For the last year and a half, I've dealt with a host of customer service issues. I've discussed service recovery, showcased the concept of wayfinding, outlined having a service mission. And I have applauded the virtues of Magical Moments.
When organizations come to me wanting improved customer service, what they really are looking for is someone who will teach their people the importance of looking and behaving correctly in front of customers. And I teach this. But typically, customer service is more than a pleasant smile and a courteous demeanor. And that's what I've tried to address in all of my previous articles. Using Disney as an example, I wanted to show that customer service is more than just the employee interaction.
But I'm now coming to the end of a long series of articles focused on facets of customer service. So I want to finish it with some articles that do indeed center on appearance as well as verbal and non-verbal behaviors of those who serve others. And I want to showcase the lessons learned at Disney around this. So let's focus on appearance, and how one comes across to others. Disney's dress and appearance standards are a tradition perhaps as old as Disneyland itself.
I won't go into the details of what creates the Disney Look. Just google "The Disney Look" online and you'll find that official Disney Web sites and PDF files already makes that clear in great detail. And most of you have been to the Disney parks enough times that you instinctively know what that look is.
If you apply for a job as a cast member at a Disney park and you have never been to the park or on the Web, don't worry. They will make it very clear that one of the important aspects of your job is your appearance. In fact, in a movie they were at one time showing to many applicants, the "A" in "C.A.S.T." stood for Appearance. You simply don't hire on without understanding in writing that you will be required to abide by a certain look. And don't think those recruiting aren't looking already at those who are "right fit" to this requirement. They know that if you already look the part, that it's one less problem to hassle over later on. I tell people all the time that if they want a job at Disney, look the part!
With Walt Disney World employing over 70,000 cast members, and with many of those individuals coming from every conceivable walk of life, sometimes Disney simply has to spell it out. Just so you get a sense of this, here is what the standard has been for costumed women when it comes to hair accessories:
"A plain barrette, comb or clip no larger than one inch (approximately 2.5 cm) wide and four inches (approximately 10 cm) long is acceptable. Headbands, hair ribbons or "scrunchies" are acceptable provided that they are no wider than one inch (2.5 cm)."
Conversely, here are some of the things most of us would have thought obvious. But Disney still chooses to spell it out:
In short, it appears you may have to state the obvious.
Conversely, one can go overboard as well. In the early days, getting a job at Disney was very difficult, and Disney was choosier about who it hired. What that really means, is that often only the "pretty" people were cast into onstage roles. If you were too big, you didn't get a role. If you were too tall, you might not get a role. If you were too small, and there wasn't a call for someone to play Donald Duck, you didn't get a role. Costume sizes were in a particular range. If you fell out of range, even as a current employee, you jeopardized losing your role onstage.
Those guidelines have since been relaxed, partly due to evolving social awareness, partly due to the possibilities of lawsuits, and likely due to the fact that Disney can't be so picky anymore. But I overheard one individual remark not too long ago that the cast wasn't up to "standard" like they were in the past. I silently wondered if they just didn't look as "pretty" as they had previously required.
There have been some fairly tough requirements in the past. And there are still tough requirements today. Take a look:
Another important aspect of the Disney look is the use of a nametag. I think people behave differently when they wear a nametag. Even in a large office environment that may not have customers coming through, I still think it's a great idea to ask people to wear a nametag so they can be recognized internally by others. I highly recommend it to others.
I also like the fact that Disney honors its more tenured employees with a pin that can be placed on the name tag. Moreover, it honors its Partners in Excellence recipients with allowing them to wear a pin. If you speak a language other than English, a flag pin establishes that. And for those who are new, an "Earning my Ears" ribbon attaches to the back of the tag. That along with where they are from, to help facilitate conversation with park guests, makes the nametag a very useful part of the Disney costume.
By the way, my business partner Mark Jones, who has worked with some of the nation's leaders in etiquette and protocol, states that the international standard is for the name tag should to be worn on the right side of the person wearing the tag, not on the left. At Disney, you will see it usually worn on the left side because of costume design or the tradition of having a pocket on the left side. But the experts out there say it should be on the right side since your hand extends to the right hand centering the eye in the same direction. Stuff to think about.
I have known cast members hired by the Walt Disney Company whose employment was terminated because they were not following adhering to certain appearance standards. Only these were individuals who worked backstage or in office settings far apart away from Main Street U.S.A. Still, if that was part of their employment agreement, they were terminated whether or not other guests saw them.
The elephant on the table in this case, however, is that the Walt Disney Company hires as part of its entire cast many individuals who do not fit the appearance standards. Animators and Imagineers top that list. Legal will tell you that isn't a condition of their employment. That may be true and they may be able to get away with it. After all, I like Joe Rhode's tremendous contribution to Disney's Animal Kingdom as much as any other, even when such a contribution comes with a hefty single and eccentric earring. I just don't understand why he is able to walk the park with little regard to appearance, when individuals are terminated for failure to meet the guidelines, though they may never see the light of day of being onstage. And don't think cast members in the know don't think that this isn't a double standard. I mean, what is really the difference between Ride Show and Engineering and Imagineering?
This played out at Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida. Originally, the small team of artists in Orlando were required to abide by the same rules outlined by the Walt Disney World Company. But as they began to play a greater part in creating films like Mulan, many of the artists found themselves going from Florida to California and back. It became apparent that there were two standards, and eventually the Florida group ended up going with the standards found at corporate. But in the original days, many artists interviewed, and turned down or were turned down from the job because they did not want to abide by Florida's more stringent standards.
Of course, the most obvious double standard of all would probably be that Walt had a mustache for years, while male cast members were not permitted to grow one. That modification came during the Eisner era, to the chagrin of many, and to the welcome of many others. Ironically, another double standards was that baseball caps have never been permitted, but were often seen on Michael during park tours. I think he wore it to keep his hair on, which in another irony, seemed strange, because you are allowed to be bald.
When a cast member deviates from the "Disney Look," clear guidelines are in place if you fail to adhere to their policies. This "three times and you're out" policy is essentially as follows:
It's clear and it's carried out. Disney is serious about their policy.
More important than enforcement is the fact that this policy is so well-communicated. Handsome brochures are often printed and dispersed. Reminders are found everywhere, with examples of what to do and what not to do. And with that, there's a culture that reinforces it. We haven't even mentioned the many men or women who work day and night to provide the largest working wardrobe anywhere in the world. Most are unaware that an entire laundry facility works day and night to take care of costumes, many of which include belts, coats, hats, and other show elements. Whether you are opening that parasol for the first time as a housekeeper at the Grand Floridian, or dressing in the dark greens of a suit tailored for the Haunted Mansion, there's something special about wearing that costume and looking the part that goes with it.
Of course, this isn't as much about Disney as it is about your organization. Some of you wish you could do something this well, and hopefully the messages here inspire you to do so. And some of you pray you never create standards so stringent. I understand that as well. What is important is, "Do the appearance guidelines of your organization support the customer experience you want to provide?" Only you can answer that. But paying attention to it is part of the magic of your own business. Here's to making it so.
(Send an email to Jeff Kober)
J. Jeff Kober, (@MousePlanetJeff) president of Performance Journeys and CEO of World Class Benchmarking, is also a thought leader on best-in-business practices at the Walt Disney Company. He brings those ideas to organizations via keynotes, seminars, and workshops to organizations around the world. He has authored "The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney" as well as a "Disney at Work" series of apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch, available via DisneyatWork.com. You can find out more about his newest book, "Lead With Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand into World-Class Excellence" at LeadWithYourCustomer.com.
