The next two strengths I have indentified are linked together; they are extremely beneficial in increasing the reputation and customer service received by customers. These two strengths are having both multilingual staff and multilingual maps and sign posts throughout the park. This is crucial for Disneyland in being successful as the customers that come here are from different countries worldwide, which speak different languages and have different cultures. This means Disney needs to provide a wide range of staff that speak these languages or use universal symbols on the sign posts at the resort to suit and satisfy all their customers’ needs and differences. If Disney was not able to provide this, both their customers and staff could become frustrated and angry as there will be a language barrier they are unable to fix, also they will not be able to navigate themselves around the parks via the maps and sign posts if they are not multilingual. This in turn would give Disney numerous complaints and decreasing their outstanding reputation. Customers will not want to return to the resort and may pass there bad experience on to others, thus putting them off visiting. I have placed a few pictures which I have collected from around the Disney resort, highlighting the multilingual sign posts and maps there are available for customers to navigate themselves around the resort easily increasing the level of customer satisfaction gained as customers can find where they want to be without any negative implications.
Another strength that it’s clear Disney have is providing disabled facilities throughout the resort. This is important in showing Disneyland cares and caters for their customers who have a disability, thus showing they cater for a variety of people. Some of the facilities that are available around the parks include; wheelchair rental, specially adapted toilets and designated rooms etc. By having these facilities Disney is able to attract more disabled customers into visiting the resort, increasing their sales and revenue, also it will help to increase Disney’s already booming reputation. These customers will also feel valued and respected as they are not being discriminated against, and would feel comfortable in talking to a member of staff should they have any queries. They receive the highest quality customer service that Disney aims to provide all their customers with, giving the customers good satisfaction. I have included various pictures as evidence to prove Disney do offer this service to its disabled customers.
Another strength Disney show is the high level of training given to their employees. They have all been trained with in-depth knowledge about various products Disneyland Paris sell. This is necessary so Disney is acting in accordance with the Trade Description Act 1968, a scenario in which the company are at risk of breaking this law would be if one of Disney’s employees was to provide a customer with untrue information about a product as in if the employee described the product either orally or written down as being suitable for children and the product was in fact not suitable for children, Disneyland would then be liable for prosecution if pursued. However if a customer visiting the resort were to ask employees questions and they were unable to respond this would reflect negatively towards Disney and customers would then be uncomfortable asking other staff members questions. This could then lead to the Disney’s exceptional reputation being damaged thus Disney would then see a decline in sales therefore turnover. By all employees having outstanding training Disney would see their customer satisfaction amplify from good customer service being provided to all.
Fast passes are another strength Disneyland offers to its customers, although customers would have to pay an extra amount they receive the benefit of not having to wait in long queues for the rides, which could frustrate the more impatient customers. This would increase customer satisfaction by not having to wait as long for the attractions they wish to see, making Disney have a higher chance of gaining repeat custom which will increase both sales and revenue for the business. This shows Disney offer their customers an excellent customer service, as customers feel valued in having the opportunity to pay for a fast pass which would be time effective towards the customers, this would then lead to Disney increasing their reputation further.
An additional strength I can acknowledge that Disneyland Paris can show is by having two parks (main theme park and Walt Disney Studio’s). From my own experience and knowledge plus research into the two parks I can identify the themes and rides based in each park are different. Walt Disney studio’s is catered more towards older children with bigger, faster and more thrilling and exciting rides available. Whereas the main Disney Park is tailored towards the younger generation including the youngest visitors, as it contains smaller less thrilling rides. I have included a list below of the top five rides in each of the parks.
Rides based in Walt Disney Studio’s:
- Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
- Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin
- RC Racer
- Crush’s Coaster
- Cars Race Rally
- Animagique
- Art of Disney Animation
- Flying Carpets Over Agrabah
- Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster starring Aerosmith
- Armageddon Special Effects
- Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular
- Stitch Live!
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Playhouse Disney
- CinéMagique
- Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic
Rides based in the main theme park –
- ‘It’s A Small World’
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Alice’s Curious Labyrinth
- Sleeping Beauty Castle
- Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups
- Dumbo The Flying Elephant
- Les Voyages de Pinocchio
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Phantom Manor
- Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Pirate’s Beach
- Buzz Light-year Laser Blast
- Space Mountain: Mission 2
- Star tours
- Captain EO Starring Michael Jackson
It is important that Disneyland Paris cater for all age groups as this would attract a wider variety and larger numbers of customers visiting their resort therefore, increase the amount of sale thus revenue created by Disneyland. Furthermore this will generate better customer service given to customers increasing their satisfaction from having a large choice of ride and entertainment available to satisfy all customer types, also potential for repeat custom from various customers who visits the park.
The final strength I have identified for Disneyland Paris is they offer and provide a variety of exclusive offers and promotional package deals. These deals and offers are accessible to a range of people who are thinking about visiting the Disneyland Paris resort, catering for most customer types. Below I have included the types of offers Disneyland are currently providing and promoting:
Save up to 30% off your hotel, park tickets and now even transport with selected partners
For arrivals from 9th January 2011 to 7th November 2011 on a minimum stay of 2 night/3 days this package includes:
- Accommodation
- Tickets to both Disney Parks each day
- Breakfast in your selected hotel
- AND 30% off transport with either Eurostar, Flybe or P&O Ferries
This package is most likely to benefit people of the lowest income who want to visit the Disneyland resort, as it offers a large discount off the total cost of the visit as long as they visit between the selected times which are usually off peak.
Another deal Disney is offering is:
Kids under 12 stay and play for FREE
For arrivals starting 1st January through to 5th April 2011.
This type of deal/offer would suit those families with slightly older children, and are looking for a quick, last minute deal. This would attract those customers who may have little disposable income and want a quick get-away.
By Disney having these different offers available to customers it would help to boost sales therefore revenue for Disney as it is enabling customer from all socio-economic groups and family sizes are able to receive some form of discount or offer therefore visit the resort. This is offering good customer service by opening the offers to a variety of potential customers thus increasing the customer satisfaction received. Disney has similar deals and offers available on a regular bases, drumming up potential for repeat and loyal customers.
Opportunities
One opportunity I have identified for Disney is to improve their customer service towards customers. When I visited Disney on a school trip we experienced two customer service errors made by staff members, these were the itinerary given by our school was not checked correctly and a bus was not book for our planned day out to Paris meaning we had a 2 hour delay before it was finally corrected. The other error we encountered was our teachers accidentally locked themselves out of their room, when they asked at reception for a new key the staff member called Jeremy asked to see identification, my teacher explained it was locked inside of the room, they then asked to see her wristband but a failing on Disney’s behalf had not issued out staff member with these. Disney will therefore need to improve upon these mistakes otherwise customer may not wish to return or inform other people of their bad experience meaning they will put people off and decrease Disney’s reputation. Another way in which they could develop their customer service is to ask or provide a form or questionnaire for all guests staying at the resort to provide feedback for the business. When this data is collected Disney will be able to see the areas they are providing quality customer services and the sections they are not performing in and need improvements. If Disney takes the feedback given by customers into consideration, it would increase the standard of customer service given leading to better customer satisfaction, which could then follow with Disney gaining an even higher excellent reputation.
Another opportunity that Disney has is to expand and develop rides, there are already a variety of rides available within resort however, Disneyland Paris is lacking in high thrill rides as currently there is only four these are: Crush’s Coaster, Space Mountain: Mission 2, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster starring Aerosmith. If Disney were to expand and develop a new set of high thrill rides like its bigger resort in America and competitors such as PortAventura in neighbouring Spain and Blackpool Pleasure Beach here in the UK. This could then attract more customers seeking a thrill, and gradually build/increase Disney’s customer base and interest for this Disneyland resort. This would be a great incentive for repeat custom and give excellent customer service, resulting in great satisfaction from visiting customers, boosting Disney’s reputation further. This would also generate sales in the resort and potentially revenue which could then be spent on developing and expand Disneyland Paris even further.
A further opportunity for Disney is they could cater and attract young adults better by improving the entertainment facilities inside the Disneyland Paris Village. As it stands in the village there is a Nex Arcade centre but it is usually full of middle aged children, also there is only one suitable bar with reasonable music which serves alcohol, young adults are looking for lively, fun fuelled nights and to be entertained. If Disney was to but another dance type bar/club in the village it would increase the numbers in this particular customer type, thus increasing the amount of sales possibly revenue and creating better customer satisfaction which will then lead to good word by mouth and repeat custom.
A final opportunity which could help Disney to improve their customer service is to develop their multilingual services offered to all customers; this would help customers interact with staff more efficiently. They already have a variety of employees who speak different languages and customers are able to interact with and various maps and signs to help with any language barriers. However from my own experience at Disneyland Paris many of the rides in the parks have instruction video’s when first getting on, unfortunately for Disney are large percentage of these were in French. If Disney were to offer a headset system where customers are able to choose their desired language it would increase customer satisfaction as customers feel valued instead of isolated. This could then create an even bigger reputation for Disney and even create a more worldwide target audience as people will be able to communicate efficiently when they visit.
Weaknesses
The first weakness I have identified for Disney is the length of the queues and the time it takes to get onto rides especially during peak times and seasons. From my own experience the queues were time consuming and at times were almost unbearable to stand and wait in especially during the cold weather and rain. This would put some customers off such as small children and cause anger and frustration with those who are more impatient. Leading to bad word of mouth being spread which could put other customers off. This is not satisfying customers and will reduce the number of sales additionally revenue. It could also reflect badly on Disney and reduce their reputation. However Disneyland Paris do offer fast passes for an additional fee, this allows customers to jump queues and reduce waiting times for certain rides. This would help to satisfy the needs of some customers, providing them with effective customer service.
The next weakness Disney has is how expensive everything is. From my own experience of visiting the Paris resort I quickly noticed the high costs, especially the price of food and drinks. I found the cheapest place was McDonalds unfortunately I did not like this so ended up paying between £20 - £25 in other food establishment such as cafe Mickey or Planet Hollywood. Most people are put off buy these high prices set by the Disneyland Resort but are restricted to the resort alone as there are no food establishments in the area surrounding. Therefore may choose to stay in another hotel, this would mean Disney are losing out on customers, sales and therefore revenue from customers paying for accommodation or meals elsewhere. Customers will not feel valued or satisfied and are likely to launch a complaint into Disney decreasing its reputation. Also customers who have experienced these high prices will warn and therefore prevent others from coming. To ensure this doesn’t happen Disneyland Paris should reduce the prices of their product by a fraction in order to provide effective customer service.
A further weakness Disney has is on the environment, this includes the amount of pollution, congestion and litter in the area surrounding the resort in Paris, and this is a weakness to Disney as neighbouring residents are not happy about the excessiveness of the problems. This then reflect badly on Disney as they can keep these problems to a minimum inside the resort itself by hiring staff that are constantly reducing the amount of litter, but as soon as the customers leave they may throw litter with Disney’s brand name attached, and cause concerns for Paris’s residents. Customers will be put off from visiting if the cleanliness levels are low, resulting in a decrease in sales therefore revenue, leading to a decline in customer satisfaction and Disney gaining a bad reputation through bad press releases related. Disney is also likely to lose a considerable percentage of the main French customer base, therefore Disney losing out on money.
The final weakness Disney presents is it doesn’t cater for all age groups. From my visit to the resort I quickly realise Disney was lacking in nightlife and entertainment for young adults aged 18 – 30. However there is one nightclub called the Hurricane Night Club but this would not keep this age category impressed for a full week as it would become boring and repetitive. This will then lead to Disney putting off customers within this age group, thus losing out in sales and revenue. It will also create a bad image for Disney which strides towards giving its entire customer base the best possible experience, leaving customers unsatisfied and provided with bad customer service.
Threats
I have only identified one threat for Disneyland Paris and this is other competitors taking some of there trade away from them. However this is not just other theme parks, Disneyland Paris is also a tourist attraction and are in competition with others in Europe. Some competitors who may pose a threat to Disneyland Paris are: PortAventura based in neighbouring Spain, Blackpool Pleasure Beach based here in the UK, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum. These competitors are very successful and have a large customer base. This could prove damaging for Disney as they will be taking custom therefore revenue from them. These other competitor may provide a similar if not higher level of customer service and making ordinary and loyal customers to deter away from Disneyland Paris to a competitor instead.
Recommendations
After identifying the weaknesses and threats that Disneyland Paris has which could negatively affect the level of customer service provided by Disneyland to its visitors, I have now thought of recommendations which would be useful to Disney in helping to provide the best quality customer service.
One weakness I did identify for Disney was the amount of pollution and litter from Disney on the environment. Therefore I would recommend Disneyland Paris employ more cleaners for the surrounding areas of the park as well as in the park itself, as well as this Disneyland come provide more bins inside the park but especially at the exits and in the car parks of the resort as this tends to be where people leaving the resort drop litter. They could also provide recycling bins to encourage visitors to improve the local environment. This could then boost the company’s reputation and make local residents happier therefore proving better customer service.
Another weakness that was highlighted for Disneyland Paris was how expensive the food was to buy. Therefore I recommend that Disneyland Paris negotiate with there food establishments to decrease their prices or provide promotional/special offers for large parties including schools, this could also apply for peak times are the park. This would offer customers with more efficient customer service and achieve a higher customer satisfaction which could then lead to an increase in Disney’s reputation.
A further recommendation which could then increase the efficiency of customer service provided would be for Disney to look and compare with their European competitors. I have identified that the Disneyland Paris Resort have a limited number of big thrill rides especially in the Walt Disney Studio’s park aimed primarily for young adults. The Disneyland Paris resort only has 5 thrill rides compared with the major UK competitor Blackpool Pleasure Beach which has 10 double that of Disney’s, therefore by designing, building and developing more rides this would then provide customers with better satisfaction therefore increasing their reputation. This could then attract more visitors to the park increasing Disney’s sales and potentially revenue.
A final recommendation to help increase the level of customer service given to all visitors would be to improve the waiting times for rides and attractions in the resort. Another way in which they could do this apart from fast passes would be to provide signs stating how long it will take to get onto the ride from the position the customer is currently at, this would make customers feel more valued as they are then given the option whether they are prepared to wait in the queue or try again later. This would make some customers more satisfied and could increase Disney’s reputation from good word of mouth being spread. This could then lead to more visitors to the park boosting the number of sales and potentially revenue for Disney.