The Experience

Bring Disney-level customer experience to your organization with insider guidance

The Experience is a unique guide to mastering the art of customer service and service relationships, based on the principles employed at the renowned leader in customer experience ­— the Walt Disney Company. Co-Author Bruce Loeffler spent ten years at Disney World overseeing service excellence, and has partnered with Brian T. Church in this book, to show you how to bring that same level of care and value to your own organization. Based on the I. C.A.R.E. model, the five principles — Impression, Connection, Attitude, Response, and Exceptionals — give you a solid framework upon which to raise the level of your customer experience. You will learn how to identify your customer service issues and what level of Experience you are currently offering. You can then determine exactly what the "customer experience" should be for your company, and the changes required to make it happen.

The Walt Disney Company is the most recognized name in the world for customer service. The "Disney Experience" draws customers from all around the world,. This book describes what it takes to achieve that level of Experience, and how any organization can do it with the right strategy and attention to detail. When the Experience is enhanced, the opportunity arises to convert customers to ambassadors who will share their Experience with others.

• Find "the experience" and what it means to the Organization
• Learn the five levels of experience, and why most companies fail at it
• Identify service problems that face every company in the marketplace

• Utilize the Experience Quotient and apply the I. C.A.R.E. principles
• Learn how to convert customers to ambassadors who share their story with others

Customers are the lifeblood of business. A great product offering isn't enough in today's marketplace, where everyone's looking for an "experience.” Imagine the kind of value a Disney-level customer experience could bring to your organization. The Experience is a guide to getting there, from an insider's perspective.

Foreword Dr. Spencer Craig vii

Acknowledgments ix

Part I Preshow (Setting the Stage) 1

Chapter One The Experience Path: Why We Wrote the Book and How to Use It 3

Chapter Two The “I. C.A.R.E.” Principles 8

Chapter Three Five Levels of the Experience: What Level Are You? 12

Part II Onstage (The Customer Interface) 23

Chapter Four Principle 1: Impression 25

Impression 1.1: Engage 30

Impression 1.2: Intentional 35

Impression 1.3: Senses 39

Impression 1.4: Emotion 45

Impression 1.5: Presentation 51

Impression 1.6: Professionalism 55

Impression 1.7: Pristine 60

Impression 1.8: Pride 65

Impression 1.9: Likeability 70

Impression 1.10: Consistency 75

Chapter Five Principle 2: Connection 78

Connection 2.1: Communication 82

Connection 2.2: Deliberate 86

Connection 2.3: Personalize 91

Connection 2.4: Affirmation 96

Connection 2.5: Knowledge 100

Connection 2.6: Interaction 104

Connection 2.7: Respect 108

Connection 2.8: Trust 111

Connection 2.9: Relationship 116

Connection 2.10: Finishing 120

Chapter Six Principle 3: Attitude 125

Attitude 3.1: Idealism 131

Attitude 3.2: Choice 135

Attitude 3.3: Desire 139

Attitude 3.4: Yes 144

Attitude 3.5: Happiness 148

Attitude 3.6: Optimism 152

Attitude 3.7: Expectations 157

Attitude 3.8: Persistence 161

Attitude 3.9: Ownership 166

Attitude 3.10: Illumination 171

Chapter Seven Principle 4: Response 176

Response 4.1: Detail 182

Response 4.2: Engagement 187

Response 4.3: Urgency 191

Response 4.4: Insight 195

Response 4.5: Empathy 198

Response 4.6: Process 202

Response 4.7: Adaptation 206

Response 4.8: Validation 212

Response 4.9: Anticipation 216

Response 4.10: Recovery 220

Part III Backstage (The Internal Interface) 225

Chapter Eight Principle 5: Exceptionals 227

Exceptionals 5.1: Culture 231

Exceptionals 5.2: Excellence 237

Exceptionals 5.3: Ethos 242

Exceptionals 5.4: Accountability 246

Exceptionals 5.5: Teaming 250

Exceptionals 5.6: Investment 256

Exceptionals 5.7: Training 260

Exceptionals 5.8: Development 266

Exceptionals 5.9: Extraordinary 271

Exceptionals 5.10: Enjoyment 277

Chapter Nine Finale: The One Level Challenge: What about You or Your Company Says, “I. C.A.R.E.”? 281

Index 287

BRUCE LOEFFLER is the Co-Founder and President of Experience International. In his 10 years at Disney, Bruce held several key positions including the first Disney Service Excellence Coordinator. Bruce has developed numerous training programs for Disney and other Fortune 500 Companies specializing in customer service, motivation, communication, leadership and the Customer Experience. Bruce@TheExpInt.com

BRIAN T. CHURCH is the Co-Founder of Experience International as well as the CEO of Ambassadors International. Brian specializes in building business relationships and creating relational momentum for brands, ideas and endeavors around the globe. Brian@TheExpInt.com

The Walt Disney Company is known the world over for its quality of service. No other company is able to consistently create the magic, joy, and excitement that are characteristic of the Disney brand—though many have tried. What's Disney's secret? Drawing on years of experience training Disney employees and verseeing service excellence for other renowned organizations, the authors of The Experience reveal the five-part model that has kept Disney at the top for over 60 years. This model is applicable to all organizations involved in providing service or service-oriented products. The authors show readers how to transcend basic service and create experiences that customers will remember.

The foundation of The Experience is the I.C.A.R.E Customer Experience model. Authors Bruce Loeffler and Brian T. Church explain why Impressions, Connections, Attitudes, Responses, and Exceptionals are the non-negotiable principles of service excellence and business success. Unlike many framework-oriented books, The Experience remains eminently practical with Actionables at the end of each chapter. Readers can follow these concrete steps to ascend through the levels of the Experience Hierarchy.

Based on their survey of over 500 businesses, the authors of The Experience found that 60% of companies are average at best, and many of those are actually delivering a "toxic experience." Only 3% have achieved exceptional experiences—and this same 3% are likely to thrive into the future. In today's hyperconnected marketplace, these negative customer experiences are sure to be shared, and they can be disastrous for a business's reputation. On the other hand, only outstandingly positive experiences make it onto the social radar. That's why it's important now more than ever for organizations to know how their customer and employee experiences rank.

Readers of The Experience receive access to the unique, interactive Experience Quotient tool, which assesses the five I.C.A.R.E. principles and provides next steps toward creating devoted customers and brand ambassadors. In-text Quotient Questions also help in the process of reflecting on existing experience strengths and discovering places where there is room for improvement. With The Experience any service-oriented company can achieve Disney-like levels of brand loyalty by executing the experience on an exceptional level.

Praise for THE EXPERIENCE

"The Experience book accurately depicts the ingredients needed to create an exceptional customer experience. I found the road map in the book to be clear, insightful and relevant to the retail world as well as any organization that desires to create a strong relationship with clients and consumers."
—Joe Scarlett, Retired Chairman and CEO, Tractor Supply Company

"If you don't make the customer the priority of your product and delivery, you will fail at whatever efforts you make. The Experience is a remarkable expression of the details of growing a business or institution by making the connection with the customer your focal point."
—Jimmy Draper, President Emeritus, LifeWay

"I've worked with hundreds of organizations on customer service improvement initiatives. I can tell you that if you follow the blueprint offered here by Bruce and Brian, your organization will create an Experience that drives intense customer loyalty."
—Dennis Snow, Former Manager at the Disney Institute, President, Snow & Associates

Inside, you'll find:

• The I. C.A.R.E Principles and the "Disney-inspired" Non-Negotiables for each principle that every excellent brand must deliver
• Access to the interactive Experience Quotient tool to identify your 12 greatest opportunities for improvement
• Quotient Questions that promote in-depth reflection on each of the Non-Negotiables
• Actionables providing "try this" tips for ascending to the next level on the experience hierarchy
• Step-by-step instructions for completing the One Level challenge to quickly develop a better customer experience

When your customers walk through your doors or access your service-oriented products, they should leave the outside world and become immersed in the world of your brand. Few businesses have reached this Disney-like level of success, but now, with The Experience, anyone with the right level of commitment can achieve excellence.