Princess, are you listening?

[EddieCruzer]

I just read this article and agree 100% Princess might benefit by following these principles. ;)

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-kjerulf/top-5-reasons-customer-service_b_5145636.html

[beg3yrs]

Thanks for the link, it's a very interesting article.

 

"The Customer Is Always Right" probably comes from a time long ago when good manners were in vogue and widely practiced. Not so much today.

 

The article makes many good points and I like its balanced approach. Now that I mention balance, it is often difficult to maintain balance, especially when dealing with people on the high seas.

[ar1950]

Princess, are you listening?

 

Or maybe: Passengers, are you listening? :cool:

Edited September 13, 2014 by ar1950

[AKman2495]

I did a quick wiki search of the phrase, used by guys like Marshall Field.

 

But in 1914, an article was published that says the same thing this one does-that "the customer is always right" only goes so far.

 

It points out that this belief works only when customers are honest. When the are dishonest, it can cost the company, but, these people are usually found out in the long run.

 

A lont has changed in 100 years.....

[joeyancho]

I have run my own business for over thirty years. Life is so much better once you realize that you can't make everyone happy.

[RedHeadArmyWife]

I am new to cruising. I have only taken one cruise, which was in the Ruby Princess this past spring. I can say my husband and I loved it. We just booked another cruise on the Caribbean Princess for November. I would like to say the customer is not always right. On our last cruise I was actually quite surprised by the number of guests on the ship that were just plain rude to the crew members. I witnessed so much complaining about the smallest details and felt some passengers were treating crew members like second class citizens. The crew is there is keep us safe and provide us with a stress free vacation. They are not there to be our servants. It felt like some passengers had a sense of entitlement. It was like watching Downton Abbey!

[cpcanuck]

I have run my own business for over thirty years. Life is so much better once you realize that you can't make everyone happy.

 

I completely agree with you! You could bend over backwards into a pretzel trying to please some people and no matter how hard you try they will still be unhappy. Sometimes you just have to accept that fact - you can't please everyone all the time - and that's okay.

[xdudex]

I've always thought Princess's service has been in the gray area, I can hardly recall any examples where the customer has been really cared for when the matter hits the fan.

 

It's disappointing really as they don't understand customer longevity, although compensation that's appropriate takes an initial hit on profits, properly meeting or exceeding the customers expectation can result in the customer being more impressed than they were before the problem existed.

 

Customers remember that, and while the poors man compensation offer may initially be acceptable, it will stick in the mind and affect that customers decision in future and stop Princess being able to invest in cruisers that will keep coming back for more, perhaps even cruising for decades. It's risked all for the sake of a few hundred bucks, and I've seen the grand old phrase of "I'm never travelling with you again" countless, countless times.......it kills the long term business health. It may take years for that impact to come but it will come.

Edited September 13, 2014 by xdudex

[swedish weave]

I've always thought Princess's service has been in the gray area, I can hardly recall any examples where the customer has been really cared for when the matter hits the fan.

 

It's disappointing really as they don't understand customer longevity, although compensation that's appropriate takes an initial hit on profits, properly meeting or exceeding the customers expectation can result in the customer being more impressed than they were before the problem existed.

 

Customers remember that, and while the poors man compensation offer may initially be acceptable, it will stick in the mind and affect that customers decision in future and stop Princess being able to invest in cruisers that will keep coming back for more, perhaps even cruising for decades. It's risked all for the sake of a few hundred bucks, and I've seen the grand old phrase of "I'm never travelling with you again" countless, countless times.......it kills the long term business health. It may take years for that impact to come but it will come.

 

I look at this from a different perspective. A customer who demands compensation to the point of a company incurring a loss should not be encouraged to continue doing business with them.

 

They deal with thousands of people daily, and the few who are overly demanding should be discouraged.

 

I believe in the saying "All guests make the crew and the cruise line happy ! Some by coming --- Some by leaving !! "

Edited September 13, 2014 by swedish weave

[pablo222]

I have run my own business for over thirty years. Life is so much better once you realize that you can't make everyone happy.

 

All anyone has to do is read cruise critic to know this.

 

Take MUTS -- for instance. Many people post how they hate it,

hate the noise, etc.

 

Others say how much they like sitting under a blanket at night watching

a movie.

 

So, if the customer is always right -- which customer?

[gertz]

For #6 above. My wife and I have been on a number of cruises and have seen very little of this. There are ways of handling problems without going off on employees. In our opinion to do this is totally in bad taste. This is bullying and IOP people who treat others this way on a ship probably treat their kids the same.

 

And for number 8 above we don't agree with this either. Princess is a business just like GM or Ford if you are in the right and present your case fairly you in most cases will be treated fairly. And of course there are exceptions and there are way to handle exceptions.:D

[M4dC0w]

I think the customers always right attitude created the me me me generation.

 

I feel bad for the hospitality world, as most jobs are supplemented bybtips.

[xdudex]

I look at this from a different perspective. A customer who demands compensation to the point of a company incurring a loss should not be encouraged to continue doing business with them.

 

They deal with thousands of people daily, and the few who are overly demanding should be discouraged.

 

I believe in the saying "All guests make the crew and the cruise line happy ! Some by coming --- Some by leaving !! "

 

Completely understand your view and I would maybe feel the same perhaps if the business wasn't based around huge profit margins. I saw countless times princess refusing to add a few extra dollars in compensation (even when most of the time it was a reasonable request) that would have damaged profit but no where near results in a loss figure. obviously it's all case by case basis but I saw long term cruisers walk away from Princess over a few dollars that meant absolutely nothing to the company.

 

Long term this will cripple the business model as they depend on repeat business from the start to the end of that customers life, money that has five figure value over the course of their life. In my opinion it's not worth risking the chance at losing such investable income over a $100 disagreement that doesn't result in a loss figure and reinstall customer loyalty.

 

The company I work for here in the UK adopts this model. We save millions on advertising, we're light years ahead of the competition and practically (although cocky) untouchable, it's that solidified.

It's easy for Princess to say to customer service "you're compensation measures are 500k over budget this year" but that 500k will be worth multiple millions in repeat revenue, the only problem is they can see the budget of customer services on the excel spreadsheets but they can't extract the extra rebooking value in their income accounts ebcause no one puts a tracker on the revenue....but I assure you it's there and will greatly exceed the slightly overbudgest customer services team because it's simple maths of a few hundred dollars vs thousands in rebooking value :) But princess seems to have this philosophy of, give me the money I dont care what happens next or in future. Huge error.

 

A good example of this is currently the stuggles of P&O, they have absolutely decimated the tradtional P&O cruiser and it's become a cheapo tacky line of younger generation of shall we say.....unclassy client. Who can now afford the prices that inventory have been forced to lower due to losing the repeat cruises.

Edited September 13, 2014 by xdudex

[Coral]

All anyone has to do is read cruise critic to know this.

 

Take MUTS -- for instance. Many people post how they hate it,

hate the noise, etc.

 

Others say how much they like sitting under a blanket at night watching

a movie.

 

So, if the customer is always right -- which customer?

 

That is easy. The customers during the day are right (loud, noisy, etc..) and the customers at night are right (enjoy watching the movie at night).

[shredie]

I think the customers always right attitude created the me me me generation.

 

 

Maybe historically, that isn't quite accurate. The customer has been right for about a century since the concept was first introduced by Marshall Field and Selfridge's and that era of commerce. I think we can find other reasons for "me, me, me." I also think that entitled attitude is not confined to the younger generations, either. (Oh, yes, Downton Abbey! I think I've seen cruise passengers far more "entitled" than anyone on that show! :))

[Ibrasu]

As Noel Coward put it ........

 

The passenger's always right, my boys,

The passenger's always right.

Although he's a drip

He's paid for his trip,

So greet him with delight.

Agree to his suggestions.

However coarse or crude,

Reply to all his questions,

Ply him with drink - stuff him with food.

The passenger may be sober, boys,

The passenger may be tight,

The passenger may be foe or friend

Or absolutely round the bend,

But calm him, charm him,

Even though he's higher than a kite

The passenger's always right.

 

The passenger's always right, my boys,

The passenger's always right.

Those dreary old wrecks

Who litter the decks

Demand that you're polite.

Don't count on any free time,

Be kind to all the jerks,

And every day at teatime

Stuff 'em with cake...give 'em the works.

The passenger may be dull, my boys,

The passenger may be bright,

The passenger may be quite serene

Or gibbering with Benzedrine,

But nurse him, curse him

Only when the b*****d's out of sight.

Remember, boys,

The g*******d passenger's always right.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ibrasu
In today's world Coward's wholly appropriate language might just give offence ......

[Putterdude]

A very interesting and provocative article which makes some excellent points. My guess this thread will run 6 pages at least.;)

[ar1950]

............ My guess this thread will run 6 pages at least.;)

 

I would bet that you are correct!:cool:

[Loonbeam]

The best example I can give of a passenger not being right was on John Heald's carnival blog.

 

During an Alaska trip, there was a medical issue involving a helicopter evac. Obviously very serious. The ship had to backtrack a bit and of course remain stationary for the procedure, which means they lost some scenic cruising time.

 

Summarizing a bit - BEFORE the helicopter had even arrived at the ship, there were pax at the customer service desk demanding compensation for the lost time.

 

The customer is not always right. The customer should almost always be respectfully listened to, then if applicable told to go pound sand.

 

That said, this is part of why the lines can be so rigid on things. People have gotten so complaint oriented for the purpose of gain and litigious that customer service groups have had to lock down a lot to deal with it. It's gotten to the point where an incident back in the late 90s I had with Delta would have resulted in a lawsuit because I got a different result than the person next to me (because quite frankly I was polite and she was a, well, female canine.).

 

Do that nowadays and people will scream discrimination based on something.

[KruzeKrazy!]

Balancing shorter results with long term customer value is always a tricky proposition. like it or not companies more clearly know and, of course, are measured on the short term than they know the metrics of the long term. And if they don't get thw short term right there may be no long term.

 

And like some employees there are some customers who need to be "fired."

 

That said, if those that aren't were a bit more thoughtful and picked up after themselves, were more considerate of others, weren't encouraged theae days to complain to try to get something, etc. perhaps the service providers would have a bit more time and be a bit more happier to provide positive service than chasing complaints.

 

If a crewmember is having a bad day it could well be that a pax or group of pax made it that way.

[Cruisin' Chick]

This reminds me of the years I've worked at one company that was known for its customer service and had many customers who were in the movie industry. We had a retail store (I worked in the back office, but if the sales staff got busy, I would come out to help). One day I walked on the sales floor and felt this evil presence. Not kidding (this was before the Harry Potter series came out but in retrospect, it's like when the dementors were around, sucking the life out of the place). There was a Mercedes that was parked in the loading zone out front and usually when one of us sees a car parked there, we quickly try to figure out whose car to warn them that they will get a ticket from the very ambitious parking enforcement. This time, we all noticed but didn't do anything. And it seems it was the one time P.E. didn't come by.

 

Turned out to be some woman who was the ex-wife of an actor and of a musician. A bit of a would-be actress who never hit it big herself. My only part of this was trying to get her check to clear for her major purchase (a computer system). When the guy who delivered her system and set it up for her called, the owner got involved. The delivery guy handed the phone off to a very demanding woman and the owner talked to her for a bit...and then he asked her to pass the phone back to our worker still there at her house...and then told him to pack everything up and return to the store. I think that was the only time (in the ten years I worked there) that we took back, on our own, some equipment.

 

There's just some people that are so toxic, that a savvy person realizes it's just best to cut ties.

 

I can see with some of the cruise line passengers that some have very valid complaints. But then there are some who suck the life out of the place, for not just the crew, but for other passengers in the long run. If a crew member is doing an inordinate amount of favors for one passenger, it may be at the detriment of service for the rest of the passengers in that area of the passenger deck, the MDR, etc. Compensating customers for legitimate problems is great, but when someone gets something major for an non-legitimate reason...the money to pay for it has to come from someplace (just like if someone shoplifts, the other customers end up picking up that tab).

[swedish weave]

Completely understand your view and I would maybe feel the same perhaps if the business wasn't based around huge profit margins. I saw countless times princess refusing to add a few extra dollars in compensation (even when most of the time it was a reasonable request) that would have damaged profit but no where near results in a loss figure. obviously it's all case by case basis but I saw long term cruisers walk away from Princess over a few dollars that meant absolutely nothing to the company.

 

Long term this will cripple the business model as they depend on repeat business from the start to the end of that customers life, money that has five figure value over the course of their life. In my opinion it's not worth risking the chance at losing such investable income over a $100 disagreement that doesn't result in a loss figure and reinstall customer loyalty.

 

The company I work for here in the UK adopts this model. We save millions on advertising, we're light years ahead of the competition and practically (although cocky) untouchable, it's that solidified.

It's easy for Princess to say to customer service "you're compensation measures are 500k over budget this year" but that 500k will be worth multiple millions in repeat revenue, the only problem is they can see the budget of customer services on the excel spreadsheets but they can't extract the extra rebooking value in their income accounts ebcause no one puts a tracker on the revenue....but I assure you it's there and will greatly exceed the slightly overbudgest customer services team because it's simple maths of a few hundred dollars vs thousands in rebooking value :) But princess seems to have this philosophy of, give me the money I dont care what happens next or in future. Huge error.

 

A good example of this is currently the stuggles of P&O, they have absolutely decimated the tradtional P&O cruiser and it's become a cheapo tacky line of younger generation of shall we say.....unclassy client. Who can now afford the prices that inventory have been forced to lower due to losing the repeat cruises.

 

I see your point, but having worked many years in the transportation business, the profit margins are not that great. Also, the younger generation are the ones who spend the most money (whether they have it or not) on their cruises.

 

The "old timers" may cruise a lot, but I can see the trend of the cruise lines to push their product toward the new cruisers in order to boost the profits. The newbies spend more and demand less and complain less.

 

Most cruisers make one or two trips a year, so losing a few of those is a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of berths per year the cruise line needs to fill.

Edited September 13, 2014 by swedish weave

[kendon]

I look at this from a different perspective. A customer who demands compensation to the point of a company incurring a loss should not be encouraged to continue doing business with them.

 

They deal with thousands of people daily, and the few who are overly demanding should be discouraged.

 

I believe in the saying "All guests make the crew and the cruise line happy ! Some by coming --- Some by leaving !! "

 

I like your post. Simply, someone trying to take advantage of a person or situation is someone I prefer NOT to be around.

[CFD130]

I've always thought Princess's service has been in the gray area, I can hardly recall any examples where the customer has been really cared for when the matter hits the fan.

 

It's disappointing really as they don't understand customer longevity, although compensation that's appropriate takes an initial hit on profits, properly meeting or exceeding the customers expectation can result in the customer being more impressed than they were before the problem existed.

 

Customers remember that, and while the poors man compensation offer may initially be acceptable, it will stick in the mind and affect that customers decision in future and stop Princess being able to invest in cruisers that will keep coming back for more, perhaps even cruising for decades. It's risked all for the sake of a few hundred bucks, and I've seen the grand old phrase of "I'm never travelling with you again" countless, countless times.......it kills the long term business health. It may take years for that impact to come but it will come.

 

It is one thing if there is a legitimate problem-but I like to hang around passenger services from time to time and it AMAZING some of the "problems" cruise passengers come up with in hopes of getting a few bucks of their bill. I often tell the passenger service people that I would pay to be able to stand behind them and listen to some of the tales.. On our last cruise I watched a young lady really giving the head chef and some other officer a VERY VERY hard time and tongue lashing about all of the food that was on the BUFFET that her young son couldn't eat and what THEY needed to do about it.....

[north 40 girl]

 

I believe in the saying "All guests make the crew and the cruise line happy ! Some by coming --- Some by leaving !! "

 

 

Love it!