In Service is a Superpower: Lessons Learned in Magic Kingdom, Louie Gravance uses his signature combination of humor and personal experience to narrate his journey through the realm of customer service. Part memoir, part self-help manual for businesses big and small, Gravance interweaves his tales of life at Disney theme parks with practical guidance gleaned during the course of a thirty-year career in the service and entertainment industries. Gravance teaches us that the importance of delivering the finest service experiences possible is not just crucial for the livelihood of a company—it also leads to developing a culture of respect and responsibility that is so coveted in the corporate world today. Throughout the book, Gravance crafts an intriguing tale that demonstrates how working at Disney theme parks changed the way he viewed customer service, and elucidates the transformational effects it can have on those who provide it. Service is a Superpower is a personal history and guidebook of best industry practices, offering a unique spin on a tale as old as time, all presented in the tone and style that only Gravance can deliver. From entertainer to training designer for the Disney University in Orlando, Florida, he shares the stories and lessons that inform his central philosophy: great service serves the server first!
Louie Gravance is often referred to as “the guy that can make the Disney service concepts actually work outside of Disney.†For over twenty-five years at the Walt Disney Company, Louie enjoyed a distinguished career with Disney theme parks, designing everything from live-entertainment experiences to customer service training programs through the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida. At only twelve years old, he began working in California as a stage, film, and television actor and would go on to appear in movies, sitcoms, and over thirty-five national television commercials. In 1987, Gravance was offered a summer job with one of the entertainment industry’s most successful providers of “magical†customer experiences, Disney theme parks, beginning as a comic at Disneyland in Anaheim, California and soon thereafter embarking on a nearly three-decade adventure at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Following his hugely effective tenure in Orlando, Gravance left Disney to pursue other opportunities and soon amassed even more success working as a consultant, customer service speaker, and corporate culture guru. Louie has designed multimillion-dollar service campaigns for companies such as Bank of America, ING Financial, Choice Hotels, Nikon, and The American Council of Independent Laboratories. Gravance is the recipient of the Disney Partners in Excellence Award and the Spirit of Disney Award and has been recognized internationally as a leading keynote speaker on the topic of customer service and employee engagement.