Has Holland America offshored its personal cruise consultants?

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, maryandmarge said:

I have the same experience with my PCC who is in Seattle and hope I never lose him.   He always has time to answer my questions and I never feel rushed when on the phone with him.   I can either call or email him and have always gotten a response quickly.     I wish every one had the same experience with the PCC as we do. 

We do, too!!

[Reagan0712]

5 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

Personally, I also wish most things were automated.

You are going to love the new phone system at HAL.

Tonight’s call started…

”We show 11 bookings for this phone number, please tell us which booking you are calling about.”

Fortunately I was actually calling about a booking. I wonder what happens if you’re not calling about a booking?  Anyhow, I gave the booking number.

”I’m sorry I did not get that. Please repeat your booking number.”

At that point I just started beating on the 0 button on my phone and eventually heard, “We’ll connect you to a representative.” which, unfortunately, was in the call center. 

[dockman]

In a few years all calls will probably be answered and dealt with via an artificial intelligence device that will also likely know the answer to just about any question anyone can dream up.  

Don't like that?  Go to a website where a virtual AI assistant will be able to give you an HD tour of the ship including any specific room, restaurant, club, etc that you want to see on any ship.  Want a shore excursion?  HD video to show you up close all the details.  Want to see your ports in HD video?  No problem.

 

And when all this is fully implemented it will save the cruise line a ton of $$ as speaking to a real live person on a payroll will be greatly diminished if not totally eliminated.  

 

Don't think it will happen?  Observe how quickly people have adapted to self service check out machines at walmart/costco etc and how quickly human check out counters are being eliminated or greatly reduced.

[Sea42]

12 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

I wonder what percentage of people even call a TA or the cruise line (PCC, for example) with questions or concerns after they book a cruise. I agree that I hate getting people who don't know what they are doing when I call customer service but lots of people retired or changed jobs during Covid. It's a fact of life. Furthermore, I think most Gen Z and Millennials hate making phone calls and talking to real people and that frankly is their future market. Personally, I also wish most things were automated. I do not like calling customer service at all for anything. I hate phone trees, call backs, etc. I would suggest the cruise lines would solve a lot of their problems if they allowed us to "fix" or adjust everything online much like the airlines do.

I've yet to have a phone conversation with the TA I've been working with for the past 5 years. I email them the details of what I want and they take care of it. I have much better things to do than wait on hold to talk with someone who may or may not be able to help me.

[ChinaShrek]

8 hours ago, Reagan0712 said:

You are going to love the new phone system at HAL.

Tonight’s call started…

”We show 11 bookings for this phone number, please tell us which booking you are calling about.”

Fortunately I was actually calling about a booking. I wonder what happens if you’re not calling about a booking?  Anyhow, I gave the booking number.

”I’m sorry I did not get that. Please repeat your booking number.”

At that point I just started beating on the 0 button on my phone and eventually heard, “We’ll connect you to a representative.” which, unfortunately, was in the call center. 

I guess this is why I have a travel agent but I still like emailing the TA and not calling them.

[ontheweb]

I must really be in a minority because I like talking to my TA. Yes, sometimes I get a message to go to voice mail and then his mailbox is full, but he always calls me back soon afterwards. I do also e-mail him.

[BermudaBound2014]

8 hours ago, Reagan0712 said:

You are going to love the new phone system at HAL.

Tonight’s call started…

”We show 11 bookings for this phone number, please tell us which booking you are calling about.”

Fortunately I was actually calling about a booking. I wonder what happens if you’re not calling about a booking?  Anyhow, I gave the booking number.

”I’m sorry I did not get that. Please repeat your booking number.”

At that point I just started beating on the 0 button on my phone and eventually heard, “We’ll connect you to a representative.” which, unfortunately, was in the call center. 

 

How funny.......... I had the same experience today...

 

"We show 5 bookings for this phone number, please tell us which booking you are calling about..." ... I was like, huh? I only have 3.

 

I gave my booking number.. 2P3RYL (not my real booking)

 

She replies: "I heard 2C3RYL, is that correct". Umm.. Nope. I repeat. She repeats. I wonder if I'm being punked.

 

Finally got a to representative at the call center who eventuality had to transfer me. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 10/5/2023 at 5:00 AM, POA1 said:

Maybe I should just start asking for "old farts" or geezers. 

 

Then you'd be accused of being ageist, LOL.

[Toofarfromthesea]

17 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

I wonder what percentage of people even call a TA or the cruise line (PCC, for example) with questions or concerns after they book a cruise. I agree that I hate getting people who don't know what they are doing when I call customer service but lots of people retired or changed jobs during Covid. It's a fact of life. Furthermore, I think most Gen Z and Millennials hate making phone calls and talking to real people and that frankly is their future market. Personally, I also wish most things were automated. I do not like calling customer service at all for anything. I hate phone trees, call backs, etc. I would suggest the cruise lines would solve a lot of their problems if they allowed us to "fix" or adjust everything online much like the airlines do.

 

The problem with automated is then you can get stuck trying to do something on a website that is dysfunctional, like HAL's.

[Toofarfromthesea]

13 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I used those US companies as examples for two primary reasons. First, because they are very familiar to the majority of readers here, which might not have been the case had I cited  Canadian companies. Secondly because they have not been destroyed by having offshore call centres as you feared might be the case for HAL or Princess.

 

You say that you are "not convinced this so-called "proven" strategy has in fact proven to be successful if one looks beyond it being about cost reductions." I'd suggest that cost reduction is in fact the prime motivator for most outsourcing, and that companies using this strategy have a very sound idea of the savings to be achieved. I'd also suggest that companies do a thorough risk assessment that would include potential customer dissatisfaction and even the possible loss of customers. Given the huge number companies globally that have decided to proceed, I'd think that their analysis indicated  conclusively that there were greater gains to be realized than losses to be incurred.  

 

 

 

I'm sure there is cost-savings, but part of that savings comes from people getting frustrated and stop calling, and it is a short step from there to switching to another vendor.  Bean counters are fine in their place, but there are other issues that they know nothing about.

[Toofarfromthesea]

8 hours ago, dockman said:

In a few years all calls will probably be answered and dealt with via an artificial intelligence device that will also likely know the answer to just about any question anyone can dream up.  

Don't like that?  Go to a website where a virtual AI assistant will be able to give you an HD tour of the ship including any specific room, restaurant, club, etc that you want to see on any ship.  Want a shore excursion?  HD video to show you up close all the details.  Want to see your ports in HD video?  No problem.

 

And when all this is fully implemented it will save the cruise line a ton of $$ as speaking to a real live person on a payroll will be greatly diminished if not totally eliminated.  

 

Don't think it will happen?  Observe how quickly people have adapted to self service check out machines at walmart/costco etc and how quickly human check out counters are being eliminated or greatly reduced.

 

And it will all work as smoothly as HAL's website.  Guffaw.

[Toofarfromthesea]

4 hours ago, Sea42 said:

I've yet to have a phone conversation with the TA I've been working with for the past 5 years. I email them the details of what I want and they take care of it. I have much better things to do than wait on hold to talk with someone who may or may not be able to help me.

Agree.  Once I make my booking I've rarely had to talk to my TA.

[ontheweb]

32 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I'm sure there is cost-savings, but part of that savings comes from people getting frustrated and stop calling, and it is a short step from there to switching to another vendor.  Bean counters are fine in their place, but there are other issues that they know nothing about.

Actually, it is being short sighted and not realizing that if their savings cause some to not book or book with a different cruise line, their savings are wiped out. I think the popular expression is "not seeing the forest for the trees".

[sailawayward]

Can't imagine the grief some of you feel having to speak to someone in an unfamiliar accent about the 11 cruises you have booked.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I'm sure there is cost-savings, but part of that savings comes from people getting frustrated and stop calling, and it is a short step from there to switching to another vendor.  Bean counters are fine in their place, but there are other issues that they know nothing about.

I've yet to read about a company that has taken a long-term financial hit, let along gone out of business, because of taking their call centre offshore. I'm quite sure that HAL factored in the possible loss of customers and other potential repercussions when doing a cost-benefit analysis.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

4 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

How funny.......... I had the same experience today...

 

"We show 5 bookings for this phone number, please tell us which booking you are calling about..." ... I was like, huh? I only have 3.

 

I gave my booking number.. 2P3RYL (not my real booking)

 

She replies: "I heard 2C3RYL, is that correct". Umm.. Nope. I repeat. She repeats. I wonder if I'm being punked.

 

Finally got a to representative at the call center who eventuality had to transfer me. 

I had the same thing happen yesterday afternoon as well, I was shocked, it stated I had 37 accounts associated with this number lol maybe.... but I gave the reservation with NATO phonetic  2 mike 8 xray papa victor and it repeated it back to me correctly not including the NATO phonetic.I was actually impressed with that.

But I got lucky it was a stateside agent I was directed to. In all honesty I have not had much luck with those going to the Call Center. I do find that if I call after 3:30 pacific time I tend to get agents that are not Call Center.

[C 2 C]

If companies really wanted to save money and become more profitable, they would outsource their CEO and CFO.

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

I've yet to read about a company that has taken a long-term financial hit, let along gone out of business, because of taking their call centre offshore. I'm quite sure that HAL factored in the possible loss of customers and other potential repercussions when doing a cost-benefit analysis.

OK, but I doubt they would publicize it if it happened.  I give more credence to the almost universally negative opinions I hear than to the bean counters.  Listening to them is how we got that wonderfully efficient HAL website. Snort!

[Reagan0712]

2 hours ago, sailawayward said:

Can't imagine the grief some of you feel having to speak to someone in an unfamiliar accent about the 11 cruises you have booked.

There is a difference between listening to someone with an unfamiliar accent and listening to someone on the telephone who is struggling to speak a foreign language, in this case English. 

I grew up with a grandfather who came from Italy so I am more than familiar to listening to someone with an accent.  I also deal regularly with kids in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Kids who have many different accents and mumble half the time. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Reagan0712
.

[Reagan0712]

@BermudaBound2014 I think, for me, they're including cruises I booked and canceled. Plus, yesterday I had two cabins on hold until I decided which I wanted which gave me two more booking numbers. 

[sfaaa]

19 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

 

My business with my PCC is exclusively by email when contact is needed.

 Email is the way to go. Gives you a paper trail to go back to if things go wrong. 

[sfaaa]

3 hours ago, C 2 C said:

If companies really wanted to save money and become more profitable, they would outsource their CEO and CFO.

They certainly do that with ship captains and senior officers. Most are non Americans.

[Fouremco]

20 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

They certainly do that with ship captains and senior officers. Most are non Americans.

Same with a very large percentage of the crew.

 

3 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

OK, but I doubt they would publicize it if it happened.  I give more credence to the almost universally negative opinions I hear than to the bean counters.  Listening to them is how we got that wonderfully efficient HAL website. Snort!

If a large international company like HAL changed its mind down the road and returned the call centre to the US, for whatever reason, the reversal would receive both business and travel industry media coverage. There'd be no need for them to publicize the change for it to become known.

 

As for credibility, I have greater faith in this decision made by HAL's corporate management than I do in the doom and gloom forecasts of a small number of anonymous naysayers.

 

In any event, the decision has been made and the wisdom of the move off-shore - or lack thereof - will take months or years to be proved or disproved. In the meantime, we'll just have to agree to disagree.   

[Blackduck59]

18 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

They certainly do that with ship captains and senior officers. Most are non Americans.

I think you'll find that no matter what nationality they are, senior officers and especially the captains are highly skilled and well paid individuals responsible for a ship worth hundreds of millions of dollars as well as all souls aboard. 

[RD64]

3 hours ago, sfaaa said:

They certainly do that with ship captains and senior officers. Most are non Americans.

European captains have been around for much longer than Americans - Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, British, and of course one famous Italian that has been around at least since 1492.