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Guest experience is often introduced during orientation, reinforced through a training session, and documented somewhere in an SOP or handbook. The challenge is what happens after that. If the standard is not consistently reinforced, coached, recognized, and refreshed, it can quickly become disconnected from daily operations. Building guest experience into an operating system creates a continuous cycle that keeps the standard active while allowing it to evolve as the organization improves. In this minisode, Matt and Josh talk about treating guest experience as an operating system that lives within the daily rhythm of the organization.
Guest experience should live in the operation
“Guest experience is not simply a standard, not simply a training initiative, and it certainly is not a one-time event.”
A guest experience standard provides an important foundation, but the standard needs a system around it to remain relevant. That begins before or on an employee’s first day and continues throughout their entire experience with the organization. Rather than treating guest experience as a standalone initiative or department, it becomes part of how employees are selected, trained, coached, recognized, and developed.
The standard must translate to the job
“They're both personalizing the experience, but they're being done in a very different way.”
A consistent guest experience does not mean every employee delivers it identically. Personalization at admissions might include learning and using a guest’s name, while a ride operator may have only seconds to notice a shirt, team logo, or other conversation starter. The same standard can look different across roles while remaining anchored to the same expectation. On-the-job training creates the bridge between understanding the standard and knowing how to demonstrate it within a specific position.
Reinforcement keeps the standard alive
“Are they seen as micro training sessions?”
Guest experience cannot rely on everything being taught during orientation. Daily shift meetings, one-on-one conversations, and spot coaching create opportunities for continuous reinforcement. Instead of using every pre-shift meeting exclusively for operational updates, leaders can ask about recent wow moments, guest complaints, or feedback employees have heard. Those conversations turn everyday experiences into training content and continually reconnect the team to the standards they learned on day one.
Recognition strengthens the system
“You must prioritize recognition over reward.”
When employees demonstrate the guest experience standard, recognizing the behavior helps reinforce what the organization wants repeated. Recognition does not need to be transactional or dependent on prizes and gift cards. Genuine appreciation can show employees that leaders notice how the standard is being delivered. Combined with coaching and reinforcement, recognition helps move guest experience beyond a training initiative and into the everyday culture of the organization.
Your operating system needs updates
“It literally is refreshing the operating system.”
Standards should evolve as the organization improves. A handbook that accurately described exceptional service two years ago may no longer represent what the team is capable of delivering today. Periodically reviewing and raising the standard creates a cycle of continuous improvement. Day one leads to on-the-job training, reinforcement and recognition, followed by refreshing the standard and beginning the cycle again. Each pass through the cycle creates greater alignment and momentum.
Consistency does not require scripting
“The message was consistent, but the delivery was very personal.”
A strong operating system creates consistency without eliminating personality. Team members across different departments can deliver the same underlying standard in ways that fit their roles and interactions. A parting pleasantry, for example, may sound different at a ride exit than at the park exit, but both reinforce the same expectation. Guests experience a cohesive standard even when every interaction feels natural and personal.
Guest experience already exists in every organization. The opportunity is to become more intentional about how it operates every day and how it continues to improve. How are you building guest experience into your daily operating rhythm? Find AttractionPros on social media or email attractionpros@gmail.com to share what is working in your organization.
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