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Supposedly one of the great trade-offs to scaling an operation is the inability to maintain great customer service. Once you sell or serve a great number of people, it’s just not possible to treat your customers as well as if there were just a few of them.

Or is it?

Our extended family on my wife’s side spent the past week in Orlando, Florida visiting several of the Disney theme parks. We were a large group, 24 at peak, but a mere drop in the ocean compared to the number of simultaneous visitors at any one park on a single day, let alone all of the parks, let alone all of the days. Driving in to the properties, I am always struck by the number of parks, and within each park the acres and acres of parking. You can almost hear the cash register ringing every time a car pulls into a parking space. Parking…tickets…meals…concessions…etc.

It would be easy to assume that an operation this size would treat people like cattle, sucking the cash from their pockets and then shoving them out the door. And, given it’s a profit-seeking public company, that’s not entirely untrue. Every step of the way, however, I was struck by the thoughtfulness and courtesy shown by the parks’ designers and staff. The designers obviously went to great lengths to create a perfect environment. We noted several times that there were no visible signs of logistical support, meaning the entire operation is executed like clockwork hidden from view. “All those supplies and you don’t see any tractor-trailers,” noted my brother-in-law. Meanwhile, the staff graciously accommodated nearly all of our needs and requests—whether handicap access or a group photo—bending over backwards to ensure a good experience. To accomplish these in such grand fashion is truly remarkable, and a model for how to run a business. It’s not a coincidence that so many people from so many places continue to worship at the altar of Disney.

I had heard Disney changed its handicapped access policy this very week because too many people were abusing the system and using it to jump the lines. Frankly, I was just happy to have my Ellie along, and didn’t expect her to have as much fun as her cousins. But time and time again, we were whisked into attractions, whether rides or shows, and often to premier seating at the last minute. Whether lowering wheelchair ramps on buses, escorting us to a special access point, or patiently waiting as we transferred her and loaded up her 14 cousins and siblings (and ten aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents), every single employee smiled and treated us with grace. And they accommodated every request for a group picture, etc, even when it put their schedule in jeopardy. Time and time again.

Now, I know Disney’s not without its detractors. The tickets (and everything else) cost a king’s ransom, the lines are long and not everything works out perfectly every time. Our experience might have been a function of luck, of mirroring (treating people nicely tends to earn you their cooperation), or coercion (my wife’s family can be quite assertive at times). Certainly it was a function of practice; when an organization does something millions of times, it has ample opportunity to figure out how to do it right.

This isn’t meant to be tribute to Disney, however, but rather show an example of a huge organization that still takes care of each customer as if it still depended on that customer’s business and referrals. Would it cost less to cater to the lowest common denominator and commoditize the experience? Perhaps in the short run, but not in the long run. It really shows that there is no excuse. If they can do it, so can anyone.

“But they’re Disney,” you might be thinking, “they have to!”, and you’d be right. They don’t survive without it. But does that mean everyone else is off the hook and held to a different standard? If so, why?

As you scale your business, make top-notch service a priority. It can be done, and it matters.