As a cast member at Walt Disney World, I got asked a lot of strange questions.
Cast Members can deal with everything from the ordinary, mundane questions (What time Is that 3 o’clock parade?!) to really unexpected, historically dubious ones. This falls under the latter.
A Cast Member working in the Dinoland U.S.A. section of Animal Kingdom met a guest asking where the dinos were. The Cast Member directed them to the nearby Dinosaur attraction. Shortly after, the guest returned. “That was great, but where are the BIG dinosaurs?”
The Cast Member directed her to the Cretaceous Trail, where she could photograph larger dinosaurs up close. “But, they’re REAL, right?” asked the guest. The Cast Member politely informed her that dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. There are no real dinosaurs in Disney World.
Disappointed, the guest shrugged “Oh, I thought if anyone could bring them back, it would be Disney,” and she walked off. She’s not wrong, but let’s get it together, people.
Too much Jurassic Park for that lady (wrong theme park too, she needs to go to Universal!)
My favorite question was “What time is the 3 o’clock parade?”
One could blame the dumb question on tourist easily. Remember, they are probably sunburned, malnourished and dehydrated. Their brains are frazzled due to sensory overload.
But cast members are service professionals, always protecting the magic of the show. And calling a guest dumb is not in the training manual.
You see, you need to ask yourself, why on earth would any sane person ask that question? And then seek out the answer.
What the guest was really asking was what time does the 3 o’clock parade come by this spot?
The parade route is about a mile and the parade itself is a quarter of a mile long. So while it may start at 3:00 pm, it might be 3:20 before it gets to this guest.
Professional service providers will look for the “Question behind the question”. What is the client, patient or guest really asking.
Think about your business. What are some of the whacky questions you and your team are asked? Is there a question behind the question?
“What time is the 3 o’clock parade?” is not a dumb question.
