Guest Service? Sometimes... sometimes not...

[LoriL]

Turkey Leg Boy: I'll bet that WDW has many charts already done that show customer complaints vs. growth of WDW, as well as vs. number of CM's, ratios of CM's to guests, etc. That's why it's disappointing-- I am positive that Disney knows what it is doing-- but that they have decided that the cutbacks on service and maybe CM training save them enough money to offset customer complaints and erosion of revenue from customers who decide to spend their vacation dollars elsewhere. The company is too careful about everything not to analyze things like this.

And to The Mom: I agree with everything you said! In most hotels I've stayed in, turndown service happens while you are out to dinner. Sophisticated hotels even monitor when you are having dinner so that they come during that time. I wouldn't expect that from Disney (even though at a deluxe resort you are paying the same kind of price that you pay at a truly deluxe resort anywhere else), and it is probably true that they have to start somewhere at 5pm to be finished by 8pm or so, when many people are returning to their rooms. It's early, but I can't really object to that. What was upsetting was the response of the maid, who is there to provide a service, after all! She had plenty of other rooms to do, so she could have come back. Or she could have explained it in a pleasant and reasonable way (such as saying "My schedule is very tight and I have to start somewhere. But tomorrow I could start at the other end of the hall to give you a bit more time", etc.). But she wasn't INTERESTED in coming back, and both she and the person at the front desk made me feel like a demanding person asking for more than I deserved.

There is a good reason for everything. But in my years of customer service I was taught that the customer is always right. And you should make them feel that way, so that they keep coming back.

 

[LoriL]

I second Disney PhD! They really SHOULD be monitoring these boards, but only for the purpose of self-improvement!

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by LoriL
They really SHOULD be monitoring these boards

they do.. they have a dept. devoted to mintoring Disney fan websites and Ebay auctions..

 

[figmentmom]

Hang in there, Tyler. I think your comments were well-thought-out and valid. It's very evident from your posts, both in this thread and others, that you love your job! I would rather have employees lke you who are constantly seeking ways to make things better, than employees who belong to the "blind faith" school of thought. Sweeping potential problems under the rug rarely improves their solutions.

 

[Frank4669]

I was very dissapointed that they don't have anyone to transport guests to thier room with thier luggage, but I guess that's one of the amenities that comes with the deluxe resorts. I think I kind of spoiled my parents when I had them stay at the Grand Floridian last time... hehe... (then again, it could also be me being overprotective, and wanting only the best, and for everything to be perfect for them)

Tyler:

The Truth never hurts anyone, good or bad, we all pay good money to stay at a Disney Resort and should expect top notch service. My wife, kids and I would be lucky to meet a responsible employee like yourself. If we want "run of the mill" service we can stay at the Raddison in Kissimmee for $69 and have a pretty good room. If Disney is "Dissing" you with a smile they're still "Dissing" you. Still love the place though. Keep up the good work!

Frank

 

[Maria]

I love listenning to people tell their experiences in hotels...Disney or not...

I worked as a Guest Relations Manager for Hyatt, and was in charge of handling all the complaints before they reached high management (they should end with me and not reach the general manager, of course!), and what you are all referring to, simply gets fixed with some common sense from the concierge or front desk if there is no concierge. I mean, it doesn´t take too much to keep a guest happy. Turn down service at the Hyatt started at 5 and finished at 9pm at the Hyatt, and was done by just one maid for 60 rooms more or less each night (the ones in the concierge level). I many times helped her do it faster by telling her which guests were out of the room, which ones were coming earlier, etc... the concierge is there for a reason: personalized service, and that includes talking to the guests and writing down info that could be useful later, i.e. their dinner plans, kid´s bdays, etc. If the "do not disturb" sign was on the door, that room would not get serviced no matter what. At Hyatt, they used to leave a card under the door saying that because of the DND, they didn´t make the room.

It seems to me, that trainning was needed in those cases, to the maid and to the front desk service. Lack of courtesy is unacceptable though... there are so many ways to explain to a guest that the maid is superbusy one night and still have them happy! or, to tell the maid to come back to that room when she finishes the one next door! it doesn´t take too much.
Apparently, area managers needed a little bit of monitoring too... like the one who asked that "maybe you would like another resort"... that was the worst in my opinion! I would have answered "yes, the Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt/etc across the street"! ggrrrr!

I am also surprised that the All Stars don´t have bell service! How much more would it cost to have a golf car deliver the luggage? It wouldn´t even have to be right then! The guests could leave and another CM could deliver it in the next minutes! I don´t like the AS because they are very spread and take a long walk for everything in the FLorida heat, and I would probably don´t mind too much having to find my way to my room, but having to carry my luggage through the buildings.... no way!!

I would suggest writing a letter explainning your situations while staying there. If you have the manager´s name, even better, but if not, the simple fact is enough for a good general manager to take action. I would address it directly to him so it doesn´t get lost in other areas.

Ok... enough ranting here from me... sorry about that..

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey MKTiggerman!!!! They really do monitor these boards and websites?? If so how come they havent learned anything from them?? I find these boards so entertaining and informative. Disney shoud SERIOUSLY take a good long look at these sites!!

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by wannabeBelle
They really do monitor these boards and websites??

they do monitor them.. to make sure no proprietary information is being disclosed.. that's it.

 

[niteobsrvr]

I am glad you all disagreed with me. It reaffirms my position that Disney may not survive another 50 years. Probably not even ten years if things continue the way they are going now. 25 years ago, give or take a few, my previous comments would have been similar to the the company's stance about such things.

Things have changed so much. It's amazing in many respects and sad in others.

The Disney we remember and would like to see again may actually be completely and totally dead.

There was a time when Disney would have tolerated none of the behavior mentioned in many many of the posts in this thread. There was a time when cast members actually were part of the magic. There was a time when guests would have been appalled at some of the comments made here by cast memebers.

But things change. Good people give up. Friendliness is replaced by efficiency. Short-term Profitability becomes the master of all Decisions. This is the case of the Company as a whole and for each and everyone of us as individuals.

The reason Disney was able to meet everyones expectations so well in the past is simple. Instead of embracing the current climate of our society at any given time, it held on to the time tested values of the past. Great Service, Exceptional Product, Employee Loyalty and Employer Loyalty.

Some time in the last 10 years or so, Disney began to embrace the values that we can find in every shopping mall in America. When a Company can no longer differentiate itself from its competition, its life span shortens dramatically.

Marketing surveys tell management what they can charge for and what they can't. What they can eliminate and what they can't. There is no mystery. Its scientific.

Even in light of all the changes at Disney, people still come. They are unhappy with the service yet they still come.

Until people stop coming, the business will continue on its present path.

 

[SteveUK]

I hate to have to agree with you niteobsrvr but it looks like you are right. Service and profit are not compatible, they are two opposing ends of a scale along which you must fix your business. The temptation seems to be just too great to constantly try to push just that little bit further towards the profit end. Unfortunately, several small cutbacks and changes soon start to add up and get noticed.
From there it's a slippery slope and it would take a seriously brilliant management team to turn things around. Can you see that happening? I wish I could.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Sorry niteobsrvr , but your comments feel like you are saying Disney is going to "heck" in a handbaskit.

Now that's some negitive thinking.

People complain, it's in our nature. That doesn't mean they wont still come back. I bet Tyler's mom will be back many more times in the future.

I've had complaints too, but I still go back whenever I can.

Heck, I've heard lottory winners complain about winning millons of dollars, 'cos they had to share some of the winnings with other ticket winners.

I think Disney will go on and on and on. It is the biggest vacation spot. Millons of people go every year.

Maybe they are not the Disney of the past, but they shouldn't be. They are bigger, more diverse, and still growing. If you think everything should be peachy clean, you're the one living in a fantasy world.

I for one enjoy Tylers comments. Informative, truthful, and I always read them when I see he's posted something. This shows that the Disney spirt is alive and well in CM's like him.

Sorry to soapbox...stepping down. :lookaroun

 

[BigAL]

All Stars

Everyone keeps saying that the All Stars does not have bell services. I have stayed there a few times and they had bell services then. They will take your luggage to your room. I think everyone is confusing the services they offer. Although they do have bell services they will not take you to your room on the golf cart.

 

[LoriL]

You're right, niteobserver. It's a shame. Disney has something precious-- a brand that most companies would kill for. Once the brand begins to lose some of its core essence, its power will slip away. By that time, it will be very hard to regain what it has lost. By the time it impacts actual ticket sales, it will be far too late to turn it around.

It's similar to what has happened to the Gap in some ways (though Disney has much moer to lose). Build the brand, people come. Then eliminate some of the things people count on you for. Sales drop, clientele dwindles. Can you get it back? I don't think so. Once I've walked into the Gap and realized that I can't find a pair of jeans or khakis or even sweats (old standards in the past), I'll never go in again.

It's funny-- I took the Keys to the Kingdom tour during this last visit, and there was so much emphasis on Show. The behavior mentioned all over this thread is simply bad show. Personally I think this is much more important than a new e-ticket ride.

 

[disneydentist]

We must be the exception to the rule in the service we recently received at POR.

1. The trim on the bathroom doorknob was badly damaged with sharp edges. We called maintenance and they had someone there within 1/2 hour to replace it.

2. We called guest services to find out when Mike and Sully would be out at MGM. They called us back within 5 minutes with the answer.

3. We had different towel animals and configurations of our existing animals and toys daily. By the end of the week we had a window full of towel animals. Many windows at POR had towel animals.

4. Our family of four couldn't even use all the towels we were given. We probably had enough for two days at any given time.

Always remember, even though cast members work for Disney, they are people too. Even the best have good days and bad days. Also, I don't believe that the customer is always right. There are rules and policies for a reason and if you follow the "always right" theory then you end up with chaos. Everyone wants what they want when they want it and then no one is happy in the end. Just MHO.

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
Friendliness is replaced by efficiency. Short-term Profitability becomes the master of all Decisions.

Funny.... even though I was a traditions bypass (i came to WDW from Disney Regional Entertainment.. meaning that a lot of paperwork required by WDW was never done to me, also meaning I'm grandfathered/exempted from a LOT of policies.. like conflicts of interest) I still remember from training Safety, Quality, Efficiency and Show.. if I remember correctly, Friendliness falls under show, which apparently is less important that Efficiency. This is the companies doing, not the cast. Blame the company.. not the guests. The guests have complained since day 1, but since they are the ones who pay our paychecks, they have all the right in the world to do so (i can't believe I just said that... but it IS true). Short-term profitability is one of the worst ways to run a business.. it's great if you can last until the next fiscal year, but what about say.. in 10 or 20 years. Disney should be ran w/ long-term profitability in mind.

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
Great Service, Exceptional Product, Employee Loyalty and Employer Loyalty.

Great service and the exceptional product are still there. And hopefully they always will be. However until the employer has some loyalty for the employee (I AM A HUMAN BEING.. NOT A MOTHER SCRATCHING NUMBER! DISNEY CAN'T SEEM TO QUITE GRASP THAT! Also, sometimes Disney is tooooooooooo PC for it's own good) The second I get treated like an adult and w/ respect, maybe then I'll show some loyalty to Disney as a CM. Right now I'm also at Universal w/ an entertainment contract, and you know what? I a helluva lot happier with my treatment there.. but it isn't Disney, and I really wish it was.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by disneydentist
We must be the exception to the rule in the service we recently received at POR.

On the contrary... you weren't the exception... that excellent service you received is just what Disney is all about... That's our supposed trademark... and for the most part (I'm hoping) everyone else either does (or should) receive the same level of high-quality service. That's why one pays the premium Disney prices. And that's why everyone comes back.

Originally posted by disneydentist
Always remember, even though cast members work for Disney, they are people too. Even the best have good days and bad days. Also, I don't believe that the customer is always right. There are rules and policies for a reason and if you follow the "always right" theory then you end up with chaos. Everyone wants what they want when they want it and then no one is happy in the end. Just MHO.

:sohappy: I could not have said it better myself!!!

 

[niteobsrvr]

I am glad that some of you can see what I am getting at here.

I have watched the Disney company for many years both from outside and inside. I am afraid that Disney might be on its way to joining some other once great corporations in the Wall Street Junk bin. Xerox, ATT, and MCI/Worldcom all are recent examples that come to mind.

These were once great companies with great service,product, and loyalty. However, as I mentioned previously, when you can no longer differentiate your product from the competition, you are heading for great difficulties. Beacuse Disney is a large conglomerate with complicated systems and markets, there are no easy answers. I only wish I was in college again doing my final corporate case study on Disney for this reason.

I would like to offer some comments here to the cast members that are reading this thread especially Tyler. I honestly believe he is trying very hard to preserve the magic. However, I can also tell that at times he is discouraged and not sure that Disney still stands for those values for which the company used to strive. For example:

On the contrary... you weren't the exception... that excellent service you received is just what Disney is all about... That's our supposed trademark

The pixie dust is still there but not as potent as when Tyler first started. I wish him the best of luck in keeping positive and hope he can recharge the dust when needed. However, if you or any cast member feels that it has faded to the point of no return, take a break, evaluate your situation, and decide what is best for you. The worst thing in the world is to continue doing something from which you get little satisfaction.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
I would like to offer some comments here to the cast members that are reading this thread especially Tyler. I honestly believe he is trying very hard to preserve the magic. However, I can also tell that at times he is discouraged and not sure that Disney still stands for those values for which the company used to strive.

Finally... you understand that YES, I do work hard to preserve and create the magic... That is my secondary purpose at Walt Disney World... (My first being for ME to have fun. Because it doesnt matter what company I work for, or how much they pay me... *I* come first.)

As for being discouraged... *shrug* I'd be lying if I said there weren't times that I got frustrated at my management for making severly poor management decisions that adversely affected my guests, who then came complaining to me. (Meanwhile, the whole situation could have been easily avoided)... But... I suck it up... and go on my merry way... spreading the pixie dust wherever I can. It's really part of any job that one will ever have... can't avoid it... But what I can do is to work around it, and make the best of things. If I don't try my best... If I don't go out there every day and do the best job that I can do... I have no right to critisize this company and whether or not it still stands for the same Disney Values that I grew up with.

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
The worst thing in the world is to continue doing something from which you get little satisfaction.

I know exactly what you mean, which is why I left Retail Management... I was a great manager, perhaps one of the best my store had ever seen... I got my job done, made the customers and employees all happy... but... yet... I wasn't happy... so I changed careers... (which means now I have to change majors in college... lol... another 2 more years... joy...) However... I am now more happy than I ever was.

Now if only more people would heed your advice... we'd have a much better company on our hands.

 

[wannabeBelle]

YOU GO TYLER!!!!!:wave:

 

[Disneypro]

Thoughts of a "high-maintainance guest"

Hi gang!

I thought that I would come out of semi-lurk mode to post a few thoughts on some of the different things I have read here.

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
Remember when you hired on at Disney and you agreed not to SPOIL the Magic? Part of that means not complaining to guests about your job or your visits to the park as a tourist.

I would certainly rather have a person , CM or otherwise, tell me their honest opinion of something. Don't sugar coat it or tell me a fairy tale. Of course, I realize that it might not be appropriate of a CM while they are "on-stage" to do so, but here on these boards is not a place where I expect a pixie dusted response. Just the facts as you see them if you please. Do I think that Tyler "spoiled the magic" in any way? No, quite to the contrary, I appreciate his candor.

Originally posted by mktiggerman
they do monitor them.. to make sure no proprietary information is being disclosed.. that's it.

If the folks at Disney do monitor these boards just "to make sure no proprietary information is being disclosed", that is IMHO a waste. Disney could gather a lot of info about what people think is right or wrong with the decisions that they make regarding the parks etc. and then adjust accordingly. I do realize that given the current business climate that some changes are necessary, but to disenfranchise a large segment of a loyal customer base over penny-wise & pound foolish moves is nothing more than short-sighted

Originally posted by LoriL
:At the Polynesian, I experienced the same discourtesy from the maid described in one of the above posts.

You guys too huh? Only for me it was at the WL. In any case, it is certainly uncalled for. You'd think they'd be extra nice as a large portion of their income is in the form of tips.

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
The important thing here is to realize that there are plenty of people out there who criticize Disney, not because of really bad service, but because of their own over-inflated expectations

In closing I'd just like to say that I, like The Mom and to use her words, also "drop BIG BUCKS" when I visit WDW. That is, if you consider 8K for 2 people for 9 nights big bucks. For that kind of money I do expect that the service will be exceptional. Fortunately for us, we have never experienced a lot of the troubles that many others have except for the aforementioned mousekeeper. In fact, as I stated in the subtitle of this post, I do consider myself as a high maintainance guest and as such do make a lot of requests of the folks at WDW. For example, if I pull up to the WL and let the valet know that I will need my car again in 20 minutes, I expect that it will be there waiting for me when I return. If I need an extra pillow or blanket, I expect that I will receive it in a timely fashion. If I call down and ask to have champagne and berries sent up, I expect to hear "right away" at the other end of the line. All these examples are requests that I have made and always never had a problem receiving. Heck, I even had a valet at the WL offer to wash off my car when it got hit by a huge bird (Egret?) turd. (Thanks Bill!!!). Of course, I always show my appreciation with a hand shake and the appropriate tip.
So to all you CMs that may read this post..Thank You!! Thank you for providing us with great service when inside you may be worried about having a job tommorrow. Thank you for putting us first when you could easily just fluff us off. And finally, thank you for not slapping me when I'm most likely driving you nuts with all my requests.:animwink: