MJCCA Adopts Disney Model of Customer Service Prompting Agency-Wide Culture Change
Recently, under the direction of CEO/Executive Director Michael D. Wise, the MJCCA adopted one of the world's most successful models of customer service: the Disney Approach to Quality Service.
“Customer service is core to our Jewish mission in building community and creating incredible Jewish journeys,” said Wise. “The value of Jewish welcoming is deeply rooted in our history, beginning with Abraham's Welcoming Tent.1”
Wise believes that the MJCCA should be the modern-day equivalent of Abraham's Welcoming Tent: an open, all-inclusive, warm and welcoming “Jewish home” where every member of the community, regardless of affiliation or level of engagement, is welcomed and feels an immediate sense of belonging.
MJCCA President Sherie Gumer said, “We must remember that the MJCCA belongs to our membership and the community. Our members are not only our customers, they are the principal shareholders in our business; their opinions, ideas, and insights drive our programming and help define us as a community center. One of the goals of the new customer service initiative is to empower them with this sense of ownership.”
In addition to advancing the MJCCA's Jewish mission, Wise said that implementation of the Disney Model of Quality Service was also a tactical business decision that was critically needed to maintain the Center's competitive edge in the marketplace and to ultimately achieve long-term strategic goals. “Today's nonprofits have to be as fiscally motivated as the for-profit sector,” Wise said.
Since assuming the leadership of the nation's third largest Jewish Community Center in April 2007, Wise has made it his personal mission to expand and enhance the customer experience at the MJCCA. Faced with a unique set of challenges that included a rapidly growing Jewish community2 known to have a high rate of intermarriage, a low rate of affiliation, a large base of newcomers, and growing "pockets" of Jewish communities in outlying areas, Wise knew that innovative approaches were needed if the MJCCA intended to grow its membership base and keep its current members3 happy and engaged.
Having worked with the Disney customer service model in the past, Wise was confident that the key tenets of exceeding customer expectations, training and empowering staff to immediately respond to customer needs, and creating a positive, welcoming atmosphere would work well within the MJCCA's business structure.
To implement this agency-wide culture change, the MJCCA sent Jared Powers, a senior member of the MJCCA management team, to the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida where he completed a comprehensive three-and-a-half-day customer service training program. While attending the Institute, Powers was treated to an inside look at the Disney operation where he was shown best practices through a combination of case studies, hands-on field experience, and interaction with Disney leaders.
The Happiest Place on Earth: Disney Institute Backgrounder
Founded in 1986, the Disney Institute is known as a world-class leader in experiential training, leadership development, benchmarking and cultural change for business professionals. Thousands of the world's most successful companies, including Delta Air Lines, IBM, Target, and Sony Electronics, have taken advantage of the business philosophies behind the “happiest place on earth.” (For more information, please refer to disneyinstitute.com.)
“My experience at the Disney Institute is one I won't soon forget. The Disney Approach to Quality Service is an outstanding business model that is well-suited to the MJCCA. Although I came away with an impressive amount of information, what really struck me was their attention to even the most minute detail, and how profoundly it can impact the guest experience in so many positive ways,” said Powers.
Upon his return, Powers brought his new-found knowledge to senior management who decided to interpret the Disney model by dividing it into four critical categories: Training, “Bumping the Lamp,” Policies and Procedures, and Setting – and creating a staff-driven committee to oversee each.
Training
Within three months, all employees had successfully completed a two-hour customer service training course detailing how the Disney model worked. Additional training was also implemented for new employees who are now required to attend a new hire orientation week that includes working or spending time in every MJCCA department – from support services to security – in order to gain a better understanding of how the agency works.
A Professional Development Program for staff was created, featuring year-round continuing education classes. There are currently 27 courses offered, with more planned. Class offerings encompass everything from personal growth (How to Deal With Change) to professional development (How to Work With Lay Leaders).
“Bumping the Lamp”
According to the Disney Institute, the easiest, and most cost-effective way to exceed customer expectations is through what they call “bumping the lamp.” “Bumping the lamp” is simply another way of saying “raising the bar”; it's that extra special something that makes your customer say, “ah!”
MJCCA member, Jacob Greenblat, and his 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, became first-hand recipients of “bumping the lamp” when they showed up at the MJCCA at 4:40 am on a cold January morning, giving them first-in-line honors for the MJCCA's annual Camp Registration Day. Kenny Silverboard, MJCCA membership director, was so impressed by the early arrival, that he immediately upgraded the Greenblat's membership.
"When Kenny Silverboard upgraded our membership, we were totally surprised. Hannah and I enjoyed all of the special attention we received from the JCC staff," said Greenblat.
Policies & Procedures
Consistent messaging is tantamount to managing the ultimate customer experience. Today, all front desk staff answer their phones with the same, friendly message. First names are always given in order to offer the customer a point of reference and the feeling of human contact. External e-mail correspondence concludes with a professional “signature,” and staff who will be out of the office for more than 24 hours are instructed to leave voice mail messaging offering alternative personnel assistance.
Setting the Stage
Nothing is more important to exceeding customer expectations than setting the stage.
Atmospherics – lighting, sound, décor, cleanliness – all contribute to the onsite “show-time” experience.
Physical plan improvements have included: customer-friendly elements such as new Sheletron state-of-the-art electronic signage, fresh flowers, the relocation of the Membership & Customer Service Office to a highly visible location in the MJCCA's lobby, and recent cosmetic improvements to the Fitness Center. Additionally, the Community Service Department recently launched a new program, Center Corps, to enlist volunteers who will act as Center greeters and goodwill ambassadors.
To create a sense of identity and familiarity, staff name tags were designed that also included the birthplace of each employee. The inclusion of the employee's birthplace is a famous Disney trick-of-the-trade, meant to spark an instant conversation between staff members and guests.
Is It Working?
“A week after we initiated the new customer service plan, we began our participation in the National Jewish Community Center Association's (JCCA) 2007 Benchmarking Study. While we are still awaiting the final results of this year's study, we will definitely have concrete metric data with which to gauge our overall success after participating in the study next year,” said Wise.
Until then, the changes at the MJCCA are clearly working their “magic.” Customers are commenting on the friendly atmosphere and the attentive service they are receiving. Phone calls are returned promptly. Smiles and greetings are the order of the day, every day. People are gathering, talking, enjoying each other's company on MJCCA's Main Street.
To Wise and the MJCCA staff, hachnasat orchim – welcoming guests is a mitzvah – have become words to live and work by.
ABOUT THE MARCUS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF ATLANTA
The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA), "The Center of the Community," is committed to strengthening the quality of life in Atlanta and is recognized as one of the most highly-regarded Jewish community centers in the nation. From preschoolers and teens to young adults and seniors – the MJCCA offers unique and engaging programs, events, and services for every member of the community. Other MJCCA campuses include East Cobb's Shirley Blumenthal Park and the recently opened extension of the MJCCA on the JFGA North Metro Campus.
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1According to Jewish tradition, Abraham and his wife Sarah's tent was kept open on all four sides in order to welcome and usher in all who passed. Strangers (or newcomers) were immediately embraced as friends, cared for both physically and spiritually, and treated as honored members of the family.
2According to the 2006 Jewish Federation Centennial Study of Greater Atlanta, Atlanta went from the 17th (77K Jews) to the 11th (120K Jews) largest Jewish population in the United States in just ten years (shalomatlanta.org).
317,000+