Princess, are you listening?

[ar1950]

...........................

Sadly, too many of the traveling public simply cannot be trusted.

 

Uh, yeah..........:cool:

[42CruiseCrazy]

It shows that if you cannot please your customer because that customer wants something unreasonable, you WANT that person to be your competitor's customer. LOL

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RDC1]

It may help to know that many years ago at NCL, a very enterprising new VP wanted to make an impression on the cruise industry.

He came up with a "menu" of the most common cruise passenger complaints.

In an effort to increase guest satisfaction by speeding up the reconciliation process, he defined a dollar value for each inconvenience the passenger might possibly suffer.

When a guest approached the front desk with his/her issues. the front desk clerk aded up the amounts and gave an instant refund on the spot.

 

This worked great for a few weeks - until the confidential memo with "menu" was leaked to the public.

Shortly afterward, we had passengers who had not even visited their staterooms yet at the front desk, with a litany of complaints and a sub-total of the money that was owed to them.

That program lasted about 2 more weeks, then was jettisoned along with the VP who started it.

 

Sadly, too many of the traveling public simply cannot be trusted.

 

A better approach would be for a cruise line to clearly define their standards, both internally and externally. Then train their customer service and staff to understand those standards. Complaints related to violations of those standards such as things like state room cleanliness, service standards, etc should result in an immediate response, including followup. Complaints where the standards were upheld, but a customer wants more should result in a response detailing exactly what the standards are. Note that there are some special situations, where creative solutions might be needed (note that I said special situations, not special people. These would involve situations not addressed by standard or policy).

 

One of the issues with cruise lines today is that they are inconsistent across ships, they do not clearly identify their standards, they do not train customer service consistently, they operate often by avoiding issues, instead of clearly confronting and resolving issues. Confronting might mean responding and solving an issues or it might mean telling a customer what the standards and policy is.

 

Market Research department should be tracking the issues and would have a good idea about repeat booking rates and can identify if customer loss is higher then planned (be sure customer loss rates are planned, the key is which customers you lose and why)

[swedish weave]

A better approach would be for a cruise line to clearly define their standards, both internally and externally. Then train their customer service and staff to understand those standards. Complaints related to violations of those standards such as things like state room cleanliness, service standards, etc should result in an immediate response, including followup. Complaints where the standards were upheld, but a customer wants more should result in a response detailing exactly what the standards are. Note that there are some special situations, where creative solutions might be needed (note that I said special situations, not special people. These would involve situations not addressed by standard or policy).

 

One of the issues with cruise lines today is that they are inconsistent across ships, they do not clearly identify their standards, they do not train customer service consistently, they operate often by avoiding issues, instead of clearly confronting and resolving issues. Confronting might mean responding and solving an issues or it might mean telling a customer what the standards and policy is.

 

Market Research department should be tracking the issues and would have a good idea about repeat booking rates and can identify if customer loss is higher then planned (be sure customer loss rates are planned, the key is which customers you lose and why)

 

Your ideas may work in some industries or businesses, but they are not practical for use in an industry where a large portion of their customers cruise once a year or every two years.

 

It is also impossible to predict what issues some cruisers will come up with in order to try to get reimbursements from the cruise lines. If you ever worked in a customer service dept, your outlook would certainly change !!!!

[RDC1]

Your ideas may work in some industries or businesses, but they are not practical for use in an industry where a large portion of their customers cruise once a year or every two years.

 

It is also impossible to predict what issues some cruisers will come up with in order to try to get reimbursements from the cruise lines. If you ever worked in a customer service dept, your outlook would certainly change !!!!

 

Actually I have designed customer service programs and have had those departments, along with market research, strategic pricing, and contracting departments reporting to me. Not in the cruise industry, but the elements still cross over.

 

The key point is that a well define and well trained set of standards gives customer service both the information and the authority to respond effectively. If the standard of service was violated they know exactly what to do to respond (they fix the situation. Note fix, not necessarily reimburse). If the standard of service was not violated, they know how to respond then as well. Usually by professionally and courteously responding to the customer by communicating what those standards are. If there are special situations which might be some kind of special event, or an individual crisis of some kind they also know what they can or cannot do. The key elements are know the performance standards, be professional, be courteous, always followup until resolution (you should be keeping the customer informed, they should not have to call to check on status), never ever tolerate abuse. If a customer becomes abusive, terminate the exchange immediately and refer to management for further action.

 

The point is especially for a industry such as a cruise line. Communication of standards and setting of expectations is especially important in an industry where customer contact is infrequent and where there are a large number of new customers. You want to create evangelists, and you want to get rid of detractors. As such clear communication of the community and life style is especially key.

Edited September 15, 2014 by RDC1

[Loonbeam]

As I said above, if Princess listens to anything, listen to this....

 

 

The point is especially for a industry such as a cruise line. Communication of standards and setting of expectations is especially important in an industry where customer contact is infrequent and where there are a large number of new customers. You want to create evangelists, and you want to get rid of detractors. As such clear communication of the community and life style is especially key.

 

Princess does a HORRID job of this, especially when there are large scale adverse incidents. Fix the training, give consistent answers and a lot of the other stuff will resolve itself.

[Ethel5]

As I said above, if Princess listens to anything, listen to this....

 

Princess does a HORRID job of this, especially when there are large scale adverse incidents. Fix the training, give consistent answers and a lot of the other stuff will resolve itself.

 

I have been saying this for years. If they stuck to the policies consistantly and didn't fold under pressure from the chronic complainers, the problems would minimize over time. something as simple as the dress code...."No sir, you are not allowed into the MDR in shorts and a wife beater T-shirt." Stick to it, don't throw the crew under the bus and soon word will get out and they will find that people will conform to the dress code.

[shredie]

Knut was very bitter, and blamed American cruisers looking for the cheapest cruise for killing his company.

 

That is very sad, but was customer service the significant (if not primary) reason the company lost money? I'm still trying to reconcile the idea that providing good customer service somehow leads to financial ruin. Are there not customers who are reasonable and appreciate the service or are all customers greedy opportunists out to score a buck? I'm not sure how it follows that a cruise line charging more will have fewer problems with those opportunists out there. I would imagine (based on my limited experience in the world) that cruisers who pay more would demand more in terms of "compensation" for their possibly bogus claims. If that's the case, then the price of the cruise would be direct proportion to the amount of the "compensation," and all cruise lines would go out of business eventually. Is it the case that the more expensive, all-inclusive cruise lines are in danger of bankruptcy, too, as a result of their heralded customer service?

[PrincessLuver]

That is very sad, but was customer service the significant (if not primary) reason the company lost money? I'm still trying to reconcile the idea that providing good customer service somehow leads to financial ruin. Are there not customers who are reasonable and appreciate the service or are all customers greedy opportunists out to score a buck? I'm not sure how it follows that a cruise line charging more will have fewer problems with those opportunists out there. I would imagine (based on my limited experience in the world) that cruisers who pay more would demand more in terms of "compensation" for their possibly bogus claims. If that's the case, then the price of the cruise would be direct proportion to the amount of the "compensation," and all cruise lines would go out of business eventually. Is it the case that the more expensive, all-inclusive cruise lines are in danger of bankruptcy, too, as a result of their heralded customer service?

 

I agree! It has been my experience with Princess that they provide a good product for a good price and have great customer service at all levels.

 

I am always amazed when on Princess ships the vast number of returning customers there are. I believe Princess knows what they are doing, consistently have sold out cruises and believe that customer satisfaction is important. They always say that when they ask you to complete the customer satisfaction survey at the end of a telephone call with one of their CSR's.

 

I guess, from what others say, there are some companies out there that could care less about customer satisfaction and are reeking huge profits? Wish they would name them.

 

It sounds like what many people complain about when it comes to Princess are

the manners of other passengers which I think are really outside the control of Princess....these are Cadillac problems that people sometimes complain about IMHO. :)

[swedish weave]

That is very sad, but was customer service the significant (if not primary) reason the company lost money? I'm still trying to reconcile the idea that providing good customer service somehow leads to financial ruin. Are there not customers who are reasonable and appreciate the service or are all customers greedy opportunists out to score a buck? I'm not sure how it follows that a cruise line charging more will have fewer problems with those opportunists out there. I would imagine (based on my limited experience in the world) that cruisers who pay more would demand more in terms of "compensation" for their possibly bogus claims. If that's the case, then the price of the cruise would be direct proportion to the amount of the "compensation," and all cruise lines would go out of business eventually. Is it the case that the more expensive, all-inclusive cruise lines are in danger of bankruptcy, too, as a result of their heralded customer service?

 

I believe you are confusing customer service with a cruise lines attempt to run luxury cruises with small ships. There is a very big difference in the logistics.

 

If the public doesn't support the cruise line at the prices they must charge to make money,the line will not survive unless it is propped up by a larger supply of cash from owners or investors.

[shredie]

You forgot to mention all the cruise lines famous for putting Guest Satisfaction as their number one goal:

 

Royal Viking Line

Royal Cruise Line

Home Lines

American Hawaii Cruise Line

Aloha Pacific Line

American President Line

Golden Bear Line

United States Line

Sitmar Cruise Line

Renaissance Cruises

 

They have another thing in common - they are all no longer in business.

 

I believe you are confusing customer service with a cruise lines attempt to run luxury cruises with small ships.

I am confusing nothing. I am discussing the issue raised by Brucemuzz as outlined in his post quoted above.

[swedish weave]

I am confusing nothing. I am discussing the issue raised by Brucemuzz as outlined in his post quoted above.

 

 

OK -- Let me say this in a different way. Many cruise lines have tried to cater to ALL the customers wishes and some are still in business but under new management or under the umbrella of larger and more realistic companies.

 

Example -- NCL under Veitch was in serious financial trouble. New management is correcting some of this.

 

The companies that are now owned by Carnival are constantly being berated on these boards for making cutbacks. They must do this or raise rates. Neither is readily accepted by some cruisers. These companies were merged or taken over by Carnival for financial reasons.

 

Customer service can be a good thing, but it can also be the undoing of a company if it is not managed properly.

[shredie]

Customer service can be a good thing, but it can also be the undoing of a company if it is not managed properly.

 

This, I think, is obvious, even to me. I believe I'll wait for your venerated friend Bruce to answer my question since he is the one to whom it was directed. I am attempting (as you have suggested elsewhere) to "enhance [my] appreciation of Bruce's posts."

[swedish weave]

This, I think, is obvious, even to me. I believe I'll wait for your venerated friend Bruce to answer my question since he is the one to whom it was directed. I am attempting (as you have suggested elsewhere) to "enhance [my] appreciation of Bruce's posts."

 

Good Luck !!! I hope you and Bruce enjoy your mutual admiration !!!

[Azure Moon]

I agree! It has been my experience with Princess that they provide a good product for a good price and have great customer service at all levels.

 

I am always amazed when on Princess ships the vast number of returning customers there are. I believe Princess knows what they are doing, consistently have sold out cruises and believe that customer satisfaction is important. [/color] They always say that when they ask you to complete the customer satisfaction survey at the end of a telephone call with one of their CSR's.

 

I guess, from what others say, there are some companies out there that could care less about customer satisfaction and are reeking huge profits? Wish they would name them.

 

It sounds like what many people complain about when it comes to Princess are

the manners of other passengers which I think are really outside the control of Princess....these are Cadillac problems that people sometimes complain about IMHO. :)

 

That "customer satisfaction survey" is worthless in my opinion.

 

We just completed our first cruise with Princess and each time we called their call center we either had long waits or long waits and other problems. We were always asked to take the survey, and because the survey only asks about the service we received from the service representative, and we thought things were fine at the time of talking to the rep., we always gave the rep. a good score. Then we'd find out later about mistakes made during our sessions with the rep. So the scores given immediately following the call would be different - more correct - if asked more than one question, and if there were a way for follow-up scoring.

 

Our friend, also on her first Princess cruise, said she had better results with wait times, answers/help, etc.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Azure Moon

[Putterdude]

I think what I am drawing out of this thread .... besides the obvious poor training and the lack of empowerment of Princess staff is that Princess and indeed other lines are not going to knock themselves out trying to retain the loyalty of an unreasonable passenger. No one is going to jump through hoops for the person who begins a dialogue with "I have done 25 cruises with cruise line Y and if you don't compensate me for the fact that my 10 year old blue suit that I sent out for the "free" cleaning came back with shinny lapels, I won't sail with your line ever again". Here's your hat, here's your coat.....what's your hurry.

[ar1950]

Yep.....I forgot to add them to the list.....but I am sure they are soon to go out of business because obviously the best corporate policy some people believe on this board is that it does not matter how you treat the customer...good or bad....thanks for their mention....:)

 

LL Bean may well go out of business but it won't be because of their good customer service. It will be because the retail sporting goods space has gotten a lot more crowded and the completion has increased substantially. Think local availability via Cabelas, Bass Pro Shop, Dave's Sporting Goods, REI, Big 5, etc.

 

My wife's cousin works for LL Bean's call center in Bangor Maine. Guess what? They are closing that center the first of the year because most business is now done over the Internet via computer. There is a lot less person to person contact these days.

 

I would agree with another post that LL Bean is fun to visit. We always stop when going by Freeport on our way north when we go back to Maine. We have noticed changes over the last 20 years and not for the good either. More expensive pricing over what we can get at the above mentioned local stores and the quality of a lot of things is not what it used to be. Also, when they offer free shipping the prices seem to be higher than they otherwise would be.

 

Any of this sound something like the evolution of the cruise industry?

Edited September 16, 2014 by ar1950

[Iamcruzin]

There must be some value to retaining customers for repeat business since many companies offer loyalty programs to get them to come back.

These loyalty programs have become so cliche'. I wish I had a dollar for every loyalty card on my key chain. The fact that I have so many loyalty cards shows that I'm not that loyal. Pathmark now advertises that you no longer need a card to get the sale prices in their supermarket. If you offer a good product at a fair price loyalty will follow. Personally I look to sail Princess first because I like their product. However, I will sail other lines if Princess doesn't offer the destination at the time I can travel or at a price I can afford. Free internet isn't going to sway me if those factors aren't there.

[Loonbeam]

BTW, he's on break now, but I encourage everyone to read John Heald's facebook page. He posts some of the requests and complaints he gets. Holy cow.

 

A recent sample (paraphrased and condensed in some cases):

 

-- My daughter is an amazing singer. When will she go on stage with the rest of the entertainers (several versions of this)

 

-- I did not book an accessible cabin, so here are the X things I need, including being able to park two scooters in the hallway to charge.

 

-- The fog horn kept us awake. I want (insert cash, X or free cruise here)

 

-- Why did you not provide a free open bar for our CC meet and greet, all the other lines do. (News to me!)

 

Heald is VERY blunt, but he's honest...Doesn't want to make me sail Carnival any more, except maybe if he was the CD on that cruise.

[PrincessLuver]

These loyalty programs have become so cliche'. I wish I had a dollar for every loyalty card on my key chain. The fact that I have so many loyalty cards shows that I'm not that loyal. Pathmark now advertises that you no longer need a card to get the sale prices in their supermarket. If you offer a good product at a fair price loyalty will follow. Personally I look to sail Princess first because I like their product. However, I will sail other lines if Princess doesn't offer the destination at the time I can travel or at a price I can afford. Free internet isn't going to sway me if those factors aren't there.

 

Hotel loyalty programs and airline programs are valuable (to the company and customer) and they are going to make it even more difficult to acquire points as they move to a fee based system where customers are rewarded for their spend and not the number of times they stay or fly.....I am sure the cruise lines will not be far behind....:)

[Iamcruzin]

Hotel loyalty programs and airline programs are valuable (to the company and customer) and they are going to make it even more difficult to acquire points as they move to a fee based system where customers are rewarded for their spend and not the number of times they stay or fly.....I am sure the cruise lines will not be far behind....:)

Celebrity has already revamped their program to give more points per day for those who book CC class staterooms and up. However depending on when you book you are not necessarily paying more for CC class than a regular veranda so the reward for spending more doesn't always apply and the person who booked a veranda early and paid a higher price than CC class is actually being cheated.

[Putterdude]

Celebrity has already revamped their program to give more points per day for those who book CC class staterooms and up. However depending on when you book you are not necessarily paying more for CC class than a regular veranda so the reward for spending more doesn't always apply and the person who booked a veranda early and paid a higher price than CC class is actually being cheated.

 

Yes and people like myself had the goal posts moved by 200% in reaching the next level in the program; which quite frankly has become a huge disincentive for us to return to Celebrity anytime soon. I know they won't miss our business...but I feel better.

[IdahoCruises]

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

 

Cruisers who abuse crew members deserve the same in return.

 

Treat the crew members as you would like to be treated, and your cruise experience will be far better than if you "grump" around and complain all the time.

[shredie]

BTW, he's on break now, but I encourage everyone to read John Heald's facebook page. He posts some of the requests and complaints he gets. Holy cow.

 

Heald does make for an entertaining read (if you can get beyond his constant underwear jokes.) It makes me wonder, though, exactly how bad the complaint problem is on Carnival or Princess or any line. If a ship holds 3500 passengers (give or take) and 350 or 10% of them complain and ask for compensation (whether justified or not), then it follows that 90% are not complaining and asking for compensation. Since I am no business whiz, I wonder if there is some standard complaint ratio or the like in the cruise business. At what point do the complainers put the line out of business? (Obviously, in my example, some would receive more compensation than others and some none at all.) Perhaps the business whiz types among us can explain this to me.

[swedish weave]

Heald does make for an entertaining read (if you can get beyond his constant underwear jokes.) It makes me wonder, though, exactly how bad the complaint problem is on Carnival or Princess or any line. If a ship holds 3500 passengers (give or take) and 350 or 10% of them complain and ask for compensation (whether justified or not), then it follows that 90% are not complaining and asking for compensation. Since I am no business whiz, I wonder if there is some standard complaint ratio or the like in the cruise business. At what point do the complainers put the line out of business? (Obviously, in my example, some would receive more compensation than others and some none at all.) Perhaps the business whiz types among us can explain this to me.

 

The link below has the formula if you choose to accept it.

 

http://www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/sigma-level/finding-sigma-level-customer-complaints/