Employee, I praise thee!

So you’ve heard me going on about my amazing experience at Disneyland.  (Yes, I’m going to milk this experience for all it’s worth.  What can I say, lessons in HR are all around us!)  But it wasn’t all about the service at D-land itself, the resort area hotels themselves seem to really help lock in that overall “I heart Disneyland” experience. 

A shout out to the hotel I chose on a coworker’s recommendation, the Sheraton Park Hotel in Anaheim. The staff was super helpful with all my questions, approached me when I looked confused, offered tour suggestions when I was poking through the brochure board, finished my sentence for me when I asked to switch to a room by the pool bar, even came and got me at the hotel lobby bar when the airport shuttle showed  up… I mean c’mon, I had to watch what I could of the Germany vs Argentina World Cup quarter-final game.  All around, impressive service. 

Upon leaving, I ran up to the concierge desk and asked “who could I contact to let them know about my great experience?”.  Perhaps, say, a manager I could speak to?  They then handed me one of those generic comment cards.  While my intentions were good, I still haven’t filled out that puppy. 

At least the staff that I personally thanked know I appreciated their service.  For those that weren’t on shift when I left… tough. 

Can we find simple ways to say “thank you” to someone who has offered good service?  Better yet, can we say thank you so that their higher-ups know about it?  If you spent so much effort making a good service experience and generating a return customer, why not make just a little more effort to ensure that your staff are appreciated for the hard work?

And please, make it easy for folks like me to submit that feedback.  That comment card lay at the bottom of my purse so long it became a tattered mess I had to throw out.

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 Helen Luketic is the manager of HR metrics & research at BC Human Resources Management Association.  Besides editing this blog, researching and running the HR Metrics Service, she is busy working on a policy which would allow her to wear her Mini-Mouse ears to work.

What I learned at Disneyland

If you read my previous post, I was in Disneyland for a week of my vacation.  You know, I forked over too much money on mouse ears, cotton candy and the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, I watched a zillion meltdowns from overstimulated kids, and my nephew got sick all over me but it was one of the best experiences of my life.  Here’s why:

1. They say that at Disneyland the most important employees are the sweepers (more important than Mickey Mouse) because they are in the customer service role.  Yes, they keep the park clean but really their primary job is to answer any visitor question.  Knowing this, and because I’m evil, I tested this out with several inane questions and the sweepers rocked each one of them.  The lesson:  the service at Disneyland will floor you.  But then again, I didn’t spend my hard-earned money and fly for 3 hours to talk to a sweeper.
2. I visited the Boudin Bakery at Disney’s California Adventure which was quite interesting given that I haven’t a clue what it was.  But we were walking by, got asked to come in for a tour and decided, why not?  Well now, it turned into an engaging 5 minute tour on how they make their famous sourdough bread, learned the history of the bread making and we got samples of the best tasting bread ever.  We were hooked.  We paid a fortune every day after that on this sourdough bread.  The lesson?  If no one is paying attention, open the doors for 5 minute tour of your department, wow them and give them something worth coming back for (and blogging about).
3. Ke$ha and her entourage were on the plane ride from L.A. to Vancouver with us.  We were flying Westjet.  Not knocking it, I fly with them all the time but as Canadians know, Westjet is all coach, our equivalent to the the American Southwest Airlines.  My brother-in-law said seeing that he just lost all respect for the pop star; where was the rock & roll life style and glamour that comes with it?  The lesson here:  When perception and reality collide, it’s jarring.  Please, someone at the record company give her an advance, she’s had like 3 hit singles, I’m sure she’s good for the money.

In summary, I heart Disneyland.

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Helen Luketic is the manager of HR metrics & research at BC Human Resources Management Association.  Besides editing this blog, researching and running the HR Metrics Service, she is busy working on a policy which would allow her to wear her Mini-Mouse ears to work.