Francesca Tempestini: 0:00

Everything starts with people, you have to hire them, you have to train them and you have to retain them. But it is important that you equip in order to do that you have to set your culture because even if you take the most brilliant person on earth, he or she cannot know what you have in mind for your business and how you want you to deal with customers, and you have to transmit that because people are the ones that will deal with your customer.

Rick Denton: 0:31

You're listening to CX Passport, the show about creating great customer experiences with a dash of travel talk. Each episode we’ll talk with our guests about great CX, travel...and just like the best journeys, explore new directions we never anticipated. I'm your host Rick Denton. I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport. Let's get going. Bonjour CX passport travelers and a whole apologies to those of you who can truly speak the French language. I'm just so excited to have a another new country checked off the list for CX passport guests. It does seem like we're in sort of a CX passport European tour this year and I love it. With the Summer Olympics in France later this year, we're recording this episode in the spring of 2024. I know I probably can't get an in person trip put together. But today we get to head to France as we get to talk with Francesca Tempest Dini, a deeply focused employee experience advocate. With over 17 years of diverse experience in sales, primarily b2b Francesca's passion for customer and employee experience is evident throughout her career. Formerly with Disneyland Paris, Francesca served in Guest Relations and care roles, resolving conflicts, and ensuring exceptional guest experiences. Now, those of us in the CX world we hold Disney experience in high regard for good reasons, Francesca's tenure and Guest Relations, equipped her with the skills in conflict resolution, exceptional service and positive guest interactions, all of which are critical and crucial components in delivering memorable customer experiences. Beyond the magical realm of Disney Francesca's expertise extends beyond sales. She's a former Disney volunteer, and the spelling of that is volunteer e AR and I love that now involved with Make A Wish spreading joy to children. She believes her true purpose lies and making people happy, evident in her dedication to creating events sharing knowledge and connecting people Francesca Welcome to CX passport.

Francesca Tempestini: 2:53

Hello, thank you very much. Thank you for this fantastic introduction and for having me. It's a real pleasure.

Rick Denton: 2:58

Yay. I'm excited about France. I'm excited about Disney. I'm excited about talking about it. Now, one thing you look at my hands going Francesca did say that while she is in France, she is Italian. And so we're all going to try to stay within the realms of our video frames, but we'll just see how things go. I love the global nature of six passport but the guests and the listeners

Francesca Tempestini: 3:19

we can check to quit so countries done France. That's

Rick Denton: 3:23

right. That's right. I like it. Francesca I have talked with so many folks on CX passport, who later realized in life what they've been doing all along was customer experience in their career well before it was labeled CX. How did you come to that realization that what you were doing at Disney was some of the best proving ground for customer experience. Of course, I

Francesca Tempestini: 3:46

realized that later after I left. And in my case, everything started by a book by a mouse. But it's a book that I bought it in a Disney pilgrimage to Glendale which is the campus the Imagineer campus in California, where the the artists and inventors and architect and who they all come together and create magic and invent and pull out the new, the new rights that we're gonna have over everything related to Disney. So I went there, and as a cast member, I could just go to the cafeteria or to the bookshop in the bookshop about this book, which is Be my guest famous guest it's a book about quality service delivered by the Disney Institute. I bought it and I read it and I started to realize that it was talking about everything of my day to day, but I didn't know what the Disney Institute was. So I started researching for Disney Institute and I found out that it's an unarmed branch of the snake that since the 80s. It delivers training and programs for any organization what wild which is wants to know how Are these networks and how what is the approach to business this new approach to business? So, I started to question and see that probably this learnings that I was I was having at this meet where I was afraid of the real world and I was afraid of tapping and Elon yard in any company, not truly intended, I was coming from Disney I was expecting them to think that it was all flying elephants and, and lion kings and magic and I would have wasn't really capable handling situation and handling products and, and customers by reading this book. And by attending a conference by Tom Bruce Temkin of Qualtrics. I realize that it was wrong that customer experience and employee experience exist, and they are absolutely a business style. So I had this revelation, I said, Hey, I know someday that could actually work. And

Rick Denton: 6:06

I was really happy with that. And you know, there's two things well, there's 1000 things in there that I love. One is the fact that you refer to it as a Disney pilgrimage. And really, it's sort of I love that that you did your Disney pilgrimage to Glendale. And then for those that are watching on video, I'm pointing to a book this isn't a virtual backgrounds through a bookshelf. That is Be our guest sitting right back there where my finger is pointing. And I absolutely think that book is brilliant Francesca and have gotten a lot of epiphanies out of it as well. And so I'm glad that discovery that a what I've been doing is customer experience and and there's a lot into doing customer experience that we talked about, there's an art well, and there's a process to delivering customer experience that comes across without it feeling well. I like CX C to scripted. You've talked about how for you. This is just a reflex. Just how do you help others develop that just natural feeling reflex towards customer experience?

Francesca Tempestini: 7:08

Well, a lot of it comes from my distant background because what I am today when I've looked what I've learned, stick to me so I couldn't hear I cannot help today to stop talking when a Klein comes into my office or smiling when I am over the phone. So all these things that I learned at Disney I do apply them in my everyday life. And I realized that whenever you are new to accompany people look at you what you do how you do it and so of course they are the repeat what you do it's a reflex Yes, because everything that I learned this thing was so natural and so obvious to me that I couldn't avoid doing it and has been imprinted in my in my brain ever since. But even the fact of like pointing with two finger or with your palm instead of just one accusatory finger, which is a Disney thing as well that stick in my head. So today what I just I am just myself and everything that I applied that I they see that it worked at Disney. I know that it works everywhere else and adjust to it.

Your CX Passport Captain: 8:21

This is your captain speaking. I want to thank you for listening to CX Passport today. We’ve now reached our cruising altitude so I’ll turn that seatbelt sign off. <ding> While you’re getting comfortable, hit that Follow or Subscribe button in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. I’d love it if you’d tell a friend about CX Passport and leave a review so that others can discover the show as well. Now, sit back and enjoy the rest of the episode.

Rick Denton: 8:47

I reflex I think there's got to be a challenge though in helping others. It's funny that you mentioned the point thing I didn't hear from Disney. I heard it's sort of an a cultural sort of thing. I do the same thing that I'm pointing to folks, here's how you go to the certain place so that I guess Disney has found its way getting into many other areas as well. When you come across someone who's like struggling, maybe struggling is the wrong word. But you can tell it's just not natural. How do you help someone kind of go into that naturalness that that were? It's not that there's thinking how can I deliver great customer experience, it's just they just do customer experience.

Francesca Tempestini: 9:24

You have two points of view first you you have to consider yourself as a client as well, because you you want to be treated and you treat the others like you would like to be treated. So that's one of the principle of customer experience and of the Disney experience. And then like one of my mentor would say, which is Lee Cockerell. You What would my mother do? He will actually do what he's smarter will do and it's true. I mean, if someone comes to me and asked for indication, I will not be rude. For instance. So this normal and instinctive reflex, that's what you do. In customer experience, you just be polite. That's the key of everything. And we treat others like you would like to be treated. It's as simple as that.

Rick Denton: 10:18

I'm laughing because I think we could go. There's a specific way I want us to go next. But I think we could do an entire podcast, right? Well, wait, if CX is that easy? Why does customer experience and customer service sucks so badly, but we won't do that we're gonna go a different path here. Although I may have you back on to talk about if it's as simple as like Stripe, be polite, do the golden rule, we should all be fine. I think actually, the next question I'm going to ask you, though, may get into some of that. And that is, when I think about to Disney. And it is one of the most complex beasts that's out there. Just imagine the Park alone. But then the park is a piece of a larger Disney enterprise. But thinking of the park at Disney, you were Guest Relations. And that means no matter what the concern was, no matter what the issue was, whether it was dining, whether it was rides was entertainment, whether it's parking, you were the face of the Disney brand. So when you're in that moment, how did you approach being that face of the brand? How did you incorporate all those other areas in solutions? After that initial concern was solved?

Francesca Tempestini: 11:22

The first important thing to know is that I was trained. And it looks basic and obvious. But no, it is not. That's

Rick Denton: 11:30

no, that's huge, right? You weren't just there totally alone, you were equipped.

Francesca Tempestini: 11:34

I was equipped. Correct. So today, what I'm what it is important in any company that wants to deal with customer experience, is to equip their own employees. So I knew at least the basics, so I knew what this new would like to wants to the business to go on, how would I How does this new want to, to be seen to be perceived, I knew that and I had this clear image in my head. From there I have I had and I have today never in in my day to day, four steps that I follow. First is to hear to listen to the client. So what he has to say, and to use empathy, you have to walk into his taps, you cannot arrive with your ideas and your judgments, you have to listen, be actively listening. And then you have to investigate. So of course, I will listen to the client, but then this is his perception. Let's see if I can get some more information. So what I like of that job is that I would be in concert with everyone. And every day I would discover some new department, which I didn't know that existed. Yes, very was fantastic. So it will take some time maybe but I will actually end up to talk to the right person and ask and see if someone that was involved in the situation was still there if I if I could have this version. So it is important to check the facts. And the third will be go back to the client and find a solution or offer something offer a solution or an agreement. So you have to find a path in which your customers happy. And you know that you did your best for your company. But then there is a last step which is absolutely not neglect double, which is report, you have to report what happened to your peers to your superiors, and then they have to report to their peers and their superiors because everyone needs to know what's going on. Why is that? First of all, is because this might be a real issue, your problem and real big problem that that department might not be aware of. So you have to let them know, because every issue has to be taken care of right away. So you have to it's not for your glory is not for feel on your on your shoulder. No, that's something serious happened has to be we cannot be height, we cannot go and hide we have to face it. So otherwise, if it's some small issue, not really important, you still have to report it. Why is that because your peers might have the same situation tomorrow or in some weeks or so, you will save their time their customers time, if they know that it has already been solved in this way or in the same time even this is not an issue even though this might not be an issue today. If it comes back in a week or in two or three and again and again it can it can become a problem. So by knowing that this already occurred, you can actually make one plus one plus one and realize that something is which was not a problem yesterday, it is important and has to be checked today. So report is really really important. So Everything goes back to communication, you communicate with your client, and you hear what he has to say. And then you, you involve everyone that has to be involved in your in your in your company. So it was clear in my head now,

Rick Denton: 15:16

you, you have spoken, I think you've spoken into my customer experience level language, which was process and listening to hear the four things that I go through starting from empathy, but then ending at rapport and that idea of, it's great to restore the customer's relationship there. And step three, but step four of rapport is so vital to making sure that the next customer doesn't experience that thing. And that that process improvement that takes place in a company can't happen. If that input, then in your case, you're calling a report. But if you think about customer insights coming in from the frontline employees being used to then improve the company, it's such an Absolute Vital path to having a brand having a company be able to deliver consistently good experiences for their customer

Francesca Tempestini: 16:02

growth. So I have a problem comes to you, it's not a shame, it's a shame if you leave it there. And if you just don't, don't treat it. Otherwise, if it's reported, and you take care of it, even though it's it's a fault of someone doesn't matter. The important is that you actually use it as a as a leverage for for your company. I think that's crucial today, and whenever there was, this is not done. It's really devastating.

Rick Denton: 16:33

Yeah. And you you get into an area that I don't know that we have the time to unpack today, but around customer trust, that you have to be inside of a company that has that level of trust to where it's okay to report things, it is not about blame. It's about fixing and improving. And the like that's that you may be coming back to CX password for us to unpack a little bit of that. That aspect of it. I want to do something, though, and take advantage of the fact that I am talking to someone who's in France, it is today is the 25th of March and the Olympics 25th of March 2020 for the Summer Olympics are going to be taking place in France this year this summer. And I love the Olympics, I've always been a big fan of them. And I just get excited about them. You're get to be they're sort of on the front lines, there are going to be people coming from all over the world to experience what France has to offer. I'm really curious what you there on the ground. Think about the delivery of customer experience and the perception of customer experience in France. What should the Olympics travelers expect this summer? A lot of people a lot of people ended up

Francesca Tempestini: 17:38

not many Parisians. We're all going away.

Rick Denton: 17:42

I could see the Parisian saying I am out of here. Part of this. Yeah.

Francesca Tempestini: 17:47

No, it's good that they're gonna find a nice a fantastic city, which I chose to live in many years ago. And in summer, when sun is here, it's absolutely adorable and fantastic. So of course, they will have to come to come with a lot of patients because a lot of people means queuing. And the transportation is normally efficient, but my incurring some problems when it's really really crowded. But I'm sure it's going to be fantastic. And even though I am fleeing, when I had the opportunity of I'm leaving, but first I'm gonna I am going to see a match. So I actually got a ticket and I'm gonna stay there and leave and see how it's gonna be like, but then I'm gonna go something nice. Nicer camera Yes.

Rick Denton: 18:49

Francesca, I love that the day, what are the travelers going to experience not a lot of reasons we're all leaving. So that's, that's absolutely brilliant. Well, if you're going to be doing some traveling for you, it's leaving the Olympics. Maybe you get a little chance to take a little break. And the lounges as you're doing your traveling. I know whenever travels you're doing it can be nice to stop off in the lounge. Let's do that here today. Join me here in the first class lounge. We're gonna move quickly and have a little bit of fun here. What is a dream travel location from your past,

Francesca Tempestini: 19:18

every travel that I did is related to memories. And that's important. I think that if I think of wherever I've been, I think of places that have people as well. So I cannot just pick one. If I have to, of course I will pick the last destination I had, which was Chile and the one there with my family which has spread in the world. So it was nice to have a moment and have memories together. Tell

Rick Denton: 19:45

me so Chile is one of the places I've not been even on Western Hemisphere. But I mean, heck, Europe is closer to me than Chile actually. And you were there I guess. Did you say you just were there recently? I

Francesca Tempestini: 19:55

was there in January. Yes. Yes. So

Rick Denton: 19:56

you were there for summer for Chile. Tell me what it was like there yeah. What was the Chilean travel experience like?

Francesca Tempestini: 20:02

Well, I have learned that when you are living in a cold country, like, for me, at least like Paris, like like Paris can be in winter, having a summer break in the winter, it's fantastic. It's the next thing. But I really love the country, it's so big and different. And you can find all kinds of temperatures and panoramas. And it is something that I have to go back to, I did not see all of it. But I still have a long list of of things to see and to take on my bucket. I love to see the houses of the rouda. For instance, I was really, really impressed by the soul that he lived in his houses. That's really something to do.

Rick Denton: 20:53

Oh, man. And there's something special about a trip that you leave and you say, I have to come back here. I didn't get to see it all I like leaving a trip and leaving a location in that way. Looking forward. What is a tree dream travel location you've not been to yet so

Francesca Tempestini: 21:07

I have money. But I'm really considering Thailand. For some reason. It's, it's calling me. Excellent. So I the historical part and the see, of course, it's something that's really interesting.

Rick Denton: 21:25

It is it's a place I've been to a couple times, I actually have now a family that has we married into and so we have Thai lineage inside the family and the food, the culture, the people. It's brilliant. You're gonna love it when you do finally get there. I mentioned food, and that's one of the things I really do love about Thailand. What is a favorite thing of yours to eat?

Francesca Tempestini: 21:47

I'm Italian I like pizza Of course.

Rick Denton: 21:49

Okay. All right. Italian pizza. There we go. I like that. Well, okay, Italian Let's go the other direction. What is something growing up you were forced to eat but you hate it as a kid means

Francesca Tempestini: 22:03

I was well especially soy beans because soy was considered very healthy. No, no, not not a fan at all. I

Rick Denton: 22:11

like that though. Give me my feet to get rid of the beans. Brilliant. All right, we're unfortunately about to have to exit the lounge here but I'm curious what is one travel item not including your phone not including your passport, of course that you will not leave home

Francesca Tempestini: 22:23

I like to have a pad with me or a notebook something on which I can write down impressions of memories of people of places of smells. And of course the camera works as well but I need to write and I always have something to write

Rick Denton: 22:49

there's something really beautiful about that I liked the simplicity and in something you said in there actually caught me not just the journaling but the smells right a phone is a digital image is not going to capture that but journaling what that smell was like what that experience was like walking through a street market and and the Be it the the unpleasant of something or the really just delightful food being cooked or something all of that bringing those memories back smell has an incredible way of doing that.

Francesca Tempestini: 23:15

Yes, call or something and writing down you can actually know they're out.

Rick Denton: 23:21

I love it. And I like that, huh? funny you mentioned color. I won't go into the story. But there's a particular day God painting that I got to see in the Soviet Union in 1990 or 91. That color actually caught me in the Pushkin Museum back then. So you're right color has a way of sticking in your memories. Disney is obviously brilliant at that, right? Because he's very within smells and sights and colors and doing all that but it's one thing okay, we can talk about Disney. I get it we do for good reason. Yet not every person. Not every company. Not every team has this Disney budget this Disney experience even this Disney buy in around experience? How can someone who's at their company today? Who wants to do right by the customer and employee experience to? I want to do that sentence again? I'm sorry. How can someone who wants to do right by customer and employee experience even if they don't have the Disney budget to get started?

Francesca Tempestini: 24:18

Well, I was in SAS with people you have to hire them, you have to train them and you have to retain them. So it is important that you have around you the right people and you have to equip them as we were mentioning before, in order to do that, you have to set your culture because when when if you even if you take the most brilliant person on earth, he or she cannot know what you have in mind for your business and how you want you to deal with, with customers are with with everything that happens in their daily life. So you need to tell them it's easy. You need to set the rules and let them know what is the image that you want to have Your company? Well, you have to transmit that. Because people are the ones that will deal with your customers. So yeah, it's it's obvious. But today, what is really sad to me is when I see companies that do not really mind of that they don't take into consideration people to have in, they just consider that if they are paying them, they have to deliver. Okay, yes, but what do they deliver? And how they do deliver? I mean, we are we we base ourselves on communication we are We cannot live without communication, of course, and it is very easy to get lost if you don't have directions. So if you need to start start from the basics, start from having people choosing them for a reason, but then telling them what to do.

Rick Denton: 25:53

Can Can, can we expand on that a little bit? Because you've now brought that up a couple times. And I actually would like to go a little deeper, because back near the beginning of the episode, you talked about training, right? That was one of the best things that you experienced at Disney, that you when you were there and guest services that you had the you were equipped and knew what to do. How can companies do right by this? What is it that companies need to be doing that they're not doing today to equip their employees to be able to deliver experiences that customers want? Well,

Francesca Tempestini: 26:24

they need to know where they are for soil. So we do sell bottled water, okay, why are we different? Why are we the best? Why are we class question to yourself to your product. And then of course, you have to see what is the plus that you can add to customers. But all of this, you cannot only imagine it and write it on a paper that will stick it out in a in a in a closet, you need everyone to know that and you everyone has to be aware that they work for the same company, and they have the same client. So training is fundamental. And it is important that it to keep it updated as well. So it's not because today we set these rules that we cannot change them. If we see that generation changes, of course, our clients needs change as well. Of course, you will have to adapt the ways you respond and the arms, the weapons that you give to your employees. We are in we live in a world of constant and repenting and immediate change, to adapt. So training is something that helps in that you can you need to get why how do you choose people? How do you choose the people that work with for you, for the attitude for the motivation? These are things that are important, more important than knowing what to do because they're the skills the ability to do something you can teach them. What you cannot teach them is how to relate themselves to the others is something that every person has to deal with themselves. Yeah,

Rick Denton: 28:07

absolutely. It was a you found a very kindred spirit in that that. And I realized that this isn't true for every industry, but you know, hire happy people and train them the skills. If someone's designing an airplane wing for Airbus? Well, no, I think I want them to have skills I don't care if they're cranky, I want them to be a good engineer. But in most places, hire happy people. I like that approach, then then we'll teach them the skills. Obviously, we're kind of coming to the end of time here which is unfortunate but I was thinking about this you mentioned something about what it was like after you left Disney and I'm curious when you're inside the Disney ecosystem you probably think this is the way life is and then you leave it what surprises you most about the approach to customer and employee experience now that you've left Disney than

Francesca Tempestini: 28:57

I am in the real world

Rick Denton: 28:59

well your words but yes, I agree.

Francesca Tempestini: 29:01

Well, I've had many experiences afterwards and some of them are very happy others are not really happy experiences and what I noticed right away while there was a big huge gap the first jobs that I got afterwards were complete disaster after that point of view because I couldn't have a comparing them to this new of course and how can you sorry my working experience with Disney has been great but at the same time has been a problem for me faster from where and then sometimes you need to go there. And it's complicated. So sometimes was really really sad. But then being a positive person and for for how I am I couldn't help but giving advice or tips or just placing my my two cents and saying hey, maybe we could do this this way. Maybe maybe we could do that. Maybe We could, sometimes you was at the beginning was not really well taken, because how can you know? I mean, how would you know you just worked for Disney? Right? Of course, yes. And that gives the idea of what kind of companies are around. But at the times it was it was important, it was just seen as a contribution. And it was a such as was considered. And today I'm very, very happy when whenever I see that my ideas like my colleagues ideas are considered and evaluated and eventually applied. So at first, it was not easy. It takes adjustment. But you can do it. Well,

Rick Denton: 30:40

I'm glad that you have made that evolution into into as you said the quote real world. Francesca, I've really enjoyed having you on the show. Thank you for giving us the the Disney story and so much of the wisdom that goes into that as well. If folks wanted to know a little bit more about you, your approach to customer and employee experience, or why Persians are running away from Paris during the 2024 Olympics, how would folks get to know a little bit more about you? We

Francesca Tempestini: 31:07

can, they can keep in contact with me via LinkedIn. It's a nice way to a talk and I'll be glad to offer my help or any specific information related to events. Or customer experience today here in France, I am starting to work with employee experience as a consultant. So I'll be glad to give my two cents about that. Awesome.

Rick Denton: 31:33

Well, I will get that in the show notes. Absolutely. Francesca truly, it's been a delight time at Disney. It's been a delight time I kind of post and what it means to really deal in this complex world of customer and employee experience. I thank you for the insights that you have shared along with. I hope that you do find your way to Thailand sometime soon. It really is an absolute delight of a place to be Francesca I do hope that you enjoy the rest of today and certainly as you plan your summer exit as well. But today, I do want to just tell you, Francesca thank you for being on CX passport.

Francesca Tempestini: 32:10

Thank you for having Rick. It was really a pleasure.

Rick Denton: 32:18

Thanks for joining us this week on CX Passport. If you liked today’s episode I have 3 quick next steps for you Click subscribe on the CX Passport youtube channel or your favorite podcast app Next leave a comment below the video or a review in your favorite podcast app so others can find and and enjoy CX Passport too Then, head over to cxpassport.com website for show notes and resources that can help you create tangible business results by delivering great customer experience. Until next time, I’m Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.