The Experience: The 5 Principles of Disney Service and Relationship Excellence

Chapter ThreeFive Levels of the ExperienceWhat Level Are You?

The purpose of life is to experience the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for a richer and newer experience.

—Eleanor Roosevelt

Customer service is worse today than it has ever been. Our internal research tells us that customers are increasingly frustrated because they feel that “no one seems to care.” What is truly sad is that it takes no more time to be warm, friendly, and personable than it does to go through the motions. Where has the genuine care gone? Where is the relentless resolve to cause an exceptional Experience?

Every person wants to feel important—and every consumer has a choice of where to do business. If a particular organization does not provide better service or a better Experience than what a consumer can receive over the Internet, why would a customer make the effort to come into the restaurant, store, or other establishment? Consumers want and deserve to feel valued, welcomed, and as if they really matter. Today's technology and social media capabilities give them the power to positively or negatively affect your brand. The Experience you deliver therefore has an enormous impact on your bottom line.

Research shows that today's customers are not just disappointed or dissatisfied; they are outraged. Reporter Brad Tuttle's article in Time magazine of June 7, 2011, entitled “Customer Service Hell” tells us that while 80 percent of companies believe that they provide superior customer ...