Ask any kid where he or she wants to go on vacation. Most, without hesitation, would say Disney World. (The same goes for a number of adults, too.) Disney World isn't just an amusement park - it's a place to escape and enter into a different world. A magical world full of fun and experiences you'll remember for a lifetime.
What has Disney done to foster this brand experience? Obviously, they've been working on it for decades, but what keeps people, young and old, coming back year after year? The answer is simple - they continue to delight their customers with a magical experience.
From the moment you step off the plane, your luggage is automatically transferred to a Disney Magical Express bus. There's no need to drag your luggage while walking or carrying kids through the airport - just find your way to the bus and you'll be whisked away into a different world.
When you arrive at your Disney lodging property, you are treated like royalty. The resort staff members are not considered employees, they're characters. They are there to make sure you have an incredible experience. And this is all before you have even set foot into a theme park! Which, by the way, are easy to access by an integrated transportation system from both water and road. Getting there is half the fun.
While at the park, you and your kids enter a faraway world full of entertaining characters. Even the snack stands provide exceptional service. And finally, when you're ready to head home, you once again board the Magical Express bus. That's when the amazingly well-timed DVD movie encourages you to instantly book your next trip. They've set the hook and we're on the line - we will be coming back.
We can learn a lot from what Disney is doing extraordinary well. And not just what they do to please kids, but how they make the experience just as rewarding for adults.
Lean is about understanding the voice of the customer, both internal and external, and then developing your processes around that understanding to maximize value and minimize waste. You should continuously reevaluate your services and processes to deliver value. The Kano Model of Customer Satisfaction is one tool used in the Lean process to understand the voice of the customer (or client), and it's a great place to start.
Clients view your services from three vantage points. Start by identifying the services you provide in each of these areas:
You can't understand the voice of the customer until you understand how your services are viewed by your clients. Disney obviously has tremendous processes in place while giving "characters" some flexibility to delight customers. That should be your goal, too. So what do you do to delight your clients?Are your processes set up in a way to effectively enable your firm to deliver this kind of experience to your clients? It is possible to tailor your processes or adopt new ones that allow you to better serve your clients.
Disney's delighter services highlighted above are what create that "magical" experience. You too can create a world-class experience for your clients. Set the hook to keep them coming back year after year. How? By listening to the voice of your customer and continuously improving your processes and services so you can continue to delight.
Let your competitors be like every other theme park out there. You should strive to be like Disney.
