed at Disney and for my guests that I get to WOW on a daily basis now, your really in for a treat. You get 100% magic and you may compare me to others but merely remember something, magic happens and if your guests are the ones that benefit from it, then life is good.

Walt would be proud that the magic continues throughout the world, spread to hundreds of millions of people throughout and alittle of it goes a very long way.

So, ask yourself, are your guests/customers getting the magic they so deserve?

Is your team BORED WITH THE BASICS?

Strange title for a blog entry I'm sure your thinking, correct?
Look, if you have been in the industry for some time now, your probably working on auto-pilot. Your day to day tasks happen automatically....or ARE they?

The Greek word for "hospitality" is philoxenia........to literally translate that by a Greek is "the love of strangers". People in the hospitality industry love to create an environment of warmth a feeling of home to all friends, family and guests alike. They often possess a gift of courtesy, even having an incredible sensitivity to others.
For better or worse, we love what we do, but are we constantly updating the basics? Do we recognize the basic needs of our guests? Are we excelling in that? Does your hotel offer the cleanest rooms? Does your restaurant have a clean dining room? Are your colleagues wearing pressed uniforms and look the part? Ready to go?

Look, this all sounds simpleton obviously but this is why it's written. When we shift our thinking back to the fundamentals of service, we can better serve our guests. Ensuring we are excelling in the basics means we can then start to focus on the extras. But I digress, we are starting from the beginning, which......if you ask anyone, they will agree it is fine place to start.

From simply put policies and procedures to clear communications, referring back to the very basics of business will ensure that your guests are provided with the fundamentals.
When you provide them the love of strangers as those Greeks put it so perfectly, your setting yourself up for great success.