Dennis Snow

In one of my customer service workshops not long ago, I shared some of the practices I learned while working at Walt Disney World. A clearly agitated participant stood up during the question and answer segment. “I’m a university professor,” he announced, “and I’d NEVER encourage any of my students to work at Disney World. They turn employees into robots and stifle all creativity.” He then stood there in anticipation of my response.

Although he hadn’t really asked a question and seemed more interested in provoking, I had to admit it wasn’t the first time I had heard the comment, and it deserved a thoughtful response.

Walt Disney World does have specific rules for its cast members that are non-negotiable such as never eating or drinking while on stage, picking up trash, focusing on interacting with guests rather than chatting with coworkers, etc. Violation of these rules will likely result in some kind of coaching, and continued violation can lead to being...

Most of us have had an idea for a project that we’re passionate about, only to be met with resistance in the form of, “The timing isn’t right.” The timing excuse might have to do with the economic situation, the labor market, competition, global warming, etc. The list of possible excuses goes on and on.

We’re usually told to be patient, the time will soon be right and then the project can go forward at full speed. The right time, of course, never arrives and the project, which might have made a positive difference in the organization, begins to fade and eventually disappears completely. How many great ideas end up on the scrap heap because “the timing wasn’t right”?

When my wife Debbie and I thought about starting a family, we worried about the timing. Our main concern was: can we afford kids? We knew we wanted children, but wouldn’t it be smart to wait until our financial situation was better? A wise friend offered wise advice – “If you wait until you can afford ‘em...

Have you ever come across a statement or a question that absolutely spun your head around, making you look at things in a brand new way?

It happened to me yesterday. I was reading a blog post by outstanding customer service speaker and writer, Shep Hyken, in which he wrote:

“Don’t just be good TO the customer. Be good FOR the customer.”

My mind was reeling as I thought of the importance of that statement. Being good TO the customer is certainly important, and implies the application of sound customer service principles. Being good FOR the customer, however, takes the interaction way, way up the value chain. Being good FOR the customer takes thought and it requires treating the customer as an individual.

Here’s the link to Shep’s post – check it out:...

How many times have you been told by a cable company, delivery service, or appliance repair company that they will be at your home sometime between 1PM and 4PM? And how many times have you waited, only to have the service person arrive later than promised or not arrive at all?

Staying home for a half-day, and perhaps having to repeat the experience due to a no-show service person is one of the truly frustrating customer experiences nearly everyone can relate to. For some it can also be extremely costly because they’re taking time off of work to be on “standby.”

I’ve often wondered how receptive these companies would be to a customer who said, “Just have the repair person wait in my driveway; I’ll be there between 1PM and 4PM.”

I had a guilty pleasure this morning when I read an...