» What this is

Perfecting the Customer Experience is a unique, three-day benchmarking program at the Disneyland® Resort. It demonstrates the service standard to which all consumer-facing businesses should aspire, and delivers:

• Solid ideas for perfecting the customer experience and creating loyal customers.

• Proven examples from Disney and other world-class organizations.

• Applications for transferring what you learn directly to your business.

» Why attend

Unlike previous recessions, the latest one shifted consumer behavior permanently. Customers today expect much more for even less, and they will quickly buy on price if a business does not demonstrate value in every sense of the word. Improving the customer experience is one of the most effective and enduring ways a business can demonstrate that value. That’s why delivering a compelling customer experience has become an important competitive battleground.

The visionary leaders that built such successful consumer-facing brands as Disney, Apple and Cirque du Soleil have shared several traits that help to perfect the customer experience. They:

• visualize the big picture (the end result) from the customer’s perspective,

• understand clearly the emotional customer reaction that they want to achieve, and

• create systems, standards, tools and even new technology to enable their company to deliver that customer experience profitably.

 » What to expect

The super-effective tactics of those leading brands can be learned and implemented in any size of business, and Perfecting the Customer Experience will help you do it. You will benchmark one of the world’s most successful companies, and see that quality (attention to details) and service (exceeding guest expectations) are built in, not separate from, the product being sold.

This intense, small-group experience will help you see the business behind the magic of Disney. Although you will be among thousands of visitors, we will help you observe significant things that others do not notice. You will interact constantly with the facilitators and your fellow participants, and have time to discuss your specific issues.

But be advised: although you will no doubt have fun, this is immersive, hands-on work. Your senses will be bombarded with things to notice and lessons to learn, as you experience real-life best practices at Disneyland® Park, Disney California Adventure® Park and the Downtown Disney® District. And because the most-effective way to learn is through personal experience, these lessons will stay with you for life.

» Who should attend

Perfecting the Customer Experience provides intensive, hands-on experiential learning in a small group. It will be most effective for participants working at a level where they can influence both the service environment and the people in it, and who already understand why those things matter. All businesses facing the consumer will benefit, including:

Automotive • Education • Energy • Financial • Food and Beverage • Government • Hospitals and Health Care • Hotels • Insurance • Manufacturing • Museums and Galleries • Recreation Equipment and Facilities • Restaurants and Coffee Shops • Retail • Services • Shipping • Shopping Centers • Spas • Technology • Tourist Attractions • Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Special Events • Transportation • Travel

An affinity for Disney movies, characters and products is an asset, but not necessary for this program. Companies wanting to send five or more people to this event may wish to consider a tailored program on dates of their choosing.

» Program Facilitators

	Ted Topping is president of Creative Insights Inc., a service-design consulting firm in Vancouver. As a speaker, trainer, author and consultant, Ted helps organizations learn to execute the all-important details that lead to sustained success in a consumer-facing business. His approach is practical and action-oriented, and he delivers not just ideas but effective tools that are useable immediately. Ted is a widely published writer and co-author of the international best-selling resource Start and Run a Retail Business. He was a card-carrying member of TV’s original Mickey Mouse Club, and uses his continuing study of Disney to help clients add their own amazingly powerful “magic” to the customer experience.
	Jeff Kober is president of Performance Journeys, Orlando, a training and development group specialized in performance improvement and learning in the workplace. When Jeff was a leader with the acclaimed Disney Institute, he designed customer-service programs for the Walt Disney World® Resort. The models, concepts and examples from those programs were later introduced to corporate America in the popular benchmarking book, Be Our Guest. Jeff now works with a range of organizations, providing best-in-business ideas and practices in the areas of customer service and leadership. A well-known online columnist and blogger, Jeff is author of The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and co-author of Lead With Your Customer.

The secret to Disney’s success in delivering the world’s most enduring and successful consumer experiences for the past six decades isn’t promotion or magic “pixie dust.”

It is an enthusiastic and motivated workforce operating on a solid foundation of delivery systems and customer-experience metrics – motivation, systems and metrics that can be learned and implemented in any size business.

Perfecting the Customer Experience provides hands-on experiential learning in these topic areas:

• Leadership Excellence

• Understanding Your Customers

• Service Standards and Values

• Service Netting

• The Service Integrity Matrix

• Service Recovery

• Selling a Complete Solution

For complete details of the Program Content, please contact us by e-mail.

During the three days of Perfecting the Customer Experience, we will visit attractions in each of Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Tomorrowland. Each one provides a specific business lesson and real-life stories about the Disney culture.

You will discover best practices adaptable to your business, plus relevant and useful tools that you can use immediately to build your success.

We will provide a detailed schedule prior to the event.