• Disney 'Magic' Can Help You Improve the Customer Experience

    April 28, 2016
    A phenomenal customer experience with your company might be the only thing that differentiates you from your competition.

    There is a wealth of information on the Internet about “improving your customer experience.” In fact, type this phrase into the Google search bar, and you’ll probably get about 79 million results in less than half a second. That’s a lot of advice about improving customer service.

    Unfortunately many of the links read like an old-school manual from a basic marketing course 10 years ago – or worse, old sales training manuals. Remember the days when call handlers were given a script to read from and everyone was required to recite the same old boring sales pitch over and over? Every customer got the same exact story and every customer service representative nearly fell asleep sticking to the pre-packaged script. This isn’t to say call scripts are bad, but going beyond the script is a necessary component in today’s customer-centric marketplace.

    The Internet has changed the way people do business. Every customer has access to pricing, and anyone can look up their closest home service provider online and simply go with the one that has the best reviews.

    In order to book more calls and convert those calls into revenue, you have to do something beyond what is expected. You have to be better than average – you have to be phenomenal.

    A phenomenal customer experience with your company might be the only thing that differentiates you from your competition. If you want your company to be better than average and provide an experience that is better than average, consider these five tips from Disney, one of the masters at providing world-class customer service:

    1. Don’t treat every customer or caller the exact same way: Have you ever been on Disney’s Jungle Cruise ride? The ride performers do have a script, but you will notice they have the freedom to alter it, improve it, and make it their own. This makes for a customized adventure for each visitor. Encourage your call handlers to treat every caller as individuals, and tailor their conversation to the person on the other end of the phone. Your customers will appreciate that they’re not treated like just another call, and they will be more likely to become repeat customers.
    1. Act happy in order to be happy: Have you ever seen a sad Disney character or performer? You won’t because Disney is known for being “The happiest place on earth.” Your CSRs can be the happiest CSRs in the home service industry … just by playing the part. When you are happy (or even just smile as you talk), you exude a positive attitude. Happiness is contagious, and the positive attitude of your CSRs will quickly catch on to your customers.
    1. Invest in knowledge: Ask a Disney cast member a question about something Disney and you know he or she will have the answer. That’s because they are trained to have this knowledge. If your customer service reps and call handlers are not educated on your products, your pricing, your services, and most importantly your business values and culture, it comes across to potential customers. People are smart and do a lot of research before they make that call. Your call handlers are the first contact people have with your company, so make sure they know everything they need to know in order to convert the call into a sale.
    1. Master the art of listening: Listening has become a lost art, and like most of us, you probably experience what it’s like to be ignored by a company before. How many times have you spoken to a distracted salesperson only to have him (or her) look at you and say “What did you say?” How frustrating is that? Disney cast members, you will notice, pay attention to each and every customer no matter the age, size or gender. It’s part of the culture to give 100 percent attention to the customer. Help your employees by reducing distractions in their environment and see if it helps.
    1. Sometimes we forget how important our callers are to our business: Take a minute to think about all the steps that individual may have gone through to finally make that call. Have they been frustrated? Are they feeling down? Are they worried they won’t get what they need or want? They took a long journey to call your business, and your call handlers can help that caller along in the sales process by letting the customer know your business is thankful for the call. Instruct your CSRs and let them know your business really does appreciate the time and effort they took to contact you.

    Disney thanks its visitors by providing an exceptional experience every single day, every single minute. Disney’s objective is to give its visitors unlimited reasons to think about their time there with a smile. If your customer service reps and call handlers can incorporate any of the five tips above in their routine, you may be surprised at the difference a small change can make.