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The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney
Dedicated to those who would love to make their work environment as polished and customer-friendly as a day at Disney. The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney is a celebration of great business practices that can be applied to any service organization. See it from the eyes of J. Jeff Kober, a foremost leader in the best business practices of not only Disney, but some of the great world-class organizations. It's loaded with practical ideas that can reintegrated into any customer experience. Whether you are in the private, public, or non-profit sectors, you will find solutions that can help you take your organization to the next level.
- GenresNonfiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2009
2 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 14, 2012
I purchased "The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney" (WWCSD) thinking that it would be similar to "Cast Member Confidential" or "Mousetrapped," two books that chronicle the experiences of former cast members at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. I knew that Jeff Kober was an executive, however, so I was excited to read this higher-level take on working at the Disney theme parks that I so love.
Certainly there is some of that within WWCSD. Kober shares stories on the behind-the-scenes workings of Walt Disney World that are simply amazing, and I lost track of the number of times I stopped and said to myself, "Wow, I didn't know that." (Keep in mind that I have literally read 20 books on Walt Disney World and have visited at least 25 times.) But the real value of WWCSD lies in Kober's ability to explain the principles that have made Disney the widely-recognized world leader in customer service, and he goes on to explain how we all can apply those principles to our own professional and personal lives.
In my job I hold a managerial position where I oversee the work of four people. That certainly does not compare to managing a theme park or even the day-to-day operations of a store or eatery, but it does give me responsibility for the work and well-being of others. As I always leave Walt Disney World wishing that people in "the real world" could be as nice as the cast members in Lake Buena Vista, FL, I have every intention of applying many of Kober's lessons to my leadership style. And I will most certainly read this book again and again as I continue to make my way up the managerial ladder.
Certainly there is some of that within WWCSD. Kober shares stories on the behind-the-scenes workings of Walt Disney World that are simply amazing, and I lost track of the number of times I stopped and said to myself, "Wow, I didn't know that." (Keep in mind that I have literally read 20 books on Walt Disney World and have visited at least 25 times.) But the real value of WWCSD lies in Kober's ability to explain the principles that have made Disney the widely-recognized world leader in customer service, and he goes on to explain how we all can apply those principles to our own professional and personal lives.
In my job I hold a managerial position where I oversee the work of four people. That certainly does not compare to managing a theme park or even the day-to-day operations of a store or eatery, but it does give me responsibility for the work and well-being of others. As I always leave Walt Disney World wishing that people in "the real world" could be as nice as the cast members in Lake Buena Vista, FL, I have every intention of applying many of Kober's lessons to my leadership style. And I will most certainly read this book again and again as I continue to make my way up the managerial ladder.
June 9, 2023
Good text, bad production.
The tricks and techniques that Disney Parks use to improve customer service were scattered throughout. Examples include going the extra mile by memoizing guests' parking spots when they board the Monorail or parking tram, indexing by time so that cast members can help them rediscover where guests parked their car.
There are too many mentions of the author's autistic children, it felt demeaning to read. I appreciate that Jeff Kober walked in the shoes of guests and relayed stories as a visitor to the Disney parks. I did not like hearing him insult his own children as if they were incapable of enjoying things the way an adult would expect them to.
The build quality of the book is also deplorable. The covers are matte dust magnets with a propensity to curl and stay bent after reading. The book doesn't stay open on its own. Text often runs tight into margins, leaving little blank space. Font is small and crowded edge-to-edge, for an unpleasant reading experience. It felt challenging to proceed at times.
But the stories are applicable, and the summary bullet points concise. I just wish the author wove in more images and better page layout with improved binding and production quality.
The tricks and techniques that Disney Parks use to improve customer service were scattered throughout. Examples include going the extra mile by memoizing guests' parking spots when they board the Monorail or parking tram, indexing by time so that cast members can help them rediscover where guests parked their car.
There are too many mentions of the author's autistic children, it felt demeaning to read. I appreciate that Jeff Kober walked in the shoes of guests and relayed stories as a visitor to the Disney parks. I did not like hearing him insult his own children as if they were incapable of enjoying things the way an adult would expect them to.
The build quality of the book is also deplorable. The covers are matte dust magnets with a propensity to curl and stay bent after reading. The book doesn't stay open on its own. Text often runs tight into margins, leaving little blank space. Font is small and crowded edge-to-edge, for an unpleasant reading experience. It felt challenging to proceed at times.
But the stories are applicable, and the summary bullet points concise. I just wish the author wove in more images and better page layout with improved binding and production quality.
January 14, 2019
I got this book for as a Christmas present. It was an easy read and it was filled with great information. I liked the real world scenarios I just wish there were more of them to help explain some ideas.
September 3, 2021
One of the better books on Disney’s approach to customer service. The author tends to toot his own horn a little too often and that cost it a star. Overall a good resource.
February 24, 2025
Required reading for work. I did actually have some good takeaways from this book.
Want to read
January 25, 2009Gift Dec 2008
June 5, 2009
Written by Jeff, this book highlights interesting stories from his experience working in a variety of positions with Disney.
March 6, 2011
I LOVE this so far. I am so glad my teacher assigned this for extra credit! I think everyone who works in a customer service setting should definitely read this.
May 9, 2012
No one beats Disney for customer service. The book is easy to read with real examples of what customer service really means.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews