The happiest place Published June 17, 2009 By Col. Gary Goldstone 375th Airlift Wing commander SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- You've seen the commercials after most major sport events ... the ones where they ask the winners what they're going to do now, to which they reply - I'm going to Disney World! And why not? They've made a successful business out of something pretty simple - happiness. That happiness comes from experiencing magic kingdoms, timeless characters and wonderful storylines that capture our imagination and hearts. The type of environment found at Disney World might seem effortless, but behind all the happily-ever-afters is a successful business model built mostly on attitude that many try to emulate. Walt Disney managed to create a pleasant experience for his customers and that has served the company well over the years. Because many businesses wanted to learn what makes them so successful, Disney began offering training on how their successful formula could apply to anyone who wanted help. The 375th Airlift Wing is one of those businesses that recently invited the Disney team to come out and work with us to see how we can improve our customer service functions. We invested in this partly because our command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Jim Suttles, attended the training earlier in the year and found it to be extremely beneficial. He's got the Mickey Mouse ears near his desk, but refrains ... barely ... from wearing them. But, you don't have to wear the hat to buy into the positive effects that even small changes can have in the workplace. We also invested in the training for more than 60 of our wing members because customer service is at the very core of what we're all about. Superior Support and Services is a key mission area for the wing as we are heavily involved in providing critical communications, logistical and airlift support for our senior leaders. We must provide timely, accurate and reliable services but we also must be able to perform that mission with the right attitude. How do we instill pride in our workforce and how do we provide an environment where they're happy to come to work and where our customers are happy to interact with us? One of the things we learned from the Disney training, and something that we can begin to do right now, is when we greet people to look them in the eye, smile and say "How may I help you?" I'm sure we've all gone into places that have asked what we wanted or what we needed. How simple it is to turn the emphasis around from what do you want to how may I help you. It's simple, but powerful. Another quick take away reminds me of kindergarten. It's the simple rule of saying "you're welcome" after someone thanks you for your service. Sometimes to say "no problem" can imply that your stopping to help them really was a problem. Again, it's just something simple, but Disney has proven that simple things radiate happiness and success. The effects of the Disney training in many companies have resulted in happier employees who stay longer and are more loyal, as well as an increase in business. In one women and infants hospital, they instituted a "silent hospital" to reduce overhead announcing and instead gave doctors and nurses beepers for paging, instituted a family liaison member to relay information from the medical staff to waiting family members as well as recognition programs for their staff. The staffing turnover rates decreased and they soon became a hospital of choice all because patients experienced a culture of care. One action item we have from this experience is to establish a customer service award. We see a lot of great service around the base, and we want to recognize our people for the great job they are doing. More information will be announced later once we have all the details worked out, but we are willing to send winners to Orlando for additional in-house Disney training ... and of course see their customer service ideals in action while visiting Disney World. There's a reason why they call it the happiest place on earth. Maybe we can help make Scott a happier place, too!