Tag Archives: Customer Service

The Changing Face of Todays Customer

Starbucks, Congratulations … Give Credit to Kelli

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With great fanfare, Starbucks announced they’re staffing a store exclusively with employees fluent in American Sign Language, (ASL). Congratulations.

Here’s my question: What took so long? After all, a Starbucks manager created a fantastic bridge to the hearing-impaired community … 18 year ago.

Enjoy the following case study of a truly visionary manager, Kelli Caires. I originally wrote about Kelli, in 2001, in my book: The Changing Face of Today’s Customer: Strategies for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse Customer and Employee Base.

Here’s the account of Kelli, back then. I wonder what she’s doing now?

Visionary Management, Visionary Customer Care
Kelli Caires, one of the thousands of store managers in the Starbucks organization, sets an example that is one we can all strive to attain. Her approach to creating a great customer experience and a sense of community exemplifies the cultural sensitivity that is so greatly needed in this era of indifference.

Kelli Caires is the Store Manager of a Starbucks located in Orange County, California.

This case really begins when Kelli and one of her staff, a partner named John, noticed a group of hearing-impaired customers visiting the store on a regular basis. Kelli states: “At first, we didn’t notice the pattern, but we realized a large group of about 40 customers was coming monthly, on Friday evenings. I knew that John was able to use sign language, so he and I approached the group to find out more about them.”

With John’s assistance as an interpreter, Kelli welcomed the group and asked them for suggestions for improving their Starbucks experience. Based on the group’s feedback Kelli put into motion a series of steps reflecting cultural and linguistic sensitivity rarely found in multinational organizations, much less neighborhood stores.

In addition to making sure John was scheduled on the evenings they arrived, Kelli and her team the following strategies to bridge the communication gaps:

Bridge #1: As a first step, she provided a pad of paper and a pen for every non-signing partner. This enabled them, via writing, to communicate with the hearing-impaired customers.

Bridge #2: Next, they transferred the menu that was posted on the wall onto laminated menus at each register. The real brilliance came when they connected erasable marking pens to the menus. “This was a whole lot easier than expecting these customers to clarify what they wanted to order by pointing to the large menu way up on the wall, they simply circled items on the menu with the pens”, says Kelli.

Bridge #3 To further refine their process, Kelli and her team decided to alter one of their long-standing operating procedures. Typically, when customers order a beverage at Starbucks, the order taker writes the customer’s name, in black ink, on the cup itself. Then, when the order is ready, another employee calls out the customer’s name to let them know the order is ready. For the hearing-impaired customers, Kelli’s team simply used a red pen on the cup. When one of the drinks with red ink was ready, John (the ASL-fluent employee) would step up and use sign language to call the customers to the counter.

Bridge #4  Even with these arrangements in place, Kelli took one more step.  She told me: “I was getting frustrated, as were some of the employees, by our inability to communicate directly with our customers.  So I decided to learn some basic sign language.”  Then, in a stroke of incredible good timing and luck, a person who represented a subsidiary of Goodwill Industries approached Kelli and offered to teach sign language to her and her staff, free of charge.  Kelli accepted, then worked out an even better scenario.  She invited customers to attend, as well. Here is Kelli’s explanation: “I thought that some of the hearing-able customers, those who came on the Fridays when our hearing-impaired customers gathered, might want to learn sign language as well.  So, I designated Tuesday evenings (the slowest night of the week) as lesson nights.”  Brilliant! Before long, the lobby of her Starbucks was overflowing with people attending the Tuesday night lessons. Better yet, many people walking through the shopping mall saw the activity and came in to see what was going on.  So, what had been the slowest night of the week, turned into a beehive of activity!   

Other-Centered = Connected
The result? In less than four months, what was once a group of 40 hearing-impaired customers has grown to an event that attracts between 300 and 600 hearing-impaired customers each month! And, as Kelli’s District Manager, Kimberly Shelton, states:

” Visiting Kelli’s store on those Fridays is an amazing sight. There is a virtual sea of people, yet it is relatively silent … everyone is signing.”

So, in place of the buzz of conversation, there is a tremendous movement of hands; Satisfied customers having a great time.

For virtually no cost, Kelli and her team of partners built bridges of great customer service and cultural sensitivity.

I’m thrilled Starbucks is finally adding to the foundation Kelli built

* Excerpted from
The Changing Face of Today’s Customer:
Strategies for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse Customer and Employee Base
in Your Local Market
By Doug Lipp

Disneyland

60 Years of Creating Happiness: Disney University Employee Orientation

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“At Disneyland, I wanted people to feel they were involved in something more important than parking cars, serving food, or sweeping up popcorn, that they would be creating happiness for others.”

Van France, Disney University Founder

 From Employee to Cast Member, Customer to Guest

Starting with the first Disneyland orientation program Van France and Dick Nunis created in 1955—60 years ago this year—Van’s message has remained the same:

Instill a sense of pride among employees about where they work and the jobs they perform. Van was determined to make Disneyland a place where customers and employees experienced second-to-none service. He knew creating happiness would be impossible if employees didn’t feel respected and good about what they were doing—regardless of their job.

One of Van’s strategies involved creating a whole new language at Disneyland; a language that reinforced the dignity of every job in the park.   Walt Disney originally set the tone when he first introduced the concept for Disneyland; it wasn’t an amusement park, it was a theme park.

Disneyland is a huge stage; Van leveraged this by introducing show-business terms. He reasoned that a new vocabulary, coupled with strong organizational values, could help bring pride and energy to the job. Plus, it wasn’t limited to employees of the park; Van also changed the words used for customers. Thus, employees became “hosts,” “hostesses,” and “cast members.” Customers became “guests,” and crowd-control became “guest control.” Over the years, the show-business vocabulary evolved along with the quality of the show itself. Ultimately, a core of powerful terms emerged from this approach … terms that reflect the essence of Disney’s sustained success:

  • Good Show/Bad Show.
  • On Stage/Backstage.

More importantly, these terms encompass values found throughout the company. Van and the Disney University pioneers were well aware of their task; creating a new organizational culture focusing on respect for customers and employees involves much more than the skillful use of a thesaurus.

More Than a Coat of Paint

Are the people who pay for goods and services “Customers,” “Patients,” “Students,” “Residents,” or “Guests?”

Are the people working in an organization “Associates,” “Team Members,” “Partners,” “Employees or “Cast Members”?

Merely changing nouns or verbs won’t ensure world-class customer service or create a motivated and engaged workforce. Equally preposterous is the notion that simply slapping a fresh coat of paint on a dilapidated, run-down house will bring it up to code.  Just as paint won’t improve the structural integrity of a building, [Tweet “catchy words for customers and employees have no value without leadership support.”]

Yet, the debate about how to best address customers and employees consumes valuable time, energy and money in organizations facing more onerous issues. For those, assessing and clarifying organizational values is a precursor to future improvement.

60 years ago, Disney University founder Van France got it right; treating employees with respect, and then preparing them for their job by providing training, is the recipe for sustained success.

Why don’t more organizations recognize this simple fact?

Excerpt from Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees. McGraw-Hill, 2013

Vet and Dog Looking at Each Other

Put Away Your Smartphones and Look Each Other In the Eye!

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I recently did some work for Menard’s, the fabulously successful home improvement store company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Although primarily located in the Midwest region, Menard’s is a powerful brand, dedicated to service and quality. They are on the move and Home Depot and Lowe’s should be on the lookout.

While touring a Menard’s retail store with one of their senior executives, we came across a display of recently delivered bed mattresses on the main floor. Seeking to be the ever-connected consultant, I posed a question that led to the following discussion:

“How many springs are in the mattress and how do they compare to your competition?”

Given that the product was new to Menard’s, he didn’t know the answer, but offered, “Once I get back to my office, I’ll look it up and let you know.”

I countered with, “Why don’t you just use your smartphone right now and look up the specs online?”

“We don’t allow phones on the store floor. That goes for everyone, from our front-line clerks and employees, to senior executives.” With a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, he continued, “You’re not an employee, so feel free to use your phone and look it up.”

Lesson learned. This is precisely why Menard’s doesn’t suffer the same problem plaguing countless other retailers; their employees connect with customers because they’re not preoccupied with their cell phones! From grooming standards to cell phone use, Menard’s has crystal clear values and policies that are followed by all.

Far too many executives are quick to blame younger, front line employees for being disrespectful and not following policies. I encourage those same executives to assess the culture of their organization. What kind of role models are your leaders, middle managers and supervisors?

Here’s another example of a CEO who gets it. Craig Culver is the sharp-as-a-tack, co-founder of the rapidly expanding Culver’s restaurant chain. With over 500 restaurants and millions of passionate customers, Craig sums up his leadership secrets:

1)      “I get out and touch tables.”

2)      “I live by the motto: put away your smartphones and look each other in the eye.”

Coincidentally Culver’s, like Menard’s, is based in Wisconsin. The leaders of both of these great organizations are the embodiment of: What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.  The folks in Wisconsin know what this means, it’s about time the rest of the country caught on.

Facts And Feelings

Are You Missing a Golden Opportunity to Connect With Customers and Employees?

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“Walt Disney would regularly walk through Disneyland, looking for problems or things to improve. He was good at it and always welcomed suggestions. I copied his routine. I continually walked through Disneyland, looking for different things, people problems. Facts are easy to identify, I was looking for feelings that were bothering Cast Members.”

Disney University Founder, Van France

Walt Disney’s strategy of walking the park dates back to the construction phase of Disneyland. He regularly visited the construction site to assess the proportion, or size, of buildings. A common sight was Walt, squatting down, and then looking up at a building from a lower angle. Walt’s equally common comment, “Can you see little kids looking up at this?” kept his planners and designers on their toes. Walt’s determination to view the storefronts and buildings from the vantage point of children ensured the needs of this large population of guests—an often overlooked group—was addressed.

Gather Facts and Feelings

Staying in touch with the front lines and connecting directly with your team and customers involves more than simply reading summaries derived from surveys. The best leaders know nothing can replace human contact. Restaurant owners praise the value of “touching tables.” The most effective ship captains know the value of “leading from the deck.” Walt Disney and Van France “walked the park.” 60 years later — and several generations removed — scores of Disney leaders continue to do so. How do you stay in touch with the front lines to gather facts and feelings from employees and customers? If Walt made the time, anyone can.  

Walk the Park 

  1. What is the equivalent of walking the park in your organization?  Who does it and how frequently?
  2. How could this strategy be improved? More people involved? More frequency?
  3. If leaders aren’t walking the park, what is the excuse?

 

 

training and development

Some Organizations Aren’t Ready for Training: A Lesson from Disney University

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 “Marketing is the time and money you spend to get people in the door. Training is the investment you make to get customers to come back and employees to stay; it creates loyalty.”

Jim Cora, retired chairman, Disneyland International

 What is the secret behind the success of Disney’s world famous employee development organization, the Disney University? Leadership support and no excuses!

Somewhere in the world, the following two scenarios are currently being played out. Both reflect a passive, victim mentality. Both undermine sustained employee and organizational development. Both open the door to competitors.

Scenario #1: “This weak economy is killing me. ‘Do more with less’ is the name of the game. My budgets are slashed and I have no wiggle room.”

The Result:

  • I don’t have the budget, time or people for training.
  •  Why train employees? They’ll be gone pretty soon.

Scenario #2: “This booming economy is killing me. We’re barely filling existing orders. Plus I can’t keep my good people. They jump ship as soon as someone else comes along waving a little extra money.”

The Result:

  • I don’t have the time or people for training.
  • Why train employees? They’ll be gone pretty soon.

These two organizations are at opposite ends of the economic spectrum; one is in a dying environment and the other in a thriving environment. Yet, the economy aside, there are surprising similarities between the two. The odds are good that neither organization has a history or culture of providing useful employee training, supported by the top leaders.

The extremes of economic booms and busts will never vanish. Both create considerable stess among leaders, and no one is immune. Leaders in government, business, religious institutions, non-profits and start-up organizations all face similar challenges.

Boom and bust extremes force leaders to consider ways to address the following challenges:

  • Do more with less.
  • Keep employees engaged and motivated.
  • Reduce employee turnover.
  • Improve customer service.
  • Differentiate from the competition.

Differentiation is the ultimate goal; how to stand out as the employer-of-choice, vendor-of-choice, service-provider-of-choice or, the whatever-of-choice.

Differentiating via doing more with less, keeping employees engaged and motivated and improving customer service is now more of a constant than an oddity. The anxiety and stress that used to be felt only during the extremes of boom and bust is now a daily reality for many.

So how does Disney and, more important, the Disney University do it? In my best-selling book: Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees, I reveal the Four Circumstances the Disney University founder, Van France, attributes to its success … Factors that keep the training from being viewed as a “necessary evil,” or worse … “nauseating!” These Four Circumstances are another name for organizational values … Specifically they are:

─ Innovate, Support, Educate and Entertain ─

Leaders must be innovative and comfortable with risk.  Leaders must provide overt, enthusiastic and sustained support. Be cheerleaders of training! Employee education and development must be an indispensable component of organizational culture; And employee training … ranging from the front lines to the executive suite … must be entertaining, engaging and memorable … not boring and forgettable!

The wild ride on the economic roller-coaster quickly gets out of control when any one of these four values are jettisoned and excuses start flying.

Blaming the economy is a convenient excuse for not providing training.

My mentor and founder of the Disney University, Van France, challenged many Disney executives with the following rant:

“The budget has become the scapegoat for every possible negative action and rejection of any suggestion for improving things. Cutting budgets is the coward’s way out of any problem.”

New Ideas

Walt Disney’s Mandate: "Keep the Park Fresh"

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Keep the Park Fresh

Fresh encompasses Walt Disney’s strategy for keeping Disneyland relevant and competitive; the never-ending pursuit of perfection. Walt’s philosophy of keeping the park clean, fresh and friendly extends to every cast member and every attraction. Timely upkeep of attractions keeps them fresh. Continuous development of cast members keeps them fresh, engaged and enthusiastic.

Ten years after Disneyland opened, in 1965, Walt reinforced his commitment to keeping Disneyland fresh. During the tenth anniversary celebration, Walt thanked his pioneering group of imagineers and staff for their hard work in making Disneyland successful. However, he closed the evening with this comment,

“I just want to leave you with this thought, that it’s just been sort of a dress rehearsal and we’re just getting started. So, if any of you start to rest on your laurels, I mean, just forget it.” 

Disneyland was a decade into an unprecedented run of success, and Walt referred to it as a “dress rehearsal.” Walt’s admonition to his leaders to avoid “resting on their laurels” underscores the need for constant improvement and attention to the details. “Resting on one’s laurels” is the equivalent of getting stale, a condition not acceptable to Walt. He expected the exact opposite; keep Disneyland fresh by constantly maintaining the property, keeping it clean, updating attractions, and by ensuring every cast member receives world-class training.

How is your company keeping your service or products “fresh?”

 

Training Sign

Lessons from Disney University: The Four Essentials of Successful Training

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Despite the resources at their disposal, too many training departments struggle to provide an educational experience that survives beyond the walls of those very classrooms or the pages of their training manuals. And too many training departments fail to get employees’ support of concepts, strategies, guidelines, rules, regulations, ideas and procedures presented during training. To overcome these problems, the heads of organizations and training departments might first address these questions:

  • “Why aren’t the standard operating procedures of our company followed?”
  • “Why is it so hard to sustain the momentum we had during training?”
  • “Does the training team have a seat at the corporate table?”

Even the lowest-tech, bare-boned and budget-challenged training program will get the job done as long as hearts and minds are captured. Training programs reflect organizational values and health. The content of training programs, the individuals who teach, the employees who attend, and the way employees are supported outside the classroom reveal much about organizational culture. Many organizations would benefit by simply looking at what their training activities (or lack of training activities) are telling them.

1)      Is innovation encouraged? To what extent is creative, out-of-the-box thinking fostered, both in the training environment and on the job?

2)      Is organizational support found at every level? Are leaders, from C-level executives to front-line supervisors, aligned with the training team? Is their support overt and enthusiastic? Do Operations and Training staff collaborate to ensure effectiveness of content and delivery methods?

3)      Is employee education valued and non-negotiable? Or, is training the first thing cut when budgets are tight?

4)      Is entertainment incorporated into training and education initiatives? Is training engaging and practical? Are experiential training techniques that have enough “shock value” (simulations, role-plays, exercises) employed to get maximum involvement from all trainees … even the introverts? Entertainment, effectively used, has a place in virtually any training environment; it helps transform theory into action and boring into memorable.

Yes, the Disney University benefits from having iconic mascots such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. More important, the Disney University enjoys the Four Essentials outlined above. How many of these Essentials does your training team enjoy?

positive press

Executives Who Don’t Exude These Qualities Lose Employees’ Hearts and Minds

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Capture Hearts and Minds

It’s More Than Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

“A maxim of the movie industry is that ‘it takes a happy crew

to produce a happy show.’”

 Van France, Founder, Disney University

 Disney University, 1982.

Dick Nunis, hoping to catch a quick cat-nap, slumps into a chair at the back of the darkened room and closes his eyes. Exhausted and suffering from a lack of sleep, he knows he has no option other than to press on. The five-minute run time of the video he just introduced to his audience will provide a much needed break. The grand opening of EPCOT, the $800 million expansion at Walt Disney World in Florida is just around the corner and he has much to do.

 As president of the Outdoor Recreation Division for the Walt Disney Company, Dick is responsible for both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. With the 1982 EPCOT expansion project, eleven years after the opening of the Magic Kingdom, Dick’s responsibilities are vast, complicated and expanding by the day.

 And Dick is the sole presenter of the employee orientation program for all EPCOT cast members. His audience isn’t a select group of senior managers, nor is he merely the figurehead-executive-guest-speaker brought in for a few minutes to kick off the session. Dick is giving this same 90-minute presentation to every cast member assigned to EPCOT … all 2,000 of them. 

 Today’s session is similar to the dozens he has already conducted during the last week, and he must lead dozens more. While in front of his audience Dick, in his own inimitable style, exudes energy and enthusiasm. He reaffirms with cast members the importance of maintaining the Disney legacy of world class guest service.   

 Twenty seven years earlier, in preparation for the grand opening of Disneyland, Dick and his boss, Van France, kept up a similar, frenetic pace. In fact, the content of these current sessions, and Dick’s effusive style, isn’t much different from a quarter century earlier. At that time, he was fresh out of college and full of energy. Now, despite the never-ending demands upon his time as a senior executive of The Walt Disney Company, Dick still sets the standard for enthusiasm and endurance. And he is right in the middle of something he considers crucial to the success of EPCOT—guest service and cast member training.

 As the video draws to a close, a staff member flicks on the room lights. Dick runs to the front of the room and continues the orientation. Grand opening is just around the corner.

 To prepare for the EPCOT grand opening, a brand new orientation program was designed for those who would be working at the park.  In order to ensure the success of EPCOT, existing cast members were transferred from the Magic Kingdom. Although all were experienced, Dick wanted them to fully understand their roles, and their importance to this newest theme park, so he conducted each and every session, multiple times per day for two weeks.

Through his words and actions, Dick perpetuated the corporate culture he learned so many decades ago from Walt Disney and Van France. The Walt Disney Company cares about its employees and this project.  So, by rolling up his sleeves and demonstrating his willingness to wear one of many hats, he reinforced Walt’s and Van’s belief in the qualities every leader should regularly demonstrate …  be connected and be involved:

  • Management must be diligent or the show will deteriorate.
  • Management must be diligent or the cast will deteriorate.

Connected and Involved!

The image of Dick Nunis personally conducting dozens of orientation programs, enough to reach thousands of cast members, sends a powerful message and reflects qualities embodied by Walt and Van; stay connected and stay involved.  Indeed, the president of any company presiding over employee orientation or training is unusual, and this is most likely a stretch for the majority of leaders. Yet, the exact opposite is too often the case; disconnected and distant executives sending messages of indifference through their lack of involvement and support.

Creative

Words of Training Wisdom from Disney Legends

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“Marketing is the time and money you spend to get people in the door. Training is the investment you make to get guests to come back and cast members to stay; it creates loyalty.”

Jim Cora, Retired Chairman, Disneyland International

Jim Cora’s Disney career spanned 43 years. He was hand-picked by Walt Disney to help start the Disney University with the founder, Van France. The Disney University is respected around the world as a premier training institution. Training is a core value at Disney Theme Parks and Resorts … and the results speak for themselves.

Training is a vital component of customer service and employee engagement, yet far too many companies wantonly cut training budgets and personnel. Why the short-sighted approach?

For budget-sensitive executives, I urge you to consider new and creative approaches to training. It needn’t be conducted in classrooms loaded with the latest high-tech equipment. Training can occur anywhere at any time … even in five-minute bursts during pre/post-shift staff meetings.

There is no excuse for cutting effective training programs. Finally, here are some additional words of wisdom to consider in this era of cost cutting and belt tightening:

“Budgets might be tight, creativity is always free.”

Van France, founder of Disney University

Storytelling Reading

Disney University and "Mary Poppins": What’s the Connection?

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The Wonders of Powerful Storytelling

“That’s what storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again.” Tom Hanks, in his portrayal of Walt Disney, uttered these words in one of the most poignant scenes in the just-released Disney film, “Saving Mr. Banks.” This comedic drama sheds light on the challenges Walt Disney faced convincing novelist P.L. Travers to sell him the rights for a film adaptation of her book “Mary Poppins.”

Whether or not Walt Disney actually used this phrase with Mrs. Travers is irrelevant. Indisputable is that Walt Disney was a masterful storyteller. His ability to create vivid images, through words, drawings and film, transformed countless ideas into reality. Absent Walt’s talent for storytelling, his dreams of creating the Oscar Award winning “Mary Poppins,” or a theme park called Disneyland, wouldn’t have come true.

Equally important is Walt’s brilliance as a leader; he surrounded himself with staff similarly adept at igniting passion through stories. Throughout “Saving Mr. Banks” are engaging scenes depicting how Walt relied upon the songwriting prowess of composers Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman to transform Mary Poppins from words in Travers’ book, to a vibrant character on film.

Van France, founder of the Disney University, was an equally talented storyteller. Walt hired Van in 1955 to transform a group of young Californians, with no business experience, into producers of the Disneyland Dream. Van’s storytelling prowess evolved into the timeless training programs and educational materials of the Disney University, capturing the hearts and minds of millions. Van’s audience was initially Disneyland employees; the many thousands of cast members who have helped create The Happiest Place on Earth for nearly 60 years.

One of Van’s storytelling strategies involved creating a whole new language at Disneyland; a language that painted a very clear picture of how employees would evolve into actors. Disneyland is a huge stage, a show in and of itself, and Van leveraged this by introducing show-business terms. He reasoned that a new vocabulary, coupled with strong organizational values, could help bring pride and energy to very demanding jobs. Plus, it wasn’t limited to employees of the park; Van also changed the words used for customers. Thus, employees became “hosts,” “hostesses,” and “cast members.” Customers became “guests,” and crowd-control became “guest control.” This combination of a unique vocabulary and memorable training programs, supported by Walt’s unwavering focus on quality, set the stage for decades of unparalleled success. Van France’s lessons now form the basis of the renowned Disney-style of service at every Disney theme park and resort in the world.

Telling the story of Van France was a two year journey for me, culminating in my recent book, Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Loyal, Engaged and Customer-Centric Employees. While writing Disney U, I would occasionally struggle with word choice and writing style: How to best share the creative brilliance of Van and the founding members of the Disney University? How could I capture readers’ hearts and minds? During those moments, I simply remembered a fundamental skill Van taught me … tell a story.

Setting the tone for each of the 13 chapters in Disney U are never-before-told stories from numerous Disney legends. These pioneers share behind-the-scenes success stories of how they helped bring Walt Disney’s and Van France’s dreams to life.

Storytellers ignite passion, foster creativity and help us explore possibilities. How are you using the power of storytelling with your employees, colleagues or customers?

A Note about “Mary Poppins” and the Contributor of Disney U Foreword: Jim Cora, the retired chairman of Disneyland International, worked directly for Walt and started the Disney University with Van France. While preparing for a presentation we recently gave at The Walt Disney Family Museum, Jim recounted a fun story. Early in his 43-year career with Disney, Jim had the opportunity to work a plum assignment; he oversaw parking operations for the 1964 Hollywood premier of one of the most famous of all Disney movies … Mary Poppins.