Let Your Concience Be Your Guide

So I have this guest call in tonight to find out about rates for a specific time period in August for Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. I go through the standard steps to find out the information I need to get him the most accurate quote possible and have it ready to book for him in case he would like it.

He starts off all kinds of pissy with me when I ask for his last name and zip code to look up his household. Then when I ask whom I am speaking with he says "Mr." and his last name. Now think of the Disney culture - if the CEO of the company walked in I wouldn't say "hello, Mr. Iger" - I would say "hello, Bob" because that is the way that Walt wanted our company to be... friendly and on a first name basis. If I could call Walt or Bob by their first names then why should this pompous fool think any differently?

I laugh and call him "Mr."whatever... anyway - I needed to know who would be traveling with him and if there were children, their ages. By this time the phone conversation is only about three minutes long (greeting takes forver: "Thank you for calling Walt Disney Reservations, where it is magic your way every day. My name is Louisa, how may I assist you?" Not recorded either at the moment since we got the new phone system put in.). He proceeds to tell me I am everything but good little white girl and why in the world couldn't I just give him a quote for the cheapest room at the Lodge. I apologize and he interupts with he has given me every minute possible, couldn't I just do this or am I basically afflicted in some form or fashion.

I launch into an anonymous household and proceed to give him what is ultimately inaccurate pricing. He wanted FL Resident rates - I was so tickled when the only thing I could offer him was the Royal Assantee Suite at three grand a night. He asked if that was the cheapest room I had - I said it was at the FL Res rate. If that didn't suite his needs I would be more than happy to look at another resort for him. He fussed at me until I am sure he was blue in the face then said thanks for nothing. I said in a surprising chipper voice that I managed to hold through the entire brow beating "Thank you for calling Disney" and he hung up on me.

Now the moral here is this - don't assume anything about anyone who you may talk to over the phone. I have an honors degree (Bachelors of Business Administration - 3.8 only because one class knocked out my 4.0) and work here for the simple fact that I love it. I was an Operations Manager, a Front Office Manager and a few other managerial positions - HATED IT!! I decided that if I have to spend the majority of my waking hours working then I wanted to do something that I truly enjoyed and was good at - that being Disney.

Being over the phone doesn't allow the caller to verbally beat up another person just because something didn't go right for them - be it something the person did or not. So please, when you call a place of business, for whatever reason, just remember how you would like for them to talk to you and be sweet to them, no matter what. You just might make their day.