Innovation Means Nothing Without Great Customer Service

Excellent customer is king!

I’m an avid cruiser. I’m also a brand loyalist – or at least I was. I’ve been on 9 Royal Caribbean cruises. Maybe it’s 10. I don’t know?! I’ve lost track somewhere between a margarita and the pool deck.

So when I stepped foot onboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas a few weeks ago – I was excited to experience not only the largest ship at sea, but the ‘Gold Anchor’ service that Royal Caribbean espouses so proudly. The type of service to which I have become accustomed and even praised them in the past for providing to customers. Suffice to say this trip it was barely bronze anchor service!

I previously cruised on the sister ship, Oasis of the Seas. Both ships are nearly identical – both have Central Park, a carousel, and ice skating rinks. I mean…look at it here! And here! They’re an innovative marvel to the cruising and hospitality industry. I figured…same ship, same experience, right?

Wrong!

Frustration set in and the experience went downhill fast. It didn’t take long before all of the small issues turned into larger issues. One passenger commented “it almost feels like Royal Caribbean has become too big for their britches.” She’d know, too. She’s been sailing them for over 20 years. Though, I can relate to her point. Royal Caribbean has 3 new ships on order and has been making immense and rapid changes – even some leadership changes.

**Here is the crux of it folks – you can have the biggest, greatest, and most innovative products – but innovation means NOTHING without excellent customer service.**

Here is a sampling of the issues me and my family experienced on Allure of the Seas, followed by some tips on how your business can prevent such customer service issues:

Despite making reservations for the shows in advance – as to maximize our cruise entertainment time and minimize any lines or issues – shows were moved and cancelled with no prior communication to guests. In addition, we missed one scheduled show because although we arrived early, there was no distinction for a reservation line and non-reservation line. Everyone stood in the same line and then those who made a reservation missed out because those ahead in line filled the seats. At one show when a guest complained – she had a door slammed in her face by a crew member who waved her away in dismissal.
Technology systems don’t communicate (actually as I write this the entire Royal Caribbean website is currently down!) I purchased several items on land prior to the sailing – yet no one on board had any idea that these were purchased prior. From the spa appointments to a birthday cake things were double charged or forgotten – I had to run interference to ensure everything I purchased prior was accounted for. And I was taking the week off from work!
Compliance and maintenance on the ship lacked. One day it rained and we couldn’t get out of our chairs in the Solarium because 3 inches of water had accumulated and crew members didn’t squeegee and mop the deck area. We had to yell for them and flag them down. The same day a family member fell on wet stairs, while sober and holding the railing, and ended up needing stitches. I even got injured on the rock climbing wall, by no fault of my own, when one of the pieces I grabbed onto came loose and sent me flying into a railing. My mother freaked as she thought I was going to drop down a deck. Crew members didn’t even grab the rope but stood there all lackadaisical and said “sorry, want to go again.” I said no, but I will go to the medical bay. As I write this my back is still badly bruised.
Royal Caribbean espouses how they value guest feedback and appreciate loyalty. Their say did totally not align with their do. When raising awareness around issues that transpired onboard – the response was lackluster. I even had to gather a group of 6 upset frequent cruisers and approach guest relations in mass just to be heard. Responses were canned and scripted. Frequent cruisers can tell when they’re being ignored. Guests felt placated and dismissed by the attitude and response – or lack thereof – from crew members. Guests shouldn’t be commiserating on vacation they should be celebrating!

Success in the hospitality industry is based on excellent customer service. In case you’re keeping track – Royal Caribbean failed miserably this time around. The above is only a sampling of the issues we had. The full list would take an entire page. If it wasn’t broken or flawed processes, a lack of accountability, poor technology (by the way, you never want to step foot in an elevator and have the tv monitor showing the Microsoft blue screen of death) or a lack of communication between team members – it was the consistent nickel and diming of things that left a lot to be desired. I understand raising drink prices, I’m ok with no more mints on the pillow, I can even live without anymore midnight buffets. Now doing away with a filet in the main dining room and upcharging $34 for surf and turf, hiding certain food at the buffet unless you explicitly ask for it but not telling you that you can, and expecting customers to pay $30 a day for internet, that I’m not ok with.

As an avid cruiser, Royal Caribbean shareholder and a businessman myself – I understand the balance between profitability and providing great service. However, after 10-years of being a Royal Caribbean loyal customer, it felt like me and my family were blatantly the ones being asked to chip-in to help build future ships – not the ones who were receiving an excellent customer experience worth referring people to sail on them.

I never felt that Royal Caribbean put profit before people – until now!

If this was my first experience on a cruise ship – I assure you that Royal Caribbean would have lost my future business. I would have sailed on a competitor. But I am (or at least was) loyal to Royal Caribbean. My experiences prior to this last cruise, though not all issue free, could still be summed up as pretty astounding.

Sure Royal Caribbean – you’re growing NOW! I mean…you’re already emailing me about a cruise on your new ship before I even got off the most recent cruise (by the way allow for opt in segmentation of your email marketing will ya.) However – eventually, customers will stop coming back if the customer experience doesn’t improve. It’s not a wise strategy to bank on first time customers making up the losses due to dissatisfaction among brand loyalists.

I’m sharing all of this because…given what I do for a living; I know that broken processes, lack of accountability, and poor communication all lead to an unhappy customer experience. Though no two customers or organizations are the same, the negative impacts of poor customer service can be similar. For every customer you lose due to poor service, you also lose new customers they could have referred to you, damage to your reputation and brand loyalty. This will further negatively impact your performance and profits.

So – as not make this just a total ventfest – here are some things your business can do to improve service and create a great customer experience before any negative impacts:

To fix the problem – you must first understand some of the causes.

Poor processes
Poor communication
Lack of attention (or caring) for customers’ needs.

So what about some solutions. Begin by asking yourself these 3 questions:

Do you know what you’re doing? We don’t all have all the answers all the time. Don’t claim to either. Don’t promise things you can’t deliver. If you make a mistake, take accountability – own your mistakes and make good on resolving them. Don’t try and shift blame. Make sure someone accessible is accountable to the customer. Make sure those people are trained on what processes to follow to resolve such customer service related issues. A customer gets annoyed when they think they’re dealing with someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
Are you communicating? Communication with the customer is imperative to great customer service and increased brand loyalty. A customer gets annoyed when they feel like they’re not being heard or being ignored. Don’t assume. Communicate with your customers. Take the time to listen to their needs and concerns. As I’m fond of saying “Ask. Listen. Deliver.”
Are you responsive? Be responsive – when a customer has an immediate need don’t give them the run around, get back to them right away – if you are their POC and don’t know the answers then go back to # 1 and #2 above. Poor process and communication practices internally lead to very slow responsiveness to customer needs and concerns. If processes do exist for customer resolution – make them simple to understand and follow and educate customer facing employees on how to execute such processes to promptly respond to customer concerns. A customer gets further annoyed when they feel their time is being wasted.

…oh and just genuinely apologize!

So whether you’re a cruise line or another industry – poor customer service leads to loss of new customers, damage to reputation, increased employee turnover, and reduction in revenues. Customer acquisition isn’t cheap – customer retention is a better way to go.

Great customer service matters. It matters to your repeat business, it matters to your brand loyalty, and it matters to your bottom line! So Royal Caribbean, I’ll be looking for you to kick it up a notch!

About Scott Span, MSOD: is CEO & Lead Consultant of Tolero Solutions – an Organizational Improvement & Strategy firm. He helps clients in achieving success through people, creating organizations that are more responsive, productive and profitable. Organizations where people enjoy working and customers enjoy doing business.

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*Views expressed in this article are solely that of the author and not that of Tolero Solutions or other individuals. They are based on personal experiences on the above mentioned vessel only.