In episode 3 of the Creating Superfans Podcast, I interviewed former Walt Disney World executive, Dennis Show. During his twenty years with the company, Dennis worked his way up from a front-line attractions operator to founder of the Disney Institute, the internal firm that consulted for organizations like ExxonMobil, AT&T, and Coca-Cola. Now, he’s a full-time speaker and author who trains businesses large and small on how to run world-class, service-driven organizations. Dennis shared with me some of Disney’s hiring practices and interview techniques that ensure all of their team members are customer-centric. Later in the episode, he outlines the 3 easiest things any brand can do to improve their customer experience right away. Finally, hear what a local restaurant did for Dennis and his friends that blew him away and made him a superfan for life.

Show Notes:

4:23 - Can you teach your employees to be more friendly and more customer-centric?

5:03 - How long is the training at Disney?

5:56 - A simple way to reframe your interview questions to get a better understanding of a candidate’s skillset

8:27 - A secret most people don’t know about Disney

10:45 - How do you define your Story and use it to attract the right people?

13:00 - When did the Disney theme park become intentional about its superpower?

14:33 - What are some other brands that have superior customer experience?

18:00 - What are some things that businesses can do right away to be more customer centric?

20:31 - A small thing that outstanding organizations do.

22:18 - How often should you be collecting feedback from employees?

25:23 - The parallels between customer feedback and employee feedback and how to overcome internal resistance 

28:55 - How a local restaurant went above and beyond for Dennis and made him a superfan for life.

You can find Dennis at SnowAssociates.com