Disney Truly Defines Customer Service and Marketing

I was in Orlando over the holiday season – and once again was blown away by Disney and its epitome of customer service and marketing tactics.

So many industries and companies can learn from Disney’s example. Most obvious are travel and tourism, of course, but Disney’s vision of how it treats its guests can be repeated within virtually any environment. Some examples:

• Disney sent me a series of reminder e-mails about how to get the most from my vacation. These were short, HTML-visual e-mails that talked about the parks, restaurants and recreation. They not only were informative; they made me feel as if I were a part of the experience before I ever stepped one foot in Florida.
• It’s the Happiest Place on Earth – no doubt about it. No matter what kind of day a cast member (an employee at DisneyWorld) has, he or she always has an upbeat attitude. I’m sure it’s not all rosy behind the scenes, but I don’t want to see what’s behind the curtain. Who would?

  

• Each night when I returned to my room, there was a towel sculpture waiting for me.

  

• It snowed. Yes – it’s Florida, but yes, it snowed. Unbelievable as it sounds, I tried to catch a snowflake to see if it was  made of paper. Nope – an actual snowflake. Amazing! It added so much to the experience.
• After I returned home, I received an e-mail asking me to order photos through the company’s PhotoPass service. I filled out the survey and, of course, spent another $40 on photos.

  

I can’t even imagine what Walt Disney would think of his vision and the way the vision evolved. In my head, he would be very, very proud. These guys get it right!