Customer Reviews

Inside the Magic Kingdom : Seven Keys to Disney's Success

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A number of years ago, I had the pleasure of leading a group of our clients to do a site visit at Walt Disney World to study the best practices employed there. During that session, I was struck that people who had been at Disney World as customers many times had failed to appreciate the management lessons of how the results are achieved.

This wonderful book gives you an experience very similar to the one that my clients and I had on this visit. You will find out about the incredible attention to detail that provides the potential for a flawless customer experience, the fabulous underground city beneath the Magic Kingdom, the remarkable recruitment and training methods used to produce the show with such a fine cast, and the principles of personal responsibility that make it all work.

All of this is summarized into 7 simple lessons that you will have an easy time remembering. Each is rooted in Disney examples that will stick with you, making good hooks for remembering the principles.

But this is not just another In Praise of Disney book. The author spends considerable time taking the principles and suggesting how they should be applied in other kinds of businesses, both large and small. This is done both through having 5 executives taking the tour, each from their own perspective, but also by providing some guidance at the end about how to use the lessons.

The format of the book is somewhere between management fable and analyzed case study. Since it is neither and both, you will probably find this to be pleasant reading. I know I did.

Enjoy and apply! Then give yourself a trip to Disney World to do advanced study as a reward! Disney offers many seminars and educational opportunities to extend the lessons offered in this book. How to sign up for these is outlined in the book

If you've ever visited Disneyworld, you probably didn't know that as you stood gazing at the quaint replica Italian square, Morrocan kasbah or the castle of the Magic Kingdom, you were actually standing on the roof of an enormous building. Underneath your feet (which, by the way are being scanned by video cameras; a Disney security guard can find a lost child by the description of his shoes) is a hive of activity with "cast members" performing their roles with exceptional training and dedication.

Hidden doors, passageways and stairs are everywhere in Disneyworld--if you know where to look past the eye-teasing designs of the buildings. Behind the scenes a lot is going on, and that's what this book is about.

The book takes the somewhat hokey form of fictional tour given to a stuffy old guy who finally is won over to the Disney way. Despite the whimsical and not-exactly-business-textbook tone, the book does contain the principles which have made Disney a billion-dollar powerhouse. The Disney principles outlined in this book for customer service have allowed the company to achieve a consistent level of performance and quality that is unsurpassed. When have you ever heard a person return from the seemingly manditory pilgrimage to Disneyworld that they were "disappointed?" Here's a telling anecdote from a friend of mine that points to Disney's dedication to customer satisfaction; as they were leaving the park, their little daughter was crying. She didn't get to see Minnie Mouse amongst the roving costumed cartoon characters that day. Her cries were heard by watchful cast members and a Minnie Mouse was dispatched by radio to meet with her young fan before she left. It was unthinkable that anyone should leave Disneyworld disappointed.

If you read this book, and then get a chance to go to Disneyworld, you can watch the principles in action. If you are really lucky and get a VIP behind the scenes tour, you will never look at Disney the same way again. From crowd control to security, to marketing, to customer satisfaction, they have produced a product worth studying for success in your business endeavors. Some people find the fictional story a bit childish, but other find it makes the dry business reading enjoyable. Either way, the principles of customer satisfaction and how to achieve it are clearly outlined here and worth your while to know.

The Walt Disney Company is famous for having an organization that is dedicated to customer service and quality of product. The author of this book has attempted to break down the culture and philosophy of Disney into seven easily understood lessons. Since I have not worked for Disney, I cannot judge how well the author did in his understanding of the Disney organization's culture and techniques, however, the seven lessons that he presents certainly make sense for any business environment.

I am always amazed at how studies of successful businesses reveal ideas that hardly seem earth shattering because they are so basic and appear to be simple common sense. However, these concepts need to be repeated over and over again. One such idea is to know your customers and keep them the focus of everything that you are doing. But in the business world of today, these common sense ideas seem to get lost in rush to make a business successful, which is odd because these are the very ideas that will make a business succeed.

This book was enjoyable to read and the lessons are presented to the reader in a series of entertaining and relaxed stories. After reading this book I felt a renewed commitment to the common sense ideas presented in this book. I recommend this book to anyone in business that would like to renew his or her own commitment to solid business concepts.

I'm always pleased when a former student lends me a book . . . that is how I came to read INSIDE THE MAGIC KINGDOM: SEVEN KEYS TO DISNEY'S SUCCESS by Tom Connellan . . . it is
a fictionalized version of the experiences of a group of individuals who attend a Disney University seminar to learn that corporation's approach to customer service.

Though the approach is somewhat hokey, I nevertheless got a lot out of reading this short book that took me little over an hour to read--but left me thinking about it for a lot longe.

There were several passages that caught my attention:
* [Michael Eisner spoke to the class for a few minutes, then offered to answer questions. As he concluded his comments, he said, "No one ever wants to ask the first question, so who would like to ask the second question?" It got a small laugh, then the room filled with questions.

What a clever way to start questions flowing, thought Alan. Back
home, when he gathered people together for a meeting, it was
sometimes difficult to get them to open up. Eisner's approach,
on the other hand, immediately put people at ease.

* [to average at least three positive comments to one negative]
"Here's what you do. At the beginning of the day, put ten dimes
in your pocket or somewhere easily accessible.

"Every time you see someone doing well--paying attention to
detail, listening to customers, anything that helps wow your
customers--I want you to recognize that person for her
contribution.

"After you're done so, move a dime to another pocket. The next
time you recognize someone, move another dime.

"Your goal is to get all ten dimes moved by the end of the day. Do
if for thirty days and see how things have changed. I think you'll be
pleasantly surprised."

"Why thirty days?" asked Bill.

"It takes most people twenty-one days to establish a new habit,"
said Mort. "I'm just adding a little insurance to make sure it
really takes."

* [the French Pavilion] "reminded me of something my college
history professor said: 'Tell me, and I forget. Show me, and I
remember. Involve me, and I understand.' That's what I felt about
the French Pavilion: it involved me. I stopped thinking of it
as just a place to have lunch and began to enjoy the
moment--something I need to do more of."

To read a book in a day and a half says a lot about the book to me. I could not put the book down. Being an incredible Disney fan, I found even more ways for me to enjoy the experience the next time I go. I also found a renewed spirit for giving extraordinary customer service. Working for a brokerage firm, I realize that it is not just place the trade and hope that that contact gave value to the customer. It is taking each individual contact and ensuring added value to that customer's experience. This book is a definate read for everyone in the customer service field. If you are in business, then you ARE in customer service. Take the time and read this book and then read it again, you won't be disappointed.

Stayed up way over my bedtime and finished this book in just 2 nights! Being in customer service it's sometimes hard to keep that smile on your face, but after finishing this read, I'm recharged and full of GREAT ideas to use throughout my store. I'm full of PixieDust and ready to "Disney" all my customers. Disney's culture is simply AMAZING! This book catches and holds your attention, is easy to read, yet is very informative and gets the ideas flowing. Ideas and information that can be used immediately.

I was in the process of introducing some new processes relating to dealing with our cusotmers, so I purchased this book. It is wonderful - and if you want a real treat attend the park after reading it. It will amaze you how this organization goes out of their way to EXCEED the customer's expectations. In the world today, it seems customer service is no longer a priority to some establishments.

I normally don't like books like this, but...

this one by a noted customer service guru seemed to please me.

This is one of those books you buy to read on a one hour airplane trip. It's an easy-to-read, fictional story about customer service. Kinda hokey, cute. But it wasn't too cute as this genre often can be.

The book is organized around 7 major customer service concepts. But you'll end up with maybe 20 thoughts that trigger ideas. Many of them will be stupidly simple, but most businesses don't do them. Several of them will be embarassing. Several will be important.

There was one point that I thought was particularly important: Your competition is whoever your customer would compare you to... whoever raises your customer's expectations. So that means FedEx on fast delivery reliability, or in other areas: L.L. Bean, or GE's answer center. So, don't benchmark your industry competition, benchmark the best in each area of your services.

Again, its a cute book but not too cute. It's fun to read, easily consumed in a one hour flight. You'll end up with a few good ideas. It's a great way to keep reminded on customer service topics. I enjoyed finding out more about Disney.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

I read this little book as part of a comprehensive review of literature by, on, or related to Disney as part of my Master's Thesis at NYU. I have nothing against business writing in general, and as an administrator at a major museum have bought my share of management/business/marketing titles... the good, the mediocre, and the ugly. After reading everything published on Disney, I can tell you this-- this is a really poor deconstruction of the Disney philosophy, the writing is just atrocious (spelling, people, spelling!), and the "made up" visit by "made up" walking stereotypes reads like something my kid would have written. If this is what today's business leaders are reading... scary. If you seriously want to learn what Disney does, and how, read books by Bryman, Giroux, or others.

Inside the Magic Kingdom is a great book when read just to get information about why Disney does what it does with its company and theme parks from the standpoint of customer service.

The real power, as I see it, of this book come from seeing that, like McDonalds, Disney has discovered how to apply a customer service attitude across all areas of their business operations. Moreover, these principles are not proprietary and can be learned and applied by anyone seeking to improve his or her company's (or personal) customer service strategy.

Read the book and apply the lessons and don't get too hung up on the dialogue of things.