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Disney Institute Helps South Africa Prepare for World Cup
October 05, 2009
Disney Institute, the professional training and consulting arm of The Walt Disney Company, today began helping the Tourism Business Council of South Africa benchmark the state of customer service in preparation for the country's hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa in June and July.
Disney Institute facilitators—who are Disney Cast Members and have held leadership roles in the organization—will make recommendations on how to apply consistent customer service across all industries. The end goal is to train workers on how to apply that consistent service in all "on-stage" areas during the event and going forward. Disney Institute has worked globally on similar customer service initiatives in such countries as India, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Phase one of the Tourism Service Excellence Initiative (TSEI) begins this week with the first of several focus group sessions conducted by a team from Disney Institute. The team will be in the country for the next four weeks, conducting a series of focus group sessions to evaluate the current customer service standards and delivery in the country.
"The main objective in this phase of the project is to evaluate the current customer service delivery ethos and gaps in South Africa, and to use this information to develop a locally relevant program for the delivery of memorable and unforgettable service to all visiting the country," says Mmatsatsi Marobe, CEO of Tourism Business Council of SA, the implementing partner on TSEI.
The National Department of Tourism formed a partnership with Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) to ensure that action is taken to improve service levels within the sector. The initiative features a five-pillar approach to implementation.
The initial pillar includes the research and audit of service levels within the sector and subsequent pillars include service delivery training, a public awareness campaign, measurement and monitoring of service standards, and the implementation of a tourism service consumer feedback system.
"We wanted a team with a global understanding of service excellence standards, so our results can be benchmarked against global insights," says Sindiswa Nhlumayo, deputy director-general for tourism in the Department of Tourism. "We also wanted to benefit from tried and tested global approaches on service delivery from a reputable organization like The Disney Institute."
For the first pillar, the Disney Institute team will be conducting research around the country from Sept. 28 to Oct. 22. All tourism businesses have been urged to respond to invitations and confirm their participation in the initiative. Respondents were encouraged to provide the team with information on the challenges and opportunities for the improvement of service levels in South Africa. Focus groups will range from groups of six to eight people, and require two to three hours with the Disney team.
"We are excited to be working with the TBCSA and the Department of Tourism team in what is clearly a vital project for the industry in South Africa," says Jeff James, vice president of Disney Institute. "We look forward to helping the local teams to ensure the issue of improving service standards is addressed in the most comprehensive way."
The final outcomes of the audit will be shared with the industry in a report, and the key findings in this report will determine the content of the next phases of TSEI.
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