Issue 9 / February 2010 Disney Magic: Personalising the Customer Experience
The ability to manage and use
data effectively could open up
opportunities to deliver some
‘banking magic’ to customers
Combining context (location) Being able to tie this location information
The relevance to financial services The situation Disney Parks & Resorts found
with customer data back to data held on each customer can
themselves in ten years ago is not that
Finger Scanning
Many of the technologies Disney have been
provide many opportunities to enhance
different from that faced by many financial
The ability to manage and
In large scale theme parks the location
able to deploy are not new. However, with a
the customer experience. If a queue is
institutions today; customer frustrations
use this data effectively
of guests has an impact on both the
sophisticated understanding of customer
building up on one of the park rides,
Disney have been using finger
with service, a lack of differentiation in the
guest experience and the efficient running
data management, Disney are in an
Disney operators could identify if there are
scanning for over a decade, to ensure
market and a general lack of customer
could open up enormous
of the park. Early successful uses of
enviable position to move on from
a large number of those queuing who have
that multi-day tickets are only used
empathy or trust towards the company.
opportunities to deliver some
location awareness technology include:
discussions on opportunities, to start to
similar preferences, e.g. a favourite Disney
by those who have purchased them.
The roots of Disney’s journey back to
exploit these opportunities to their full
• the use of simple scanners to address
character who could be sent to entertain
A magnetic strip on the back of a resort
one of the top brands in the world can be
future “banking magic” to
potential. Disney realised that its customers
one of guests’ top concerns; long
them while they wait. Another opportunity
pass stored this data and when the
traced back to ambitious plans, at a time
were quite willing to divulge data and
customers.
queuing times. If a queue gets too long
exists in Disney Park restaurants. If a family
pass was scanned the guest was
of hardship, to be smarter with managing
engage with the brand
12
. Financial services
alerts are sent out to direct employees
uses an RFID enabled pass or hotel key
required to insert their finger into a
and utilising customer data as an asset.
organisations are also in an enviable
to where they’re most needed
8
.
on entering a restaurant, having one of the
scanner to provide a match with the
The benefits now being realised are a
position of having significant amounts of
• the development of the “Pal Mickey”
Disney characters approach and welcome
data held on the magnetic strip. In 2006,
strong capability to know their customer,
customer data available. The ability to
doll which, through the use of infra-red
children by name would further enhance
a controversial upgrade to this system
know what their customer wants,
manage and use this data effectively could
sensors, can engage a child with some
the child’s magical perception of Disney
10
.
to develop more detailed scans of finger
and know how best to deliver it.
open up enormous opportunities to deliver
interesting facts about rides or activities
prints was introduced for all Walt Disney
With its history in the tracking of products
some future “banking magic” to customers.
nearby, or share a “secret” about a
World tickets (the technology provider
in manufacturing or retail operations,
Making relevant customer data available
nearby character. An added benefit
remains a closely kept secret).
the potential to add context (specifically
during a customer service interaction can
of this was to take some of the
Disney now maintains the largest single References
location) adds a significant new dimension
improve the ability to provide as helpful a
“between- activity” entertainment
commercial application of biometrics in
to customer awareness. If RFID deployment
service as possible. Allowing this data to
burden from the shoulders of the
the US, and have even been advisors
is successful, Disney’s CRM definition of
shape the interfaces presented to a 1 “Walt Disney World Resorts and CRM 8 “How CIOs are enabling business activity
parents
9
.
to the US government on its application,
Strategy” CIO Insight, 1 Dec 2003 monitoring with existing tools. Christina
“know me and be relevant to me” could
customer during self-service interactions
following the 9/11 disasters.
2 “Case Study: Customer-Centric Technology
Torode,
SearchCIO.com, 6th May 2009.
While both of these are existing examples
be expanded to “know me well enough
can improve the ability to provide as
Helps Disney Personalize Relationships”, 9 “Case Study: Customer-Centric Technology
where context technology has been
at any place or point in time to be
relevant a service as possible. The ability to
Forrester Research, 15 Feb 2008. Helps Disney Personalize Relationships”,
successfully deployed, more sophisticated
relevant everywhere in every transaction
exploit new customer service technologies
3 “Profile Adam Rubins: Out of the wilderness”,
Forrester Research, 15 Feb 2008.
developments around Radio Frequency
with every guest”
11
.
is also significantly enhanced where strong
New Media Age, 7th July 2005, Factiva 10 “Case Study: Customer-Centric Technology
Identification (RFID) are currently being
customer data building blocks are in place.
This year also sees the introduction of
4 “Know Me and Be Relevant: What I learned
Helps Disney Personalize Relationships”,
undertaken. These provide valuable
from Disney’s Keynote at NCDM”, Jim Gilbert,
Forrester Research, 15 Feb 2008.
wireless technology to Disney resorts,
potential capabilities to tie customer and
Gilbert Direct Marketing Inc., 16 Jan 2009. 11 “Technology and the Digital Client: a new
allowing guests to receive up to date
location data together, to provide a more
5 “Variable Data Works Magic for Disney”.
reality for the people-process-technology mix.”
information on show times, restaurant
personal experience.
Printing Impressions, Oct 2007.
www.podi.org.
Barton Goldenberg, CRM Magazine,
availability, ride queues and other park
1 Nov 2008.
6 “Know me and be relevant: What I learned
information on mobile devices. Allied to from Disney’s Keynote at NCDM”
12 “Case Study: Customer-Centric Technology
the RFID technology, providing relevant
http://gilbertdirectmarketing.wordpress.com/
Helps Disney Personalize Relationships”,
information to the customer about what
2009/01/16/now-me-and-be-relevant-what-i-
Forrester Research, 15 Feb 2008.
learned-from-disneys-keynote-at-ncdm/
is happening in their current location,
becomes more achievable.
7 “Disney Digital Books: Direct-to-consumer
subscriptions, a publisher’s wish come true.”
http://blogs.forrester.com/consumer_
product_strategy/disney/
10 / Perspectives on the future Perspectives on the future / 11
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