5 CX Tips for Field Service Professionals from Disney

It may seem difficult to draw a line between the Disney experience and the world of field service. But if there’s one thing Disney and its theme parks are known for, it’s top-notch customer service.

Disney places an intense focus on its customers and their happiness. According to Disney, "From park greeters to attraction attendants to those in backstage support roles—every decision they make regarding a Guest interaction is focused on, ‘creating happiness.’"

In a way, field service organizations are in the same business. The tools and contexts may be different, but at the end of the day, world-class field service is all about creating positive experiences for customers and making their lives better.

Here are a few things the field service industry can learn from Disney.

1. Empower Employees

Your technicians and customer service associates are at the heart of the customer experience, and they need to be empowered to deliver world-class service. Disney trusts its employees to make the right decisions, but only after a significant amount of training on standards and guidelines. The company also provides its staff with the tools they need to succeed.

Many field service organizations are already embodying this principle by empowering their staff members with new customer service processes and technologies. They’re also implementing training regimens that capture first-hand knowledge from experienced technicians, so that knowledge can be transferred to the next generation.

Some insights can’t be learned from a guidebook or a video. Using hands-on experiences, you can prepare your team for the next generation of CX.

2. Create a Culture of Customer Happiness

Field service technicians are generally concerned with doing a good job, which usually means fixing the problem the first time. However, they are also representatives of your field service brand. When they interact with customers, they are interacting as the face of the company.

Disney trains its employees to focus on the needs, wants, and emotions of its customers. Its employees are trained to recognize and anticipate these things, then act to improve them. You can implement the same type of policy at your organization to ensure each interaction your staff has with customers is a positive one.

3. Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive

Disney employees constantly work to exceed customer expectations. That’s because it’s much easier to exceed customer expectations than to simply try to meet them, then work to fix problems if you fail. Field service organizations must be able to incorporate this concept into their culture to ensure customers’ expectations are happy each time they interact with the company.

Consider implementing a reward program to encourage employees to exceed expectations. Challenge your team members to anticipate your customers’ needs and find proactive solutions to solve them. You can lean on technology to do this, such as using predictive AI and IoT sensors embedded in your deployed assets to predict service needs and outcomes.

4. Create and Document Clear Customer Service Standards

Every company tells its employees to "go above and beyond" when it comes to customer service. However, what constitutes "above and beyond" often gets lost throughout day-to-day operations.

A better strategy is to create and document customer service standards, as Disney does. These standards should stay at the center of your business. Ideally, every decision your staff makes should be guided by them.

5. Listen to Customer Needs and Thank Them for Helping You Improve

Finally, it pays to listen to customers when they have suggestions, or even complaints, about your company. If a customer is unhappy with their experience, it means the company has something to learn from them.

Consider formalizing this process. Provide customers with a channel to engage the company with suggestions and complaints, then review them regularly to find out how you can improve. This is often the easiest way to determine where there are disconnects in your field service operation and what steps you can take to get better.

To learn more about how you can create a world-class customer experience, don’t miss the next Field Service conference. It’s happening at the JW Marriott in Palm Springs, CA from April 26^th to April 28^th.

Download the agenda today to learn more.