Why Do We Give Parks a Pass on Customer Service?

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RatherGoodBear said:
What I think is the funny thing is how many people believe Wal-mart should be paying their workers $15-20 an hour, with benefits on par with what government workers get. PLUS they should still be selling crap for dirt cheap.

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I'm with you 100%. Literally, it's as if you took the words from my mouth. Which leads to:

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I agree with gator on this one. Anyone in the hospitality business-- and parks fall into that category-- should be expected to provide more than an occasional smidgen of "customer service." Of course parks are about the rides as well. But what good is the record breaking coaster surrounded by trash and manned by a crew that couldn't care if they only sent out 10 trains an hour?

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I generally agree too, but I think we've established that "customer service" costs more..and people already complain about how expensive the parks are.

They don't want to pay, but they expect everything in return. (sounds a lot like what you said in the first part I quoted, huh?)

It's the Wal-Marting of America.

If people are shopping at Wal-Mart in droves based on nothing but the cheapest price (not the best service, the nicest stores or helpful employees) then why should anything else be different? Drop the price and watch them come. When Six Flags raised their prices a few seasons ago in an attempt to offer something beyond "look how cheap we are to visit" the entire enthusiast community was in an uproar.

The Wal-Marting of America.

Let me requote:

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Of course parks are about the rides as well. But what good is the record breaking coaster surrounded by trash and manned by a crew that couldn't care if they only sent out 10 trains an hour?

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What good is a cheap plastic shoe that falls apart in three months bought at a crowded dirty store and sold by an employee who barely acknowledges you beyond tossing a platic bag with your merchandise in your general direction if I'm only saving $2?

I dunno, but enough people buy those cheap plastic shoes from Wal-Mart that it must be something. Just like enough people stand in line for that trashed-up, slow dispatching record breaker that it must be something.

The Wal-Marting of America. :)

Or let me requote with an alternate response:

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Of course parks are about the rides as well. But what good is the record breaking coaster surrounded by trash and manned by a crew that couldn't care if they only sent out 10 trains an hour?

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Agreed. But how many people are willing to pay 10% more for a clean, effiecient record breaker? 20%? 30 %?

I suspect I lost most people after the first question mark.

Still the Wal-Marting of America.

People don't seem to look at value or quality or service. They look at the price. Then they complain when the cheapest price didn't get them more than the cheapest experience or the cheapest quality or the cheapest service. It goes back to the opening quote of this post again - we're saying the same thing. We agree.

I think the parks should be offering customer service, but I don't think that given the product they have to and given the Wal-Marting of the shopper mentality, I'm not sure they can.

It all depends on what type of business you are going to Gonch.

I see your Wal-marting terminoligy, but when I go into a Walmart to shop, all I care about is getting the products I need and leaving. It's the type of store where I know what I want, buy it, and get out. I really don't care about customer service there. Sure, I might ask what aisle a product is in, and if they tell me where, I am content. I don't need over the top service from Walmart.

Walmart isn't in the business of getting your entertainment dollar. They are there to sell products you need and want at a cheaper price then the more expensive store. They are in the business of providing things you NEED with the WANT products on a lower level.

Six Flags, and any other park chain don't provide a NEED product. If you sell a WANT product, you better provide customer service well beyond what Walmart could only dream of. *** Edited 7/3/2008 10:13:16 AM UTC by Chitown***

I can't argue that because I tend to agree, Chitown. But that was my argument for why the high prices were going to be ok, not my argument for why or on what level customer service matters.

Don't underestimate desire. Want can be every bit as strong as need...and twice as stubborn. :)

I suppose it comes down to how many people want entertained (competition for those dollars) and how many people want to go to an amusement park specifically.

Like I said too many times already, an amusement park without rides isn't much of a park. RGB has a good comment in that a great ride surrounded by trash and run horribly isn't much of a ride.

But you know what? It's still a ride.

I'm not saying cutomer service doesn't matter at all. Obviously, you have to provide some basic level of service to your customers and parks that serve better probably get and retain more customers. But the thing to remember is that for many the local park is the only game in town and that basic service will be more than enough to keep your population base coming back.

And just for clarity, could someone define customer service as it's meant in the context of this thread. It seems that it's being used as a generic catch-all for "everything but the rides" and I'm not sure that's fair either. That's a pretty vague area to be covering. I'm not sure it's really as simple as:

• Product
• Price
• Everything Else

Because if that's the level we're on, then yes, everything else matters too. :)

Seems like we're leaving out some details there. So what is meant when we say, "customer service."

Is it the cleanliness of the parks? Is it the efficiency of operations? Is it the quality of food? The timeliness of service? The attitude of employees? The knowledge of employees? The hours of operation? The atmosphere or vibe the park has? Or are we really talking about everything else?

I would think that "customer service" would primarily be face-to-face or human-to-human(or possibly machine) interactions. Does the person greet me promptly with a smile on their face, take my order and my money efficiently, answer my questions, bring me my food quickly, etc. While I suppose it could be argued that providing high quality food for the price, or a clean environment to eat in, is a service, I think that those things could be discussed separately from the personal interactions. A grey area, however, could be staffing. Is having enough staff on hand so that I can find someone to interact with "customer service" or not? Is having adequate stock on hand to fill my order "customer service"?

I'm with you, Alan. But as this thread goes on, I think the term is being used in a much more vague sense than that.

Right. Good customer service is just one element of overall good operations. An amusement park can have a great line-up of rides and top notch staff who are always cheerful, hard-working etc.(ie. providing great customer service) but if you only let them run one train per ride or only have enough hot dogs for the first five people in line you have poor operations.

And to go with Gator and say that parks sell experiences, CS is very much part of the product. Price comes after that. ;)

I define Customer Service at a park as person to person contact, but also in as operations. If a coaster has an hour long line, running only one train, and is loading at a snail's pace, then I view it as poor service.

Customer service can also come from those in management who make decisions that directly affect park goers, imo.

I think it basically boils down to this......treat people the way YOU want to be treated, even if you are dealing with a-holes or having bad day. This goes both ways.

I work in printing and see the good, bad, and ugly on a daily basis. Everyone is ALWAYS wanting things yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the job and most of the "regulars" are cool but there are times I get frustrated at people who have OBVIOUSLY never worked in customer service. Luckily I tend to chill people out. ;) Even the most DIFFICULT customers can be easily "calmed down" by a smile and a little courtesy. Innocent flirting helps as well. ;) I am not saying you have to put up with abuse, but if I can make someone's day a little less stressful then I am happy. The customer is happy. Everyone is happy. :)

I am easy to get along with, and whenever I go into an establishment I don't really ask for help unless I really need it. On the other hand, I expect the employees to act professional and friendly, especially in a restaurant (I tip well for good service/prompt delivery, just ask the local pizza and chinese places! They LOVE me!)

As far as parks, I really don't make a fuss. Friendliness and a simple smile go a LONG way with me, though. No matter how kickass the rides may be, the park sucks if you get a bad "vibe" from the employees. Sure you can write it off, which I usually do, but it makes the visit more enjoyable when employees make you feel comfortable, even at RedneckMart. ;)

-Tina

*** Edited 7/5/2008 7:44:23 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

Queen, I'll second that!

Had another good example the other day. I went down to my local resturant supply house to grab a new ice cream scoop for my dad. The guy made me feel like I would be buying a million bucks worth of stuff even though it was a $13 scoop.

What is so frustrating for so many of us is when not given a pass parks still do nothing. Example how many times and park operations top brass at Six Flags Great America be told, The lighting on Columbia is dim in several spots. The back half of Columbia's Stove Tophat is burned out. Your sign on Grand Avenue is never lit at night. After countless requests and the passage of two years, we just give up. It is easier to accept things as they are, then expect any change. Very sad however no expectations leave no disapointments.