By Chris Perillo

I often think about what companies can do to give above and beyond customer service to their clients and customers, and I was recently delighted to experience it for myself – with my grandson!

This year (and in the years following) we have decided that in lieu of presents we will gift experiences to our kids. This year was Disney World and what an unforgettable experience we had! Disney is known for providing an unparalleled customer experience and we definitely were on the receiving end of that more than once.

The most memorable experience was at Epcot. There is a scavenger hunt to find Chip & Dale, in each country, holding an ornament on a wreath and you have to match this up to a map with stickers. My grandson, Carter was super excited about finding them. In each country, he wouldn’t rest till he found Chip & Dale. Close to the end of the night, Carter had found them all. And as a result, he would receive a reward!

It was getting late and the park was getting ready to close so we headed to the store for the reward only to find out that they were fresh out of prizes 🙁 This was not good news and seeing the sad face of my grandson, the cast member said, “If you hurry, there is still a chance you can get one at Pin Central right past the fountain.” This was all he needed to hear and we started running towards Pin Central. We couldn’t find it at first and Carter said, “We aren’t going to make it are we, Mimi?” And I said, “Let’s just keep going.”

When we finally arrived at Pin Central, the cast members were tallying their receipts and closing down. I said, “We have run all this way for the Chip & Dale scavenger hunt prize, is there anything you can do?” And the cast member said, “Why yes, let me get you your prize.” I was so relieved and Carter was so happy! They could have just as easily said, “Sorry, we are closed.”

The cast members at Disney are empowered to give above and beyond customer service to make sure that their customers are happy.

We at Red Carpet Learning Systems believe that going above and beyond for customers is good business and Disney is a great example of that.

Some things to consider when planning your perfect customer experience:

1. Are your employees empowered to give above and beyond customer service?
2. What are some of the ways you could go above and beyond for your customers?