I just returned from a trip to Orlando with my son Michael.  We went to see the World Baseball Classic, which was being played at the baseball stadium at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, along with three other locations around the U.S.  

We got to see teams from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Italy and Australia.  It was a great event; the games were terrific, the crowds were unbelievable.  Every night the stadium was filled with 10,000 baseball nuts (Michael and I included).  But what made a great event even greater was the performance of the Disney Corporation. 

The stadium was immaculate (both on the field and in the stands), even on days when they only had a couple of hours to clean up between games.  Security was visible everywhere, without being intrusive.  

The parking lots were jammed (there were other events going on in the complex besides the baseball tournament) yet getting in and out was a breeze due to the hundreds of workers directing traffic and to the logistically brilliant way they had the entrances and exits set up.   If the Disney Corporation would have been in charge of evacuating New Orleans rather than the government, a lot more people would have gotten out without incident.  

Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY, was courteous, cooperative and there to make sure the customer experience was fantastic.  You were allowed to bring food and drinks from the outside into the stadium!  This is unheard of in most ballparks in America.  And yet, the concession stands were raking it in; not to mention how much merchandise they sold.  

But the most amazing thing happened just before the start of the game on Thursday afternoon.  Michael and I were sitting in our seats when a young woman came up to me and asked if my name is Warren.  I said, “Yes,” and she said, “Hi I’m Mandy.”  It was the young woman who sold me the tickets over the phone.  She had made a special trip down to our seats to find out how we were enjoying ourselves and what our impressions were of the Classic.  That was impressive; not because it was so hard to do, but because it’s so rare.

Contrast this with another experience Michael and I had during the trip.  On Wednesday afternoon there was no game, so we went to a Spring Training game at the Houston Astros ballpark in Kissimmee (what else do baseball nuts do in their free time but find another game somewhere.).  We were carrying a bag that had four bottles of water in it (the same amount we brought to the games at Disney Wide World of Sports Ballpark).  We were told by the surly guy at the gate that you could only bring in one bottle per person.  When we asked why, we were told it was their policy.  Don’t you just love when they say that?  What the hell does that mean?  

Why is it so difficult for companies to do the right thing by their customers?  I was so incredibly impressed by how the Disney people ran the tournament not because the things they did were so difficult to implement.  On the contrary, any company could have done them.  What was impressive was that it hardly ever happens and when it does, it stands out.  Once again, do you see how easy it is to bury the competition?  

What Disney did was think about all the things that could ruin a customer’s experience and then they made sure none of those things happened.  Have you ever bothered to think about the things that bother your customers the most?  And if you have, have you taken steps to eliminate them?  Or do you just chalk it up to “Company policy?”