In this episode, Amy is joined by Marketing Strategist Kira Pogge Brewka of Kira Pogge Creations. They talk about Disney’s 5 Keys of Customer Service and how they can transform your visitors’ experience with your museum.

Links from the Episode:

• Join Kira on Substack
• Listen to the Authentic Communicator Podcast

More Free Resources for Museums:

• Getting Visitors Through Your Museum’s Doors: Building Connection in a Noisy World ebook
• Museum Planning Calendar
• Museum Metrics Template

About the host:

Amy Kehs is a brand strategist and communications expert for museums. She has owned Kehs Communications since 2000 and has worked for the most renowned and well-loved museums in Washington, D.C. Her goal is to ensure that museums thrive into the next century and she hopes people will come to love museums as much as she does. Her proven process sets up proactive communication habits for museums, cultivating relationships with visitors who will want to return and bring a friend. Want to talk more? Click this link to book a call.

Today on the podcast, my friend Kira and I are talking about how to

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transform your visitor experience using

Disney's five keys of customer service.

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Let's get started.

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Hello and welcome to the

Love My Museum podcast.

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I'm your host, Amy Keys

and I love museums.

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I'm also a brand strategist and

communications expert for museums, and

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I am thrilled to welcome back to the

podcast my dear friend Kira Pogge Brewka.

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Kira is a content strategist for

small businesses and theaters,

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and she is the host of her own

podcast, the Authentic Communicator.

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Kira is also a former Disney

cast member, so she is the

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perfect guest for today's topic.

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Today we're talking about Disney's

keys of customer service that

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all of their employees learn and

how you can incorporate them into

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your museum's visitor experience.

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Welcome, Kira.

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Kira: Thank you so much for having me.

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I'm so excited about this topic.

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Amy: I was thinking, I think that

you are my first repeat guest.

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Oh, really?

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I don't think.

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I think so.

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Kira: Thank you.

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That's such an honor.

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And actually when you texted me, you

know this, when you texted me about this

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idea, I was like, oh my God, I love this

because I think Disney, we were just

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talking about it, but there's something

to learn from Disney for every industry.

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'cause they're just really great at what

they do, but especially customer service.

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Amy: Yes.

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one of my favorite quotes that I share

with my listeners and that I talk about

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all the time, and I'm paraphrasing

here, but Walt Disney said, do what

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you do so well, that they'll want to

come again and bring their friends.

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And that is such a huge

takeaway for museums, for

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theaters, for small businesses.

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I think if you are trying to,

attract your ideal client, your ideal

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customer, it's such a good lesson.

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Kira: It's so true.

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Yeah.

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how many of us have left Disney from

a trip and come home and just said,

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oh my God, it was the best experience.

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Next time you go, you have to try

this restaurant or do this attraction

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or see this show because you leave

and you take that experience with

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you and you tell everyone about it.

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Amy: Yes.

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I even remember when I was really little,

my parents taking me to Disney and

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my mom would point things out that of

course, I didn't recognize, but she would

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say oh my gosh, look how clean it is.

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Look how many, she would point out like,

you never see any trash around Disney.

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Or she would point out like, oh my

gosh, the people here just seem like

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they love their jobs and they seem

so happy to be here and so welcoming.

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so first, before we get into Disney's

customer experience and the five

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keys, can you tell us a little bit

just about, your journey about being

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a Disney cast member and how that led

to your job as a marketing strategist?

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Kira: Yeah, absolutely.

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So I started writing to Disney in

like sixth and seventh grade and being

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like, how do I get a job with you guys?

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Which, they couldn't hire me then, but

I was determined to like someday have

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that little oval name tag and just,

I just wanted to be a part of it.

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Like it didn't matter what I did, I just

wanted to be a part of it because it

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was such a heart space for my family.

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And still is that just being a

small cog in that giant machine,

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but knowing that literally everyone

there really does make a difference.

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And I know it sounds really

cheesy, but it's so true.

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Like everyone who does anything

there is part of the process that

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makes it so special for people

like us who love it so much.

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So I started writing to them about, when

you're, like, when you're little, you

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don't even know what jobs are available,

so you're just like, I'm definitely

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gonna be a imagineer or an animator.

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I had like little.

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Drawings of like a carpet bag, Mary

Poppins ride where you like rode in her

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carpet bag and you were one of the things

I love that she has in her carpet bag.

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I still have those like little drawings.

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when I was little, that's what, you think

Disney and you're like, in order to work

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there, I have to be an animator at first.

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And then we went to the parks and

I was like, oh, you can do this.

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I started writing to them and one of

the many letters that I sent, I got

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back in the mail, like a picture of

Mickey Mouse in his Fantasia outfit.

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And then, a pamphlet for

the Disney College program.

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So I, I put that on my desk

in seventh grade and was like,

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this is what's gonna happen.

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I loved Disney so much.

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So getting to do the college

program was an absolute joy for me.

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But I know other people who weren't,

like they had never been to the

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parks, maybe they weren't, didn't

grow up being obsessed with it,

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but they still had a really great

experience on the college program.

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I would recommend it to anybody who

wants to work in any sort of business,

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whether you're going for entrepreneurship

or going to work in corporate

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America, or whatever it might be.

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the customer service training, the

storytelling training, everything that

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are, that's part of these five keys,

teach you how to treat clients and

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just how to be really good at your job.

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But customer service is

important no matter where you

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are and what industry you're in.

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And they really focus super heavily

on that because the entire time you're

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at Disney you're having an experience

that's what they want it to be.

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So I went through all to make

this long story less long.

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'Cause it's not short yet.

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It's not short, but I, every school

project in college and in high school,

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I tried to tie to Disney somehow.

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So I found like some connection.

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I went and Disney did the interview.

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Like they did phone interviews and then

I went to the Rochester City Ballet is

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where they had the, like upstate New York.

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Auditions for entertainment, for

character performers and like

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parade performers and things.

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So I went and did that and

loved every minute of that.

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And my family was super supportive.

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I don't know if you're, if whoever's

listening, or Amy if you watch the

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old disneylands thing along ever.

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I practiced that Main Street dance,

like multiple different performers for

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months before I went to the audition.

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Not that dance was gonna be in the

audition, just because it gave me vibes.

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So like I would watch it like daily.

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And I was so blessed to get a call

back and to be able to do like parade

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performances as that's what I was

doing while I was there and I, and

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meet and greets and things like that.

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And I loved every moment of it.

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but.

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To like bridge that, to go into marketing.

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I was studying theater, music history.

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That's what I was studying my undergrad.

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And I was actually, I have to give like

a thousand percent credit to my mom who

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said okay, you're looking at theater.

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I actually was looking at some

museum science stuff at the time.

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Oh, cool.

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Because I took art history and loved

art history and like theater history,

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music history, like that's what I loved.

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but it would all take me away from home.

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And I loved doing the internship,

but I knew I was going back and

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we had a really close family.

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even when I was applying for

jobs at Disney during college for

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marketing, I don't know, there was

something like calling me to stay.

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So she's have you thought about marketing?

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Because that's, still storytelling

in all of the best ways.

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De and depending on where you do

it, it could be like super creative.

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So is.

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All credit to my mom that I went and

got a master's in communications,

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and that was really the bridge.

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But I use, what I learned at Disney,

and not just in my internship, but

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like my whole life watching Disney

movies, going and in theater, like

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going to the theater, those core

elements of storytelling is what

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really great marketing is made out of.

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so that's how I went from

Disney to storytelling.

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But I will say it again, like

anybody who's interested in doing

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an internship, Disney will give

you the most amazing experiences.

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they're just the best at what they do.

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Amy: I did not know that story, my Disney

story is a little bit like yours, and I

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don't think that we've ever talked about

this, but for my whole life I wanted to

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work at Disney and when I was a junior

senior in college, they were talking

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about opening a new Disney park outside

of Washington DC called Disney's America.

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And I had the same feelings.

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I wanted to go and work at Disney.

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I wanted to apply for jobs there, but I.

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Wasn't sure I wanted at that

age to move far away from home.

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And so this Disney's America

was like the holy grail.

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I was so excited.

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I was, had my resume ready and.

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I was volunteering at the Smithsonian

National Air and Space Museum.

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I had an amazing team that I worked with

my office, like we still keep in touch,

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we still have little reunions, and my

boss knew that is actually what I really

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wanted to do was go work at Disney.

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And he even got to go to that

press conference and he brought

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me back like buttons and the press

release for Disney's America.

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And then when they announced that it

wasn't going to happen, I was crushed.

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And he was like, I know that's what

you really wanted to do, but could we

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be your second pick because we have

a job opening and it would be really

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great if you could be on the team.

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So I went from volunteering to being

on the team, but it was all because.

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Disney's America broke my heart.

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Kira: Aw.

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Amy: But I agree, like I learned

so much from watching the movies,

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visiting the parks, about that

immersion, about that experience.

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So for people that either haven't been

to Disney or don't really know how the

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Disney Parks work or even the term cast

member, can you tell us a little bit

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about Disney's keys to customer service?

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Kira: Yeah.

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So when you go through Disney

training, and I went through it

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many a year ago, almost 20 years,

next year will be 20 years.

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So I went in 2007, the year

of a Million Dreams, one of

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the years of A Million Dreams.

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And when you first go through training,

you have two or three days of traditions.

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They teach you about the history of

the company and then they go really

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deep into customer service and then

they go into training you for whatever

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the role that you're doing is.

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and like we said, customer service

is the most important thing.

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So their five keys are safety, courtesy,

inclusion, show, and efficiency.

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and inclusion is a newer one that

they didn't have while I was there.

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It felt inclusive.

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My experience felt really beautiful and

everyone was welcome on the team, but I'm

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really proud of them that they've made it

this official thing that, that they do.

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so these five keys are really

important and the order's also

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really important because you'll

notice that efficiency is last.

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Amy: Yes.

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Kira: at Disney, you don't sacrifice

safety for speed and you don't sacrifice

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kindness and courtesy for speed like

you're those other, the first three

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are super important and show is super

important too, but like none of those get

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sacrificed in order to something quicker.

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So they're very intentional in how

they train you about them and that

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the order that they put them in.

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But when you enter Disney Park

for the first time, if you've

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never been you'll have five people

asking you if you need anything.

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People say hi right away, the experience

happens immediately, whether you're

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getting on a bus or a monorail or

you're entering a park, like I said.

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And each of the cast members

there, the reason we're called cast

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members is because you don't need

to be part of a show or a parade

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to be part of the cast, right?

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People think of movies or theater, and

the cast members are the people who are

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on stage, the crew are backstage, and

they, and the audience is the audience.

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And at Disney, literally everyone

who works there is part of the

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cast, because wherever you are is

considered on stage or backstage.

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If you're a cast member, If you're

on Main Street, you're on stage.

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It doesn't have to be a performance

as it were because we're all part

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of that immersive experience.

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Amy: I love that so much, and I should

say a lot of this I learned because my

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daughter also did the Disney College

program, and I loved quizzing her

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and asking her about her training.

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Disney spends so much time training

and preparing their either college

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interns or their employees,

that alone is just impresses me.

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So much.

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And so I was thinking that we could

go through each of the keys and maybe

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talk about them a little bit and maybe

give some ideas for, if you aren't a

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Disney Park, if you are a museum, or

even a theater or a small business or

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a entrepreneur, how you can use these

five keys when you are working with your

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customers, your clients, your visitors.

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And I really love what you just said

about the first key about safety.

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So we'll talk about that one first.

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you look at the five keys, safety is not.

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The fun, shiny one.

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Kira: Totally.

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Amy: And so I love what you said

about that one is first for a reason.

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So let's talk about that one a little bit.

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Kira: Yeah.

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So we, when we did our training,

and I don't know if this is so a

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couple of disclaimers 'cause I,

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Amy: yeah,

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Kira: I don't work for the

company and I don't speak for

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the company, so I'm definitely

not speaking on behalf of Disney.

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I'm just, sharing my experience with them.

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Which was, like overly positive.

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Like truly.

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And I'm biased, but also every day

was a dream and I'm not even lying.

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So I am biased but I don't

speak for the company and my

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experience was like 2007 to 2012.

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So people who are more recent might

have more in depth things to say about

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the training that they're doing now.

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And just to be fair, to cast members.

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Now there are things that I might miss,

'cause I'm sure things have been updated.

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But we used to have cards and

I still have the, my paperwork

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and everything saved away.

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That said safety begins with

me like it was a big deal.

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And the d it was safe.

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D like a Disney D begins with me and.

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It is so important.

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Every day when the park shuts down,

a third shift of engineers come in

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and rides are tested, things are

fixed and worked on for future things

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future attraction shows, et cetera.

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And safety is the most important thing.

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Whether you are a guest at Disney,

they want you to feel safe and secure.

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Growing up it was one of the only

places we would go as a family where,

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you know, my, my elderly great aunt

would come with us and sometimes at

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night my mom would say, okay, we're

gonna take her back to the hotel, but

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you kids, stay and take the monorail

back or take the bus back, or whatever.

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And they felt really

comfortable doing that.

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It, that wouldn't happen everywhere.

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Yeah, they wouldn't have

let us do that everywhere.

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They want you to feel safe there.

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They want you to feel secure.

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And they definitely, Disney doesn't want

any accidents or anything to happen,

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whether you're a guest or a cast member.

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And safety's so important because I

think whether it's in business and

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an experience like Disney or just

in life, let's get like really deep.

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But when you're with, when you're

with your people that are safe,

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you feel more comfortable and

you're able to be more yourself.

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If you're walking into a situation

for vacation where you feel safe Then

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you can let your guard down and just

be totally yourself and just enjoy.

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And that's the point.

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Like it helps you.

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Jump into that immersion if you are

not like constantly looking around you.

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Amy: Yeah.

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Kira: They just want you to like, sit

there, watch the parade and be a human.

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Yeah, just enjoy existing.

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Amy: I think too, the fact that safety

means so much to them and that it is

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the first key also shows great care.

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when you're thinking about a museum

I think having clear signage.

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doing a walkthrough of your space.

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I know for my daughter's job, one

of the first things that they would

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do when they opened in the morning.

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Like you do a safety check.

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So thinking about safety in a

different way at a museum and also.

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Another thing that I always notice

at Disney is preparing your staff

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for the human side of safety.

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So training like that frontline staff

on how to respond calmly to, a mom

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who's lost her kid, or to the lost

kid, or to overwhelmed guests or if

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someone has an accessibility need.

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So not just in emergencies or like

safety of rides, but also just how

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you're taking care of people too.

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Kira: I think that's such a good point.

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I think even in a moment of.

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Maybe momentary crisis.

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the cast members are a safe,

supportive space you can go.

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That's a really beautiful point and

I hadn't even thought about that.

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I think too, that, that.

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I will say, like we were talking

about like safety emotionally, also

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safety for cast members to feel open

to going and providing feedback.

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So we used to have, I don't know if they

still have these, and I would love to ask

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your daughter if they still have this,

but they had in break rooms and in some

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of our like rehearsal rooms and things,

they would have a big whiteboard that

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would say like what you've said and what

we fixed and cast members could be like,

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Hey, the sink in this bathroom hasn't

been working for the last two months.

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And management would come

in and be like, we fixed it.

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Like you, even though even if you

didn't interface with like higher

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up management every day, you could

see that they were listening.

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Oh, I love that.

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And that was such just a small

thing, but I use it as an example

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all the time because I would read

those boards and be like, oh.

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People ask for more power aid

in the break room and they put

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it in there like somebody's

listening and they actually care.

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Yeah.

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And it's back to what you

said about like really caring.

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Yeah.

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And if you feel cared for and taken care

of as an, as a cast member, that will

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trickle out into how you take care of

the people that you're serving every day.

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Amy: Yes.

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Okay.

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So what is the next key

that we should talk about?

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Kira: Yeah, so the next one is courtesy,

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Speaker: which kind of goes hand in

hand what we were just talking about.

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Kira: Totally like that how you

care for people and how they

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care for their cast members.

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So courtesy is that like feeling

of, you walk into a Disney park and

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somebody says like, how are you today?

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Where are you going?

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How can I help you?

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Do you have any questions?

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Did you get a map?

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And they, make sure that you have what

you need to set you up for success.

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And just that kindness.

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It's very rare that you'll walk into a

gift shop at Disney and somebody will.

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Be behind the counter being put something

away and not take a moment to welcome

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you into the space or talk to you.

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If you get near them you're never ignored.

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And I think that's another really

important thing too, right?

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Like you, you know those people that

when you're with them, they make you

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feel like they're just looking at you

like they're really listening to you.

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And I feel like Disney cast members

put so much love and heart into that.

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And I would like to call out one of our

friends, mutual friends, Julie Vore,

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who is a photographer at Disney right

now and an incredible cast member.

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'cause she does care so much and

she shares so many of these stories.

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But the other day she shared a story

that I was like, this is what it's about.

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And Walt would be so proud that she

talks about taking photos of people

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and that there's always someone in the

family who's like a kid or an adult

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who's like hanging back and be like,

oh, maybe not me, or just doesn't.

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Come to the forefront and

she's always like, why don't I

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take a picture just with you?

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Yes.

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I'm just gonna give you

your own little photo shoot.

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And that is the perfect example of this.

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Speaker: Yes.

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Kira: Is that cast members take

time to notice their surroundings.

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They take time to notice if one

child is really interacting with a

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character and another child is really

afraid and they'll respond to that.

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We had situations as a guest where

one of our great family friends had

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like a teeny tiny, he was maybe eight

years old and we were at Crystal Palace

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and they didn't have any hot dogs.

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The waiter went to Casey's

and got him a hot dog.

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Like they take the time to understand

what it is you need to really enjoy

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yourself and they try to make it happen.

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Amy: And really to see you.

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One of our favorite things When

it's your birthday or a special

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anniversary, you can stop and get

a button that's like happy birthday

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and they'll write your name on it.

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And they usually will draw

some little Mickey ears.

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And then while you're wearing the button

for the whole day, all the cast members

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and also guests will yell, happy birthday.

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Happy birthday.

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it makes it magical, but it's

also a really small thing that

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just helps people feel seen.

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Especially on their special day.

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Kira: Oh my gosh.

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I love, that's such a good example.

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I remember the first time

ever that Damien, my husband

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came to the parks with me.

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We went to Hollywood

studios our first day.

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He had the first day

button on as an adult.

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And like people make a really

big deal about kids first days.

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Yes.

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But he didn't know what to expect.

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I knew they would make it a big

deal for an adult too, because at

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Disney everybody is a kid, right?

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Yes.

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We'll talk about inclusion next, but Yes.

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But but the minute we entered the

park the person right at the gate

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was like, oh, it's your first time.

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And then we went to the crossroads to get,

to get his map and he, that person was

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like, oh my God, it's your first time.

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And then we got lunch somewhere

and he got a free brownie

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'cause it was his first time.

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And he was like, what is this place?

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And what's funny, a funny story about

that is if you're a cast member.

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Sometimes that follows you home.

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People are used to being

talked at like that at Disney.

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Speaker: Yes.

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Kira: Like you said, sometimes it catches

you off guard, but as a cast member,

403

if you see like an 8-year-old in a

princess dress, you're gonna, oh oh my

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god, little princess, how's your day?

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Or if you see someone wearing

like this cool Mickey Mouse

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shirt you're gonna be like, oh my

God, where did you, I love that.

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It's amazing.

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And then you come home to upstate New York

and you are in Walmart and you're like,

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little princess I love, and people are

like, what is, what's the matter with you?

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What's wrong with you?

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Or you tell someone you like their

glasses and it's nice, but they're

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like, why are you talking to me?

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So that's an interesting

thing when you get home also.

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Speaker: Yes.

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Kira: I think it's a the fact that

it's catches people off guard.

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More of the world should be like

Disney, I guess is what I'm saying.

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Yeah.

418

Is it shouldn't be so surprising

when people are like, kind and have

419

courtesy outside of that space.

420

But they really focus on it for

421

Amy: that.

422

I also love that during the training you

are given almost like a carte blanche of,

423

be you, be creative, use your imagination.

424

And that is also why I love some

of Julie's stories of how you

425

can make someone's day special.

426

So lots of times when I'm talking to

museums that I'm talking to them about,

427

training their volunteers or training

their visitor experience, they're stumped.

428

What do we even talk about?

429

What do we even put here

in, in a welcome script?

430

I love that the Disney way of

training gives you that creativity

431

and gives you those ideas.

432

I imagine that having little things

like the buttons helps to spark your

433

ideas for other ways that you can on

your own or even oh, hello Princess.

434

What a beautiful dress gives you

some ideas of how to think about

435

making someone's day special.

436

inspire them to make it their own

and make it authentic and encouraging

437

staff to go off script and have

these small moments of kindness or.

438

Another thing that Disney cast

members will do and that you could

439

do in a museum or in a theater or in

a brick and mortar store, is instead

440

of pointing oh, where is this ride?

441

Or where are the bathrooms, instead of

pointing, they don't point, first of all

442

but they will also walk you e even if

they can't walk you the whole way there,

443

they will walk with you in the direction

of, so if someone is looking for a

444

museum gallery or a particular artifact,

even if you can't walk them all the way

445

there, you could walk with them for a few

feet, like in the ge general direction.

446

And it's like a nonverbal thing, but

that just means so much to people.

447

Kira: Yeah, I think too like

showing an interest in your guests.

448

Speaker: Yeah.

449

Kira: So if you have somebody that's, you

see a child at a museum that's like really

450

just like sitting at an exhibit and like

staring at something, making sure that

451

you walk up to that family and be like,

Hey, do you have any questions about this?

452

'Cause I'm sure there's reading

the plaque, which is there and it's

453

enriching, but then there's the person

who like maybe has more fun facts and

454

interesting things to say about it.

455

'cause there's so much more than

what you can fit on Signage.

456

Speaker: Yes.

457

Kira: So walking up to

somebody who's interested and

458

I'm in like Disney mode now.

459

'cause I said a child.

460

'cause you're like, oh.

461

They're like, you wanna engage

youth in learning and like

462

being interested in museums?

463

'cause it's like the

future of your visitorship.

464

Yeah.

465

But for anyone that you see that's

engaged in something to walk over

466

and be like, do you wanna hear

a really cool story about that?

467

Yeah.

468

And 'cause that's what they'll remember.

469

They're gonna remember what they read

maybe, but they'll remember if you

470

go over it and share something that's

not on the plaque, they'll go home

471

with that and be like, I have no idea.

472

Yeah.

473

So I think like finding those little

moments and or if you, if somebody's like

474

really seems engaged and has questions.

475

We went to see Crazy for you at Ogunquit

Playhouse in Maine and my niece.

476

Loves watching the pit orchestra.

477

And there you can see

they have like video.

478

They have a screen of the director in the

back of the theater so that the actors can

479

see like the the conductor do his thing.

480

And she would watch that half the

time she turned around and watched.

481

So we waited at the stage door

for him to leave and she was

482

like, I just love watching you.

483

It's so interesting.

484

He spent like 10 minutes with us talking

about orchestration and all this stuff.

485

He didn't have to do that.

486

It was like 10 at night

at the end of an evening.

487

He's working six days a week or whatever,

but she'll never forget that moment.

488

Yeah.

489

So I think that's part of courtesy

is like you have people who are here

490

and they love it and they're engaged,

so engage them a little bit further

491

and they'll become your biggest fans.

492

it's like taking that time

and care to see people.

493

Speaker: Yeah.

494

Okay.

495

The next key, what should

we talk about next?

496

Kira: Yeah.

497

I feel like they all bleed into

each other in this really deep.

498

Speaker: They do.

499

Yeah.

500

Kira: So inclusion is the

new key re more recent.

501

And that is all about making sure everyone

really does feel welcome and people are

502

feel seen in the stories that Disney is

telling and the attractions that they're

503

presenting in the experience that anybody

walking into the park can see themselves

504

in one way or another in the storytelling.

505

Representation is so important

and I think Disney has continued

506

to try to, IM improve on that.

507

Because it makes a difference, right?

508

Yeah.

509

And for people at the most base

level, for people who are asking the

510

question of oh why is it important?

511

There's a reason when I was little that

Belle was my favorite princess because she

512

was one of the only ones with brown hair.

513

Speaker: Yes.

514

Kira: You see yourself Who liked

515

Speaker: to read.

516

Kira: Yeah.

517

And I just, yeah, I felt like connected

to her 'cause I'm like, oh, she's like me.

518

Like she's shy and she just wants

to like, sit with her books.

519

And she has brown hair and a lot

of princesses had blonde hair.

520

And so it was like.

521

That's such a small, tiny example.

522

Yeah.

523

But I'm sure every single person listening

has a story that they've read with a

524

character who went through something

they've been through or looks like

525

them or likes something that they like.

526

When you see a character that

represents something that you love that

527

maybe isn't the most popular thing,

you feel seen and you feel valued.

528

And so Disney having a wide breadth of

types of characters who are from all

529

different demographics and backgrounds,

who see themselves in all different

530

kind of ways, who enjoy different

experiences, gives every child and

531

child at heart the opportunity to

see themselves in a Disney film.

532

or in the parks.

533

So I think it's such an important one.

534

And as wa always said you can

design and create the most beautiful

535

places in the world, but people

are what make a difference.

536

Paraphrasing, that wasn't a perfect quote,

but people really do make the difference.

537

And so it's for the guests and

it's also for the cast members.

538

You wanna feel seen and valued

at the place that you're working.

539

You wanna feel that you belong.

540

And so even though technically

these keys are for customer service,

541

it's for the cast members too.

542

Everybody feels welcome.

543

And I think that in like museum

spaces, that's really important.

544

Like history, sometimes we're only

focused on one aspect of it, but we

545

were all here, like all demographics of

people have been here for beyond time.

546

So can people walk into mus your

museum and either see themselves or

547

history of themselves or can they

can connect with the history that

548

you're sharing in some capacity?

549

And how are you connecting it to.

550

Modern day and where they are right now.

551

Speaker: Yeah, definitely.

552

Okay.

553

What's our next key?

554

Kira: Our next key is show.

555

And so this is,

556

Speaker: Ooh, that sounds fun.

557

Kira: Yeah.

558

This is what Disney is

known for, like safety.

559

I feel like some of the other things,

safety, courtesy, inclusion, are things

560

that just come to expect because it's

baked into everything that they do.

561

Like you said, safety, people don't

talk about it or notice it, notice

562

it to the point that they're like,

that rollercoaster was very safe.

563

Speaker: Yeah.

564

Kira: They don't, they get off and

they say, oh my God, that was the

565

best rollercoaster I've ever been on.

566

Yeah.

567

But it's fun because it is safe.

568

Yes.

569

So those first three are just baked

into the process and then show

570

is like Disney is entertainment.

571

We talked about the fact that if

you're not backstage in a break room

572

or on the roads somewhere backstage

driving from one place to another.

573

You are on stage and show is not, again,

not just for people who are on the

574

castle stage or in a parade or something.

575

Show is for literally everybody

that's out as a cast member,

576

Speaker: you are guest

facing or customer facing.

577

I love this part.

578

all of the keys are very important,

but this is the one that makes me

579

the most excited when I think about

how museums can take these lessons

580

from Disney and make them their own.

581

Even things like staying on brand or

or just thinking of yourself as on a

582

stage when you are talking to visitors.

583

I think that this is the one that

museums could probably use the most.

584

Kira: Yeah.

585

I think that idea of and it it again,

it's like I don't wanna, I feel

586

like a, maybe a broken record in

that they're all connected in a way.

587

Speaker: Yeah.

588

Kira: But show inclusion's a part

of that courtesy is a part of that.

589

Like making a good show.

590

That's part of it.

591

Yeah.

592

But at Disney, it's every little detail.

593

I remember this book that I wish I

could remember the name of it now, but I

594

read as a kid about how the costumes at

the Hall of Presidents, everything was

595

stitched in a way that it would've been

in the time that president was alive.

596

Speaker: Oh,

597

that's

598

Kira: so cool.

599

You're gonna see, you're not gonna

see that like sitting in the theater.

600

You're not gonna see Chester a

Arthur, it's like a certain type

601

of cross stitch on his buttons.

602

Like you and I can't see that.

603

But it matters.

604

Like every little detail matters and

it is the differentiator at Disney.

605

at Disney it is, whether it's you

as the individual presenting or the

606

environment around you and the d the

work and effort that the designers,

607

the artists, the engineers put into

maintaining all of those spaces to the

608

costumes that you wear on stage every day.

609

And depending on which park you work

in, which attract kitchen you're at.

610

And there's that famous story about how

the reason magic Kingdom has tunnels.

611

One of the reasons, the water

tables, that's a thing in Florida.

612

But they always say Walt Disney

and Disneyland saw a cowboy

613

walking through Tomorrowland and

was like, that's terrible show.

614

Speaker: That doesn't belong.

615

Kira: Yes.

616

That doesn't make sense.

617

How did a cowboy get into space?

618

Yeah.

619

There's, that's very important at

Disney and it just goes back to

620

the, every little detail that it's

how you interact with the guests.

621

It's the smells that

you have on Main Street.

622

It's the costumes that the

cast members are wearing.

623

And it's the interactions too.

624

So you'll go and if you talk to the

mayor of Main Street, he's not gonna know

625

what an iPad is because he's from the

turn of the century and there's a reason

626

you'll talk to him about it and he'll

be like, what's that newfangled thing?

627

Because the character

doesn't know what that is.

628

So I think, I think

that's really important.

629

Like every little detail matters.

630

And that's what show is.

631

Speaker: let's talk about the last key.

632

Efficiency.

633

Kira: Yeah.

634

So that, like we said,

is it's really important.

635

my husband and I always say Disney's

the best city that's run in the country.

636

Like it's its own Walt Disney

World is like its own little city.

637

They run things very well.

638

Things are very efficient.

639

It's not just about speed,

it's about function.

640

But it is the last one on the list

because if they just did things

641

really efficiently but everything else

was missing, it wouldn't be Disney.

642

So it's important, but it's the last

on the list But when you're waiting

643

in line and it's just a line that's

going back and forth and you can see

644

the rollercoaster and there's not a lot

of theming, but you're just waiting.

645

That's one thing at Disney, everything

is designed right, like we talked about.

646

So that, even waiting in

line is an experience.

647

they're trying to improve, constantly

iterating on and evolving and

648

improving the guest experience.

649

So for people who have never been, they

might have this view of ah, you go and you

650

wait in line for rides and then you wait

to see the fireworks and then you have to

651

sit on the side of Main Street and wait

for the parade and there's this then idea

652

that you're just like constantly waiting.

653

But Disney has done so much.

654

Over the last like decade to make

that experience more efficient.

655

And they're constantly focused

on, on plusing that experience.

656

So if you're going back to your

resort at the end of the night,

657

how often are the buses running?

658

When you're in the parks, the mobile

ordering I think is like just brilliant.

659

you're getting really hungry, you can

put an order in for Pecos Bills and

660

then let them know when you get there.

661

And it saves you a ton of time.

662

they're always trying to bake

things into the process that makes

663

it really seamless for the guest.

664

Amy: They try really hard

to see like where they can

665

reduce friction, I feel like.

666

And I think that is something

that museums can look for, like

667

where can we reduce friction?

668

If you go to Disney World, yes

you are going to wait in line,

669

but most of the time it is

going to be fun to wait in line.

670

And there are a lot of ways

to not have to wait in line

671

Kira: Yeah.

672

And I think there's a good, there's

a tricky but good balance that

673

Disney has, which is sometimes you

think of efficiency and you think

674

of processes like they have process,

a process in place for everything.

675

Disney has spent decades creating the

processes that they have at the moment.

676

But it really is like, how do we

get people in and out of the park?

677

They have tens of thousands

of visitors every day.

678

How do we get them through security?

679

How do we get them through

the gates once they're there?

680

are they all gonna get

stuck where the maps are?

681

How do we get them past

that to the entrance?

682

So there's not like a buildup of people

right there, every little thing is thought

683

of how many trash cans they're like every

20 feet in a lot of, in the Disney parks,

684

because you don't wanna be stuck somewhere

and not have somewhere to put your trash.

685

everything is thought of

that goes back to show.

686

It goes in a way back to

safety and courtesy as well.

687

But it's, I know I've said it so

many times, it's every little detail.

688

They're so data driven if you are a

museum and you're looking to be more

689

efficient or improve that process

and reduce friction, which I think

690

is like the best way to say it.

691

What you said reduce friction,

like what data do you have?

692

Do you have any feedback from your

guests on what their experience has been?

693

What about your experience working there?

694

Are there moments during the day or

during the week where you feel like,

695

God, I'm answering that question.

696

Every day, 15 times a day.

697

Is there some better way for us to answer

that so people don't feel Absolutely.

698

They can always ask you back to

courtesy, but is there a way we can

699

preemptively answer that so they don't

feel like it's a point of friction?

700

So Disney's like on this mega level,

all these data points, but you can

701

take data just even qualitatively from

your experience with guests every day.

702

Amy: Yeah.

703

Oh, Kira, this has been so much fun.

704

Thank you for taking

us through the course.

705

Keys of Disney customer experience.

706

This has been so fun.

707

Kira: Thank you so much for having me.

708

Disney is like one of my favorite topics

and you're one of my favorite people,

709

Speaker: aw, thank

710

Kira: you.

711

It was wonderful.

712

Thank you so much.

713

Speaker: Can you tell everybody

where they can find you?

714

Kira: Yeah.

715

So right now you can

find me over on Substack.

716

I have a new newsletter I just launched

called Backstage Marketing, and it's

717

all about marketing specifically for

theater marketers who are just wearing

718

a lot of hats and trying to do it all.

719

And that's another heart

space for me is a theater.

720

So you can find me over on Substack.

721

Amy: I will have that

link in the show notes.

722

So everybody go and check it out.

723

Kira, this has been so much fun.

724

Thank you for being here again,

and I think you're the best.

725

Kira: Oh, thank you.

726

Anytime.