We were at a doctor’s office waiting for an appointment. We had arrived early; just as a staff member opened the door but before the receptionist was at her post. We watched in amusement as patients entered, read the “red line” sign (snapped above) and stood waiting patiently behind the red line as instructed.

You might wonder what happened to the ubiquitous doctor’s office sign in sheet. That’s the odd part. If you look at the picture more closely, you’ll see it. It’s a smaller red sign on the ledge directing patients to sign in and sit down.

The larger, more forward placed sign was intended for situations where someone was already at the window and others, following socially distance guidelines, needed to wait their turn. It was not intended for situations where no one was at the window. But with conflicting directions on the two signs, the arriving patients followed the larger, closer, incorrect sign and never signed in. Ironically, that sign also featured a prominent smiley face proclamation that “we appreciate you!” … but apparently not enough to prevent patients from standing in a non-existent line.

This kind of customer service mistake happens all the time. While attempting to solve one problem (in this case, social distancing when a patient is at the window), well-meaning staff adds another step that creates additional service problems.

One of the things that makes Disney so effective is its ability to look beyond quick fixes. Walt Disney once explained, “When we consider a project, we really study it–not just the surface idea, but everything about it.” A systems approach, like what Walt references above, examines the whole problem, not just the surface issue, but everything about the problem; assuming that components are interconnected and that a change to one part of the system can impact another part. You can see the results of Disney’s systems approach in its seemingly magical crowd control, safety and cleanliness deliveries.

Walt Disney World took a long time reopening in the midst of COVID-19. That time was required to reconsider the experience and how each component would have to change, and how those changes would alter other components and how all those components would have to align seamlessly to deliver a safe environment for both cast and guest]. We do not know yet if they got it right, but the reports are encouraging.

When you examine the issues you, your people and your organization face, do you consider how one change will affect other aspects of the problem? You should. You don’t want confused customers standing in non-existent lines.