How would you improve Celebrity's customer service?

[gkm]

These days we're hearing so many horror stories of bad customer service from Celebrity, especially the land base service that it's driving customers away. What should X do to improve their performance?

 

I think they should all have at least taken one or two cruises just so they would have some knowledge of the ships and what the customers expect. Their training is lacking in so many area, and so many customers get such a wide variety of answers to the same question that it's almost useless to call sometimes.

 

If we had Celebrity "ear", what do you think they should do to improve their staff's performance?

 

Garry

[templed]

I called Customer service once... and I ended up in RCCL's queue... which leads me to this statement...

 

Since RCI is the parent company of X... they should get to know the X product better... the rep that I spoke to was completely unfamiliar with Celebrity's website...

 

In general... They need to train their reps better... and keep the two lines separate from eachother in the "queue"... If you're calling about a X cruise... let me speak to an X specialist... if I'm calling for RCCL... I'd like to speak to a RCCL specialist.

[poetic license]

Hi Garry,

 

I agree with you 10000%!

 

This might sound like a flippant answer, but it's not: I truly believe that all land based customer service personnel should take the SAME training in the SAME classes as they give to shipboard stewards and waiters in addition to whatever other training they receive for customer service on land. We have never had anything but stellar service onboard. This could only be attributed to an outstanding, consistent training program. Even if the land based folks do get training, whatever it is, it leaves MUCH to be desired. Everyone, whether on land or on ship, should be on the same page, regardless of the job they do. Essentially, it comes down to one thing: All of it impacts customers in one way or another, and an effectively trained/informed team is one that is most likely to satisfy customers rather than alienate them.

 

Cheers,

[cruising with marti]

Hi Garry

 

Are we sure that X customer relations is all that bad?

sure we hear from folks that have had a bad experience with CR, but I have also seen posts from folks who have had good experiences with CR.

Now before you say it, I know that any company should always be striving for perfection and yes, x or any other service related company should provide proper training and should always be monitoring for areas that need improvement.

 

I also think that the same complaints about customer service would hold true on every single cruise line

 

the bottom line is that dissatisfied customers are always the most vocal and the most visible and the satisfied customer go unnoticed.

But yes there is most defiantly room for improvement.

 

phil

[gkm]

Phil, I'm sure that's true but it just seems I'm reading more and more about problems cruisers are having expecially problems with the land based service, and I don't mean the Captain's Club service. From what I read here, it doesn't sound like they're very well trained.

 

Garry

[Susan-M]

the bottom line is that dissatisfied customers are always the most vocal and the most visible and the satisfied customer go unnoticed.

 

I won't go unnoticed :) When I booked my upcoming Xpeditions cruise, I don't think I could have asked for a more knowledgeable rep. She had been on the cruise, knew exactly what she was talking about, was efficient, informative, pleasant.... what more can I say - unless you want her name & extension #;)

But...Celebrity does have designated reps for this cruise. Perhaps they need to do this with other cruises and have reps specialize in one area rather than have them be slightly knowledgeable about all cruises, but experts on none.

[hajekfam]

I think the land based service should not just give any answer - if they don't know the answer they should just admit it and give us a possible date when an answer might be available.

My one negative experience with customer service has been for my cruise last year. Our transatlantic has had its date change twice - the second change occured a week before sailing. When we called to find out what was going on, we were basically told "stories" totally different from what actually happened. The first change occurred over a year out. The cruise disappeared from Celeb's website. When I called to find out what was happening as I booked this cruise as a back to back with the Med cruise before. We were told it was sold out (there were tons of cabins available the night before it disappeared), it was closed for inventory. The real truth was that they scheduled the ship for drydock for the time the transatlantic was supposed to sail. The transatlantic was moved 12 days.

Then about a week before our flight to Barcelona, the itinerary suddenly changed on the website. 2 ports were no longer listed and they showed the ship in Barcelona for 2 nights at the beginning. When we called to find out what was happening, we were told that the internet was wrong, the original schedule is right. Than we were told yes, the internet is right and the ship would be spending the two nights in Barcelona. We were told that the ports were canceled due to port congestion (we were the only ship or one of two ships scheduled to be in the port on that day) Real truth: the drydock was extended 2 days, we actually had a 12 night cruise instead of a 14 night.

Why can't Celebrity CS say that they don't know, they'll check into it and please call back in x days? Why can't the big wigs who are doing the changes, immediately inform customer service and give them a time frame when the final details will be available? Why can't "My Celebrity" website give you a message regarding changes since there is that tab? With computers available, there is no reason why we were told all the "lies".

[tuggers]

Well, for one thing, we all think of these people as 'cruise' people when they are basically telephone operators. These are not especially well paid positions so it is a constant struggle to keep people once they are trained. And the training needs to be extensive, not just a couple of introductory classes. These people need to be touring ships when they are in FLL and MIA, cruising on them, eating on them, going to shows, listening to passengers and crew, given classes not only in X and it's offerings but it's philosophy of treating people famously. They need to know when and how to hand off a problem to a higher up and not be penalized for it. They need extensive training in communicating with and handling people and problems. They need English and diction lessons. In other words, they need for the company to put enough money into them that they pay them more in order to keep them for a while. Then from this pool of true 'specialists' they should promote from within and start to build a core of devoted, well trained, knowledgeable employees who will be around long term.

 

Stepping off soap box now!:D

[catmand]

Garry, interesting question. Unless I am completely nuts I remember reading something just last week about Celebrity and their new "training" program for service reps.

"Celebrity Certified Vacation Planner"

 

Unfortunately I can't recall exactly where I saw this. It was either in a mailer or on my e-mail. Now, I don't know if this will cover CS and/or Vacation Planners or even if they are the same or different but whichever, it did sound like a good start.

I think Gail pretty well covered what should be done. No question, the people on the phones should have hands on experience so callers can bank on their advice.

[dkjretired]

I know customer service used to be somewhere in the Midwest a few years ago but does anyone know if they may have outsourced it to India or China. Many other companies have done this without any fanfare.

[Andy]

I know customer service used to be somewhere in the Midwest a few years ago but does anyone know if they may have outsourced it to India or China. Many other companies have done this without any fanfare.

 

Thank goodness, RCI and Celebrity does NOT send their calls overseas. I absolutely hope they NEVER do.

[bububr]

I'm pretty sure it is still out in the middle of Kansas somewhere....Not kidding:D

 

 

Dave:eek:

[mmp13]

I actually just got a call from Celebrity customer service and my caller ID listed a florida number. I sent them a letter one week ago Snail mail regarding a request I made for our upcoming constellation cruise. I felt I needed to put the request in writing as it was lost in translation last year. I was very pleasantly surprised to recieve a call from a customer service rep stating my request was recieved an would be handled appropriately. I then recieved a hard copy fax of the same info to keep for my records. I am impressed and firmly believe in the power of snail mail to get things done.

[judyfssw]

I believe that a rep told me that there is now a service center in CA to accomodate the people on the west coast.

But, my idea is that I will volunteer to help the company improve their service on the phone. My experiece has mostly been great but I do know that there a re some people who seem to have had horrible experiences. My training is in social work so maybe I could give the reps some tips in dealing with the company.

Celebrity, if you're reading this, feel free to contact me.

[flashdog_1]

Witchita is where the Captain's Club reps I've talked to are located.

 

Training DOES need to be done on a ship so the reps will get to be cruise addicts, too, and will seek out the proper answers during training!

 

Maybe instead of lowering rates on non-sold out ships, encouraging "not Celebrity type" whatever that means that I keep reading about, they could fill those slots with new employees, or even old employees who THINK they know what's going on on a ship. The phone reps really do need to understand who has the last word on the ship (and that it is not themselves!) I certainly don't have the lasat word, either!

 

I do wonder what the starting salary, and qualifications for a celebrity rep are. Has anyone ever seen a recruiting ad? I wonder what the turn over rate is. etc.

 

I ALWAYS ask the person I'm chatting with if he or she has ever cruised, be it a travel agent or a cel. rep.

[wvufan]

Great thread,

 

I agree that the reps need to be well trained. But, I feel that equally important is that they need to be well informed with up to date accurate information. I think the heart of the matter is that what we think of as one cruise actually has several separate components (hotel, marine, and perhaps others) and they don't communicate with each other. For example, on a recent cruise, the itinerary on the internet and what could be obtained from the phone customer service was the same. However, even the port authorities' websites from several of the places we visited had up to date information on changes weeks before the website and customer service folks caught up.

 

I also think that there should be more leeway in what they can handle directly with the customer rather than insisting that it all go through the TA. There are times when the TA is not available, and sometimes information and other assistance is needed without delay.

 

Fortunately, we have found that if you can survive the precruise ordeal, customer service on board exceeds expectations:)

 

OOOEEE:D :D Bob and Phyl

[BobN]

Completely agree with you about the on board service, I try and take most of what landline customer service says with a dose of salt. I try and research as much as I can before calling the Captains Club or my TA.

 

The best thing about Celebrity is the on board family, they are the reason we keep coming back.

 

Since the fair trade practice by Celebrity has taken away the leeway from the TA I will decide what I want and then make a reservation and after I have what I want I will have Celebrity transfer the credit to my TA.

 

Happy cruising

BobN:)

[teedee]

Phil, I'm sure that's true but it just seems I'm reading more and more about problems cruisers are having expecially problems with the land based service, and I don't mean the Captain's Club service. From what I read here, it doesn't sound like they're very well trained.

 

Garry

 

I have to agree with Garry. Celebrity's onboard customer service is fantastic, but anytime I've gone to their land based customer service it seems like all I end up with is a headache. The exception to this are the Captain's Club folks who I have found to be very helpful.

Terri

[tuggers]

I think we need to keep this thread high up on the list both to get more opinions and to keep it visible for any exec's reading. It's good info for them!

 

Thanks for starting it, Garry!

[Sky Sweet]

I would advise Celebrity to teach their employees something that I have emphasized with everyone who ever worked for me. If someone asks a question, and you are not sure of the correct answer, tell them that you are not positive but will gladly do some research and get back to them. There are so many people who can't admit they don't know something because they fear it will make them look less professional/knowledgeable, but the opposite is true. When an employee gives an answer that turns out to be wrong, it undermines everything else that person says and does. That in turn has a negative impact on the company that employs him/her.

[MayrMN]

I booked my 1/28 sailing on 12/18 directly with Celebrity.

 

My 'dedicated agent' Janeth was great. She called many times before the cruise to see if there was anything she could do (or maybe sell me, but whatever).

 

And when we returned, she called to follow up.

 

I wasn't a particularly high maintenance cruiser, but I appreciated this level of service.

 

As for RCCL/X's port staff in San Juan, not so favorable.

[nu2sea]

Thanks for the thread Garry.

 

I've had mixed luck in dealing with Celebrity's Customer Service Reps. Would make the following suggestions:

 

1. Communication. The front line staff, on the telephones with the public must be kept abreast of what is going on in the fleet. They must have access to current itineraries as well as booking info.

 

2. Training. Training should at the very least, include a tour of the different classes of ships that X sails. Hopefully Customer Service Reps are included in shake down cruises after dry docks.

 

3. Remuneration. A living wage with benefits should be paid to these people, even if it increases the cost of our cruises. They are the face that Celebrity Cruise Lines presents to the public long before we see the ships. Proper indoctrination training and continuing education are expensive investments that should be made in employees. Once these investments have been made, every effort should be extended to retain trained employees.

 

As customers, our only options are to write letters of complaint or compliment, as the situation requires.

 

This is probably one of the most troublesome areas for most businesses today. When a corporation out sources this function to India or elsewhere, they are telling me that they really don't care about my satisfaction with their product, and that their main concern is short term profitability.

 

Susan

[Brucemcdou]

Like MayrMN and Susan-M I have mostly had good, friendly, professional interactions with the customer service people I have called. Sometimes I call Captain's Club, sometimes the general number, which is usually answered by somebody who says they're with Royal Caribbean (or the tape loop that plays when you're on hold is for RCCL). I have no doubt that the people are generally nice folks who are trained in telephone manners.

 

But being nice only gets you so far. The couple of times that I have called with an actual question, a problem or an issue, I have been very unimpressed with their level of knowledge and responsiveness. For two cruises I've been on where the itinerary was changed (one was the same cruise with Hajekfam) the customer service reps (in retrospect) were just making things up to get me off the phone. I hate to say that people lied, but they could not possibly have had any basis for what they said. I was told that both cruises were red-tagged because they were sold out (a year in advance in both cases) rather than just being told "certain changes are being made to the itinerary but unfortunately we're not able to tell you what those changes are at this point. You will be called as soon as the changes are finalized." When the website had been changed to reflect the new itinerary I was told that the website was incorrect, and no changes had been made to the itinerary. My favorite one was when somebody else in our group was told that the Infinity was going to be taking over the Millennium's Transatlantic itinerary - this at a time when the Infinity was in Mexico, and would have to sail to Barcelona really, really quickly to pick up the Millennium's passengers!

 

I wholeheartedly agree with Hajekfam, Bob and Phyl, and Sky Sweet that customer service people need to be trained to reply honestly that they don't know the answer to a question and that someone will research and get back to the customer, rather than just making something up to get the customer off the phone so it looks as if they're "productive" by taking more calls per hour. And then somebody needs to actually "own" the question, research the answer, and get back to the customer.

 

And how many people post on Cruise Critic that they've been told by Customer Service that all balconies are the same size, or that all ocean view cabins are the same size, etc.?? :rolleyes: While I hope that the telephone reps get the opportunity to go on a cruise just to share the experience, their knowledge deficit could easily be handled by well-structured trainings before they start and then continual refreshers. You don't need to be a mechanic to sell a car - you don't need to have been on every Celebrity ship to answer questions about them if you have the tools and resources available to you to help respond to questions.

[Garrick]

"circle of service" is the phrase that customer service reps everywhere hear, often without the necessary training to effectively serve the customer.

 

all too often they "want" to help you, they have you explain the whole entire situation to them, then either make up something that sounds plausible to get you off the phone or transfer you to another "wrong" department where you have to explain the whole story again.

 

This isn't just Celebrity, but almost everywhere you look. Inadequate training, supervision, and personal motivation to Know the info, and not make it up as you go along. I'd even lay money on some of the misinformation coming from supervisors who rather than finding things out for sure, just parrot back something they heard another service rep say.

 

Garrick

[ocngypz]

Call centers are located in Miami, Wichita, KS and Oregon.

 

Poor pay!

 

In one company I worked for (travel related) our Customer Service folks were some of the highest paid office staff in the company.

 

Only in very rare circumstances have I known sailings to be opened to employees.. and that has been with very little notice (3 days prior to departure). They still have to get to the port (harder for Wichita and West Coast employees) and they have to have vacation time accrued.

 

I remember one Reunion Cruise sailing I was on. Oh my! I overheard several of the Captain's Club reps (not telephone reps) telling passengers they could get upgraded to balcony cabins! (This was WAY after they changed the rules.)

 

Interdepartmental communication needs a lot of work. What we all went through with Millennium's transatlantic changes this past fall! Holy cow!!

 

I must say I was impressed with the speed in which Cunard provided agents with information after cancelling April/May and Nov sailings this week. Not two hours after cancelling the cruises, we received our faxes complete with booking numbers of affected passengers and the compensation guidelines.