Magic moment INTERACTIONS are, as we discovered in V1 I5, Celebrating the Hometown Heroes, often planned. At Disney, they can also be, and are encouraged to be, spontaneous.

The snap above captures one such moment at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Unlike most hotels where balconies overlook a pool or a parking lot, the Lodge balconies showcase a savannah with real live giraffes, zebras, kudus, bongos, wildebeest and many species of birds.

An Animal Programs cast member, noticing some guests sitting on their balcony, decided to deliver her own Magic Moment. She set up right below their balcony and conducted live animal training activities with two birds. As she trained the birds, she explained what she was doing, what results she hoped to achieve, why the training mattered, and what difficulties and experiences she had encountered conducting this training.

The conversation then turned to more human matters. She asked the guests where they were from and what they had seen at Walt Disney World. The guests reciprocated, asking about her; her name was Emilie, she was from Paris, France and was working at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge on a one-year internship.

One encounter with Emilie was amazing enough, but as she packed up to leave, she told the guests when she would return and, for two more days conducted her training right under the guest’s balcony. Those guests rarely visited the parks on their vacation. They were having too much fun watching Emilie coax the birds’ behavior. It was magic.

What about you and your organization? Do your employees seek out INTERACTION with your customers? Do they make personal connections? If not, perhaps it is because you don’t make similar connections with them? Or, are your processes preventing personalization? Or, is staffing too tight to allow the time for connections? Whatever the case, it is not more likely customers will return when they establish personal connections with your employees? Invest in your own castomer™ INTERACTIONS and watch the magic flow.