The livid woman stood outside the restaurant. Much to the embarrassment of her sister, the lady raged to everyone in shouting distance. Something horrific had transpired during the birthday dinner of a young child.
The proud aunt had intended a presentation during the fireworks display. She yelled out to anyone who would listen that her server had failed to notify her of the impending event. Her sister, the mother, cringed in humiliation, and the “victim” of this event, a three-year-old girl, somehow slept through the festivities.
Oddly, none of this happened in a place where Disney personnel could hear any of it, only bemused onlookers. An angry customer was literally shouting into the dark, rendering her behavior as pointless as it was…well, insane. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think about how futile the exercise was. Disney customer service is the gold standard among Fortune 500 companies.
Had this frustrated aunt simply relayed her disappointment to a manager on duty, the cast member would have done everything possible to make good on the situation. To avoid potentially similar frustrations to our readers, let’s take this opportunity to discuss Disney guest relations. Here are several tips on receiving customer service from The Walt Disney Company.
Tip #1: Have some self-awareness
Image: DisneyDisney executives understand the difficulties of a theme park visit. With tens of thousands of people swarming the parks each day, a lot can and does go wrong. Cast members are sympathetic to the plights of frustrated park guests. They want everyone to have the best time possible at the Happiest Place on Earth. Still, attitude matters.
No matter how terrible a slight you feel you’ve received during your visit, understand that the cast member has seen worse. What’s horrible to you isn’t exactly mundane to them, but a long-tenured theme park worker has seen a lot over the years. Your story will have to end in bloodshed or x-rays to stand out from the crowd…and in that case, no Internet guide will help you. It’s probably better to consult with a doctor and/or lawyer instead.
Tip #2: You’ll catch more flies with honey
Image: DisneyKeeping this in mind, the way you approach Disney matters. Don’t act entitled and try not to demonize an employee. Sure, a cast member sometimes screws up or behaves in an unseemly manner. It’s the extreme exception to be certain, but it does happen. Even in such instances, maintain neutrality and fairness in relaying your issue to Disney. Otherwise, you’ll come across poorly, reducing the problem solver’s desire to aid you.
Remember that the person you’re most likely to contact deals with irate Disney customers all day. That’s a grueling job without a lot of happiness to it. Try not to make their day worse by being a jerk. You’re asking for an act of kindness. Display that behavior on your side, and you’re more likely to find reciprocation.
Image: DisneyWhile I have never worked for Disney, I did work in customer service crisis support during college. One of my job duties was trying to satisfy disgruntled honeymooners who had room problems on their wedding nights. You can imagine the emotional fury these customers felt when they arrived at the hotel, only to discover that their room had been given away, leaving them with nothing.
I hated every second of that job. Still, I tried my best to help every single person. I went out of my way, however, when people acted reasonably with me. The ones who were particularly unselfish are, perhaps ironically, the customers I tried the hardest to satisfy. Disney employees are no different. They’re human, and they respond better to kindness than to open hostility or threats.
Tip #3: Be specific
Image: DisneyThe only person who knows all the specifics of your situation is you. Your customer service response will mirror the attention to detail that you show in describing the events. When you lodge a complaint, don’t assume that Disney will understand your point of view immediately.
The best strategy is to provide the most detailed description possible. If you’re walking up to Guest Services, look the cast member in the eye and relay all pertinent information about your situation. In my experience, the workers here will bend over backwards to provide the best customer service that they can.
If you’re writing a formal complaint or calling the customer service phone number (I recommend the former), your specificity should include bullet points. Don’t offer a laundry list of things that went wrong on your vacation. Disney actually expects things like long lines at attractions and restaurants. You won’t do anything but cause the person listening/reading to tune you out by offering a freeform airing of grievances.
Image: DisneyInstead, hone in on the issues that you found truly unacceptable. Let Disney know how and why you feel aggrieved. State the ways in which you feel the company let you down and how you believe they could have done a better job. Disney uses all customer complaints as opportunities to enhance the company’s efficiency. The suggestions you offer have value to their business. They could learn of new and better ways to solve such problems based on your feedback. This really does happen.
In order to do your part toward improving the Disney experience, you need to think about your issues from a customer AND business perspective. Where did Disney go wrong? Was the situation avoidable? Did you or your party have any culpability in the matter? Think about all of these questions as you’re formulating your complaint. The customer service representative who reads your letter will give you greater consideration if you approach the situation from this perspective. It’s more valuable to Disney that way.
Tip #4: Have a goal in mind
Image: DisneyReceiving adequate customer service is more difficult in some industries than others. For example, if you go to a fast food restaurant and they mess up your order, a simple fix is possible. You point out the issue, and the customer service agent replaces your order with the appropriate food, possibly offering you additional compensation such as a gift card in the process. When you buy a broken item from a manufacturer, you expect a replacement free of charge and possibly a warranty extension, too.
A problem at a Disney theme park isn’t quite so finite. When you address the issue with a cast member, they won’t know exactly how much frustration you face nor will they understand what you need to feel better about the situation. Inevitably, a Disney customer service agent will ask, “What would you like us to do?” For the love of all that is holy, please don’t reply with something ambiguous such as, “I dunno. What would you suggest?”
That sort of vague reply has two likely outcomes. One is that the agent will offer you something that you don’t want. The second is that they’ll offer you something that you feel is nowhere near satisfactory for your situation. That’s the Ogre’s Choice of Disney customer service.
Image: DisneyTo avoid this situation, put some thought into the matter before you approach a cast member. Think about what has transpired and what you feel Disney should do to make things right. Then, when the customer service agent asks for your feedback, give a straightforward reply. If you had an issue that caused you miss a couple of hours of park time, ask for a few FastPasses to use. You can skip the lines and thereby make up the difference. If you had an issue with your room, request a new one and some sort of compensation for the trouble.
The worst thing that can happen with this sort of request is that the Disney employee says no. Since they are trained to please customers, they’ll likely come back with a counter that should provide you with satisfaction. Understand that you’re entering a negotiation when you have a customer complaint. Ask for tangible options that you believe Disney can provide.
People love Disney so much that even the idea of complaining about their service is divisive. That’s unfortunate because the company can and does get better thanks to the feedback of its customers. Businesses learn from mistakes, just as people do. That’s why you shouldn’t feel afraid to tell the company when they’ve let you down. By following the suggestions above, you can receive Disney’s legendary customer service while doing your part to help the company get even better.
