When you have a big announcement to make, you know what people are going to ask. Go ahead and address the big issues upfront before they even have to bring it up.
If you want to be sure you cover all potential questions, get a team together. Talk about what questions, concerns, and issues people are going to have with the announcement. Come up with 5 or 6 questions you know people are going to have and include the information in your announcement.
Anticipating the problems and addressing the issues upfront will soften any pushback you might get.
As an example, At Disney, when we moved from paying people weekly to every other week and moved from paper checks to direct deposit only we knew this may cause concerns for some cast members.
Since we knew people would have some issues, in advance, we put together a process to help people set up a bank account if needed. Or help them set up direct deposit into their bank account. Offering the help upfront made adopting the new system easier for the people it would impact the most.
Working through this process will help you find ways you can help people.
Don't lay it out and tell people it is their problem. Problems caused to employees are your problems, too. Work with them to ease the concerns before they become problems.
Get it down to the basics. This will cover the biggest issues. One-off questions can be handled by individual managers.
Is it possible to enforce rules and guidelines and still focus on delivering an excellent customer experience?
At Disney, we are clear to cast members about the responsibility to enforce rules and be polite at the same time.
No matter what rule or policy you have, there will be someone who does not like it.
Always remain polite and courteous and explain why the policy is in place. And be consistent about enforcing the policy.
You probably already know the 5 or 6 policies you have in place a customer might complain about. Train employees on how to answer and handle those complaints. Don't wait for people to complain before you help employees. Be proactive.
You can also find ways to serve the customer while enforcing a policy. When you visit DisneyWorld, we provide lockers so a guest can put something away if they are not allowed to bring it into the park.
At Disney, it doesn't matter what your job is. We all have the same purpose.
Take care of the guest.
It doesn't matter if what you are doing for the guest is in your job description.
A culture of customer service doesn't happen by accident. It has to be part of your culture. It has to be repeated. People have to hear it over and over.
No matter what your job is, your purpose is to take care of the guests.
At Disney, our purpose was to make sure guests have the most fabulous time of their lives, no matter what your job title is.
When all 80,000 cast members at Disney World focuses on this purpose, a guest will have an unbelievable experience when they least expect it.
Imagine someone working in security being able to tell you what the specials are at the restaurant. Something like doesn't happen. Except it does at Disney. Taking care of the guest is baked into our culture.
Hire the right people. Train them. Explain expectations. Give them examples. And then let them take care of the customers. Hold them accountable. And role model what you want to see from employees.
Customer service is not a department. It is a way of doing business.
Every organization has team members resign. Some of the people who leave are popular. Some of them fill an important role in the organization.
How you handle the resignation will have an impact on other employees.
Begin by telling the right people in the right order about the resignation. Doing so will eliminate the wrong story getting into the rumor mill. Within a couple of hours, everyone who needs to know should know. Then you can let other team members know.
Communicate quickly and keep it positive.
At Disney, I had senior executives leave the company for better opportunities. I didn't want them to leave, but people are going to do what is best for them and their careers.
Don't burn bridges. Always keep it positive whether you are the one leaving or someone left behind.
When I left Marriott, I told Bill Marriott first. Then I talked to my direct boss. I even helped them work on transitioning a new person into my role.
Marriott treated me well over the years. When I left, I wanted to treat them well, too. And I did not take any people with me to Disney, even though there were people who wanted the opportunity to join me at Euro Disney.
Remember, your career does not revolve around a single company. And you shouldn't expect anyone else to have their career revolve around your organization.