Originally Posted By John_CM Thanks for the compliment. We really didn't tell anybody about the poor CM behavior we experienced at WDW, and we probably should have. We did write down some names but never did anything with them. One of my former managers summed it up well. She said that going to WDW wasn't even like a vacation for her because she felt like she was at work the whole time. As a Guest Service Manager for DL, she saw lots of things that shouldn't be happening, and I believe she said something about it when she went. I will say, though, that the friendliest CMs were ran into in WDW were from the other countries. We spent a lot of time chatting with the ones in the various countries at Epcot. Some even remembered us several days later (a british CM asked when I walked in, "Hey, did you ever make it to MGM and Animal Kingdom?"). Also, there was a huge percentage of CMs from Brazil that were working all of the parks, especially Emporium at Magic Kingdom, and they were friendly as well. I went over to the job fair today. It didn't look too crowded, but I mainly went to check out some CM photos of mine that were used for some of the promotional boards.
Originally Posted By dlandjimmy So HRM, you're saying that it's mostly my fault, and the general public, that CM's are getting worse? Last time I checked, in business, it wasn't the customers responsibility to make sure that the company was run the way it should be. Although customer input would definitely help, it shouldn't be nessessary to make the park a good experience. To anyone who might not know, the best place to give a compliment or make a complaint is City Hall. Don't forget, both complaints AND compliments are welcome. Or if you get picked to recieve the interview/survey when leaving the park, make a comment there. If you can remember the CM's name, and where they worked, that would help too.
Originally Posted By HRM >>So HRM, you're saying that it's mostly my fault, and the general public, that CM's are getting worse?<< No, I'm not saying that and I apologize for not stating my opinions better in my posts. All I was attempting to say during my posts between #50-#59 (wow that many, sorry), was that Guests can also have a meaningfull impact on insuring high quality service by communicating the GREAT and NOT-SO-GREAT experiences that they encounter as a result of a CM's performance. YES, THE FIRST and FINAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE lies with the Business/Employer. Accountability for insuring proper behavior toward the public lies with Human Resources and Management with Direct Hire/Supervision responsibility. If the Front Line Employee, (or in this case - Cast Member), is not performing appropriately, it is indeed incumbent upon the employer to take action. Recruiting, training, motivating, monitoring, supervising, and evaluating are all functions of the employer, NOT the Customer. I DO AGREE that Disney has to do a better job of RECRUITING HIGH-POTENTIAL CMs; maybe increasing the entry level wage would help, as some have debated in this Topic and others. I personally disagree; increasing the entry level wage would not, in and of itself, weed out "the undesirables". It takes good recruiting and interviewing policies, and insightfull people to make the determination who would be a good fit for a particular role. Of course, I do agree that a better salary structure might be one of the tools in retaining good CMs. DISNEY DOES HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB IN TRAINING its CMs during probation and throughout their employment on the essentials of their roles and responsibilities - including Excellent Guest Service. Their training program, once extolled as the top of Business examples, has taken some lumps over the past years; BUT Disney is still looked at as one of the examples of how Employee Orientation and Training should be handled. AND I DO AGREE THAT DISNEY HAS TO DO A BETTER JOB OF PERFORMANCE MANAGING its CMs as a whole, toward excellent Guest Service; I too have been on the receiving end of some questionable behavior for DL CMs. This again goes to the issue of training Leads and Managers to better supervise, document, and hold accountable those CM's who exhibit objectionable behavior as described in this Topic. It also means that Leads and Managers must be given the tools and freedom to make immediate and actionable decisions to insure appropriate performance in areas of safety, logistics, procedures and Guest Service (not necessarily in that order - except Safety should always be first). My responses were framed towards those who choose to notice and comment on poor CM performance, and MAY NOT HAVE taken action. I too, have been guilty of this; and now try to "give a compliment or make a complaint" when appropriate. Not that LPr's who post here just complain, but even JOHN_CM said that they "didn't tell anybody about the poor CM behavior... experienced at WDW, and probably should have." In general, in my own reality, I have observed that if people think you will call them on their behavior, they will be less likely to act in an objectionable manner -- unless they are driving on the freeway and about to cut in front of you ;o) ºoº >>Although customer input would definitely help, it shouldn't be nessessary to make the park a good experience.<< YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! And thank you for saying so, dlandjimmy. And thank you also for pointing out where and how Guests may make their feelings known at Disneyland. Now, let's just make sure we all do this. )
Originally Posted By HRM >>These two incidents, along with countless others, have really lowered my opinion of CM's at Disneyland, and decreased my enjoyment of the park significantly. I love the park, and I can overlook certain drawbacks and appreciate the theming and the design of teh park. But can the normal guest? Will the first timers, or the casual visitors bother to come back when the staff is crass and unprofessional?<< Some really good questions, SIR at X-S TECH. My opinion, no. Well, yes and no, but mainly no. Disney is still an attraction destination unto itself, and people will go there for their annual or once-in-a-while vacation. Inappropriate behavior, unless very extreme and rude, will not detour the tourist family who dreams about going to Disneyland. However, there are those border line multi-visit Guests who may limit their visits as a result of an on-going perceived decline in CM Guest Service. This is why it is incumbent on those Disney Afficianados [I prefer this term better than geeks ) ] to compliment and support those CM's who excel in Guest Service, and complain about those CM's who don't.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost In multiple visits to WDW and recently to DLR I can honestly say that I have never encountered a bad CM directly. I did see one guy emptying trash barrels in Downtown Disney at DLR that had a facial expression that I instantly recognised as one not to be dealt with. But then again, he was emptying other peoples garbage, I can't say that I would be in the best of moods during that process myself. All others have been helpful and friendly. I have observed one or two people approaching CM's with guns a blazing and then wondered why they received less that an enthusiastic response. I think most, not all, people set the stage for the reactions they get. It is human nature to swing when cornered. I always found that approaching nicely got me everything I wanted and happily resolved any problem. Public Relations 101.
Originally Posted By dlandjimmy Anybody know about the pins that guests used to give to CM's when they are really nice, or go above and beyond the call of duty? I heard about them a couple of times but never saw any or heard how to get them. Maybe if we do something like that SOME of the CM's would realize that guests are paying attention to the way they present themselves. PLUS, it would be cool to show the appreciation to the good CM's.
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 I just got back from DL, and I was very impressed with all my interactions with CMs. I often found myself thinking how nice the employees at DL and DCA were, as were those at the DL Hotel where we stayed. Some examples that stick out in my memory; A CM on the Disneyland Railroad who noticed a cup left under a bench by a guest a dove under the bench to immediately retrieve it, without comment. The wait staff, chefs and everyone at Napa Rose were absolutely amazing. A CM at California Screaming politely and with humor pointed out that I had given him the wrong Fastpass, saying I would need my Space Mountain one later and then not making me feel like an idiot as I spent several red faced minutes digging around in my purse to find the right one. The CMs on Tower of Terror who truely seemed to enjoy acting a little spooky as they welcomed you onto the ride - they were entertaining and believable and handled some truely obnoxious children with humor and aplomb. The nice blond girl who served coffee to us at the Mint Julip Bar at around 9:00 on Friday - she seemed truely happy to be there late at night when I could barely deal with crowds or noise anymore she made me feel better with her calm smiley nature. Our waiter at Carnation Cafe who was extremely polite when dealing with the obnoxious family next to us who was complaining to him that their kids' chocolate milk was too small and they wanted a reduction on their bill. He told them they had been charged for a child sized milk, which they only then realized. Then they spent a lot of time with a calculator trying to calculate a tip that was really minimal all in loud voices with him nearby - he dealt with all of this with barely a hint of annoyance in his voice - then came over to our table and you would never know he had just been treated shoddily - he was nice as pie. I know I shouldn't eavsedrop, but really the tables are close together and they were loud. A lady in the photo pick up place on Main Street pointed out to me that we had been overcharged (I hadn't noticed) and then showed me how to solve the problem quicly, etc. etc. I wish I had noticed some of their names and could complement them directly to someone who would care, but honestly, all were so good it's hard to single out a specific person who was truely great. This was all in less that 5 days!! So I say kudos to the CMs, you guys rule!!
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 I shoud have said complement them directly to someone who could reward their good behaviour, I think most people reading this care!! No offense meant, sorry.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I've had extremely good service from CM over the years. Has it degraded a bit over that time? Yes, I think it has. But so has service in every other area of American life. We have shown time and again with our spending that we value low prices over quality service. Disney is going to be reluctant to pay for people who provide top quality service if they feel it is not valued by guests. And I don't know that it is any more... at least not as much as it was 20 years ago. If I'm staying at the Poly for $350 per night you can bet I want quality service. But if I'm staying at the All Stars for $70 per night, I expect a clean place to sleep and not much else. As Disney has tried to become affordable for more people (a good thing I think), the level of service required by guests to be satisfied has been reduced. If your guest's last hotel stay was in a Motel 6, they are going to be satisfied with a lower level of service than a person whose last stay was at the Four Seasons. I know I have used the hotels for examples, but I think the same concept applies to the parks also. Disney knows that the average guest demands less service now than they did 20 years ago, and they respond by offering less service. What would any other business do? I still find that Disney Customer service far exceeds that of your typical tourist destination. As long as that is the case, I am happy. Did I receive far better service the last time I stayed at The Drake in Chicago? Of course I did. But I paid for it too. As Disney has become a middle class destination, we are increasingly given middle class service. What more could we really expect?
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>Disney is going to be reluctant to pay for people who provide top quality service if they feel it is not valued by guests. And I don't know that it is any more... at least not as much as it was 20 years ago.<<< You know, I'm starting to think that it is part of the deal to have something or someone to bitch about on ones vacation. It draws attention to themselves and a bit of sympathy from those that don't know the whole story. If anyone has ever watched the Southwest Airlines Reality Show "Airplane" it is so evident that often the "victim" is obnoxious, unrealistically demanding, short tempered and generally a pain. Then they expect the world to bend over backwards and just do whatever they want. This was and is reinforced by the company policies to just "buckle under" rather than stand firm and sort out the real problems from the created problems. So, so many of the problems that I hear about are created in the fertile imagination of "coddled" people.
Originally Posted By John_CM This is the site for the pins that can be given to CMs... <a href="http://whatwouldwaltdo.com/" target="_blank">http://whatwouldwaltdo.com/</a> .. I'm not sure it's been updated in awhile though.
Originally Posted By disneylandj1sy I havent worked there for about 7 years but we weren't allowed to be pushy
Originally Posted By disneylandj1sy and don't belive what they tell you , you are to leave in street clothes unless it is on the cast busses and no smoking or cell phones allowed
Originally Posted By HRM >>I've had extremely good service from CM over the years. Has it degraded a bit over that time? Yes, I think it has. But so has service in every other area of American life.<< Thank you RoadTrip... Once again, a fellow LPr has stated better than I, what I wanted to say. I still think CM's do more than what is expected, given the expectations of most Guests are higher @ Disneyland than other places of businesses. (In a broad general sense) >>As Disney has become a middle class destination, we are increasingly given middle class service. << I will say that most "middle class" Guests are more appreciative of good service than "high-brow" Guests who "expect" a higher level of service due to the money they pay. Good Service is good service, period; of course, Five Star establishments have more resources to insure their employees follow through on Five Star Guest Service. I can tell you though, I've received exceedingly good Customer Service at some "Discount" establishments, and lousy Customer Service at some Five Star establishments. I think what it boils down to is pride in one's job and employment opportunity; not to put words in any of the previous LPr's who have posted, but this is what we expect CMs to have @ Disneyland. ºo° >>If anyone has ever watched the Southwest Airlines Reality Show "Airplane" it is so evident that often the "victim" is obnoxious, unrealistically demanding, short tempered and generally a pain.<< Let's remember that this is a TV show for entertainment, the producers are not going to show the average traveler receiving day-to-day good service. Southwest really is good, speaking from my own personal traveling experienced.... a little cramped in the leg room area, and sometimes the seats are "well-worned". But at a discount price, Southwest outdoes it's higher priced competition day-in, and day-out. P.S. Dalia3001... sounds like you had a great time, it isn't too late to send a short letter of thanks to City Hall & DL Casting to recognize such great Guest Service!! ) P.P.S.S. John_CM, Nice Website recommendation; kinda pricey though... any other pin-gift ideas? (or insider Guest>CM recognition opportunities)
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>If anyone has ever watched the Southwest Airlines Reality Show "Airplane" it is so evident that often the "victim" is obnoxious, unrealistically demanding, short tempered and generally a pain.<< Let's remember that this is a TV show for entertainment, the producers are not going to show the average traveler receiving day-to-day good service. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I never implied that I thought this was common behavior. I merely pointed out what kind of blithering idiots people in the service industry have to contend with at times. They all have a common thread...a feeling of entitlement and a lack of concern for anyone other than themselves. Sad, sad, sad!!
Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech So does this mean that nobody who complains about poor service has a legitimate complaint? I understand what your saying but in this situation you've either got to accept the facts as their given, and address them as truth, or assume that they are not and...well then ignore them I guess.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal I don't think anyone is asserting that there is never a basis for complaint. One problem is that it's not just the facts that are presented. Many times it's the way they are presented. By yelling, being rude, inflammatory, and demanding some people make it VERY difficult for the service provider to want to go above and beyond to fix the situation. I definitely understand that some situations make Guests mad. Very mad. But if you are going to air your concern to someone who has the power to do something about it, maybe it would be a good idea to remain calm and voice your concern and then ask for a reasonable service solution. I had things thrown at me, been hit, and had profanities hurled at me all in the course of working in City Hall. I guess my point is that OF COURSE there are legitimate concerns. And of course they should be addressed. I just don't think one should be surprised if they are greeted with a less than friendly and accommodating response when they present themselves as screaming, unreasonable, rude people themselves. Yes, the onus is on the CM to remain calm and friendly. But I'm sorry, Cast Members are people, too, and given the opportunity I believe that most of them are willing to go above and beyond. It's the approach that's often the problem, not the original service infraction itself.
Originally Posted By PirateJohn >>So does this mean that nobody who complains about poor service has a legitimate complaint? I understand what your saying but in this situation you've either got to accept the facts as their given, and address them as truth, or assume that they are not and...well then ignore them I guess. In virtually all customer service training, people are taught the difference between "upset" customes and "difficult" customers. Most customers with a complaint are simply "upset" customers. These are defined as people whose expectations are not met. "Difficult" customers, on the other hand, are defined as people whose expectations are unrealistic. These are the people who tend to stand out (and make for smashing television). They are the people whose behavior just makes you wonder, "what the heck are you thinking?"
