Celebrity Launches Advocate Program

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Earlier today, I noticed a "Tweet", that Celebrity is launching an Advocate program, and they are looking for passionate Celebrity cruisers. If you are selected, there's compensation as well - though I'm unsure of the specifics.

 

As I'm only aware of what's posted on the Needle.com website, I'm not passing any judgement on the program at this time. However, I thought our Celebrity community might be interested.

 

Here's a link to the information on the Needle.com wesbite. Please Click HERE

 

If you do not wish to click on the link, here's some of the verbiage from the Needle.com website :

 

Become an Advocate

Are you all about Celebrity & Cruising in luxury? Do you love talking about your cruise experiences and providing destination, ship or excursion advice? Are you knowledgeable on all cabin types & amenities? We are looking for Celebrity travelers who are exceptional brand advocates to share their advice via chat in authentic experiences helping customers sail on celebrity.com. Share your story!

 

WHY SHOULD I NEEDLE?

 

Help others discover your favorite brands & products

Earn Money and/or Product from the brand

Be part of the inner circle

Participate from anywhere with an internet connection

Work when you want- schedule yourself

Edited August 3, 2015 by Host Andy

[Chazteach1]

Interesting... Can't do the application from my iPad, will have to check it out tomorrow!

[CruisingChick]

My husband saw this on Twitter yesterday afternoon and came running upstairs to tell me I should do it. But then I wondered if I was getting paid by the cruise line if that would prohibit me from applying for Shareholder Benefit OBC as it states the following.

 

Benefit is non-transferable and not available to employees, agents of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. or its subsidiaries and affiliates, travel agents and tour operators.

 

Not sure if an Advocate of the cruise line and getting paid by them they would consider me an employee or agent.

Edited August 3, 2015 by CruisingChick

[cle-guy]

My husband saw this on Twitter yesterday afternoon and came running upstairs to tell me I should do it. But then I wondered if I was getting paid by the cruise line if that would prohibit me from applying for Shareholder Benefit OBC as it states the following.

 

 

 

Not sure if an Advocate of the cruise line and getting paid by them they would consider me an employee or agent.

 

The application process makes it clear you are an "independent contractor" and asks multiple questions to understand one knows what that really means, and if you have ever operated as an "independent contractor".

[cle-guy]

Interesting... Can't do the application from my iPad, will have to check it out tomorrow!

 

FYI, if in a Mac environment, you can do the application, but their program won't work in Safari, you have to use Chrome or Firefox. Not sure if it works in IE or not, that specified Chrome and firefox, and my safari definitely didn't work.

[Fish Lover]

Many moons ago I was an executive at a nationwide online service. We had a very similar program. This is not a new concept and I predict it will not last very long.

 

First of all, the persons they choose will likely be the most opinionated and vocal, and not necessarily the best suited.

 

Second, especially because there is some minimal compensation, people will think these folks are employees of Celebrity and have the ability to affect change. That is highly unlikely. In fact, these folks will probably become highly frustrated when Celebrity fails to give them a heads up on special promotions or events and they are bombarded with questions.

 

The concept sounds great, but it can not be implemented without serious flaws.

[CruisingChick]

The application process makes it clear you are an "independent contractor" and asks multiple questions to understand one knows what that really means, and if you have ever operated as an "independent contractor".

 

I didn't even get that far as I figured they probably wanted "cheerleaders" and I am far from that. If someone asks me a question I will answer it honestly even if it's to the detriment of the cruise line. So doubt I'd get picked anyway.

[wwcruisers]

Thanks for posting this Andy. This actually sounds a lot like the failed "Royal Champions" scheme that RC tried a few years ago. Sadly, it created more dissent than loyalty, and was quickly abandoned. :eek: Of course, that was before the onslaught of social media platforms -- might be more successful now. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[cle-guy]

Bottom line, they are looking for people to spend 3 hours at a time chatting with people with questions, and selling them on a cruise - sales is a part of it. The thought is WE have a way better knowledge of the product than a call center staff in Nebraska can have, most of whom may have never even seen a cruise ship, let alone sailed.

 

They asked 5 or so questions regarding celebrity expertise... 1 had something to do with when did Chandris start and when did RCL acquire (multiple choice questions), another which list provided an accurate listing of offered itineraries, another what is the elite program called.

 

SOOOOO basic.

 

Then there are a series of videos to watch some have simple tests. Looks like there will be a typing test soon to look for grammar and spelling and speed of typing.

 

But no doubt, this is intended to push sales, so of course cheerleaders are needed, as much as general knowledge. This service works for multiple businesses, it's not run by RCL.

 

I've got time, so I've been going thru the routine to see what it's all about. But bored with the videos, so stopped of the day.

 

If I can sit at home and get paid to chat instead of do it here for free, why not give it a whirl. More than anything, hopeful maybe some unique cruise opportunities come of it if nothing else. I haven't even figured out how they payment process works and hat you have to do to get a payment.

 

Reading some reviews about it, seems most people earn $10 an hour doing this. They require you to schedule bloks of 3 hour time to be available. The remit payment mondays for the prior week to PayPal.

Edited August 3, 2015 by cle-guy

[ACruiseGuy]

Norwegian uses this same gig.

 

Go browse their site. A chat window pops up and it says something like "Chat with a REAL Cruiser" or something like that :)

 

I always find that so funny....all the real cruisers are right here!

[hcat]

The application process makes it clear you are an "independent contractor" and asks multiple questions to understand one knows what that really means, and if you have ever operated as an "independent contractor".

 

Good point Curt

 

I work as an independent contractor...no witholding is taken out but I have to pay income taxes, soc sec and medicare tax., etc. .Not sure how it would work with the job specs..noted.

 

Basically sounds like these are non-employee sales people.... ..the word advocate usually conjures up something else to me,,,i thought it was going to be about customer service advocacy...I was wrong.

 

wonder why they need this ...thought Celebrity is popular enough!

[cle-guy]

Good point Curt

 

I work as an independent contractor...no witholding is taken out but I have to pay income taxes, soc sec and medicare tax., etc. .Not sure how it would work with the job specs..noted.

 

Basically sounds like these are non-employee sales people.... ..the word advocate usually conjures up something else to me,,,i thought it was going to be about customer service advocacy...I was wrong.

 

wonder why they need this ...thought Celebrity is popular enough!

 

Their big push is that the "advocates" have real experience, I wonder if this is X's way of getting better and more accurate customer service responses. Part of training explains how people trust the Needle service since we have "real world" experience and can answer the oddest of questions quickly.

 

I wonder how long NCL has used the service....off to research some more.

[Orator]

I am always pleased to provide what I hope is helpful information to those who wish to enjoy cruising. At times I have a tendency to over talk a question ;) Some of those who I met initially on Cruise Critic have become great cruising friends. I actually plan cruises so that I can cruise with them. See you soon M&M. However, I would never participate in a program that involves payment or perks that might cause me to be in a compromising position. I see this a a bad idea! I've said before and I'll say it again: "PR has not been a strength in recent times." Celebrity might do better supporting social media sites like Cruise Critic and

they might get what they want at no cost. They might also consider asking some customers with varying experiences to act as an advisory board for new ideas. Think that Host Andy should be the first named. They might also consider a complete evaluation of their PR Department. I know some of the folks on the Miami staff and they are really great people who have on board experience and a real feel for the customers. These people should play a more significant roll.

[ECCruise]

Hope it is not another "Royal Caribbean Champions" fiasco from 2009. Seems to be structured differently and at least somewhat transparent, but could be suspect nonetheless.

Edited August 3, 2015 by ECCruise

[hillsprint]

So really they are asking you to play a PR role talking hesitant voyagers to invest in the Celebrity experience for what here in the UK is Minimum Wage?

 

Hmm, difficult decision for one's ego :)

[cle-guy]

However, I would never participate in a program that involves payment or perks that might cause me to be in a compromising position. I see this a a bad idea!

 

I'm not seeing any difference from this program than there is by calling the Celebrity Reservation number to get information or any travel agent. Those folks are not going to tell you any thing bad, or offer up other cruise lines as options when you call in to book or ask questions...TA's may recommend alternate line's but they will certainly be guided by any bonus plans cruise lines have set up (i.e. X in the UK for a while, maybe still gave double commissions to UK TA's).

 

What this platform seems to do is offer an "online chat" method of communication to get specific questions answered, and then hopefully I if I do this, try and "close a sale" as any reservation agent may do by transferring the chatter to an official X rep.

 

As I say I am still working thru the specifics, but as far as I've gone, this seems to be the tone. It really seems like a cheap customer service farming out without outsourcing to another country.

[TeaBag]

I looked at the reviews of this sort of thing. Most gave it one star and many said, Run as fast as you can away from this. I must admit I was tempted to go for it as I love to talk cruising and like helping others to enjoy it as much as we do. I was halfway through the application when I quit. Got an email this AM welcoming me, so I guess I had more done than I thought. I will be interested in reading what others think if they do join.

[Orator]

I'm not seeing any difference from this program than there is by calling the Celebrity Reservation number to get information or any travel agent. Those folks are not going to tell you any thing bad, or offer up other cruise lines as options when you call in to book or ask questions...TA's may recommend alternate line's but they will certainly be guided by any bonus plans cruise lines have set up (i.e. X in the UK for a while, maybe still gave double commissions to UK TA's).

 

What this platform seems to do is offer an "online chat" method of communication to get specific questions answered, and then hopefully I if I do this, try and "close a sale" as any reservation agent may do by transferring the chatter to an official X rep.

 

As I say I am still working thru the specifics, but as far as I've gone, this seems to be the tone. It really seems like a cheap customer service farming out without outsourcing to another country.

 

When you talk to someone at Reservations or Customer Service you know that you are speaking to a paid Celebrity employee. Will you know that when you are speaking to an Advocate? Will you know that the person you are speaking to has a financial interest in the outcome of the conversation? Only my first impression of the program and I really need to see more. One of the biggest problems of the old and failed RC program was that it that the advocates never revealed a connection with the company. This was hotly discussed on Cruise Critic.

[maggie.1008]

I love talking about cruising. I am addicted to Cruise Critic and I am on here several times a day. However I retired early 15 yr. ago and don`t need another job. Might get in the way of enjoying my cruises.

[wwcruisers]

When you talk to someone at Reservations or Customer Service you know that you are speaking to a paid Celebrity employee. Will you know that when you are speaking to an Advocate? Will you know that the person you are speaking to has a financial interest in the outcome of the conversation? Only my first impression of the program and I really need to see more. One of the biggest problems of the old and failed RC program was that it that the advocates never revealed a connection with the company. This was hotly discussed on Cruise Critic.

 

I remember that fiasco well! It was back when we still cruised on RC, and I spent a lot of time on those boards. Trust me when I say that virtual fist-fights were breaking out over this "secret program" promulgated by RC. :eek:

And to this day, on the RC board, the words "Royal Champion" are usually accompanied by a big eye-roll and a sneer. :rolleyes:

Edited August 3, 2015 by wwcruisers

[Fish Lover]

In addition to the remarks that I posted earlier, I really want to say the term "Advocate" is really being poorly used here.

An advocate implies that the person is an objective individual that sides with the "customer" in a dispute and advocates/argues on their behalf.

 

This program is nothing of the sort. They are making an attempt to extend their sales and marketing efforts out to include people who are frequent cruisers.

 

There are people on this forum whom I believe to be very objective and knowledgeable. However, should they become a part of this program I would take most of what they might say with a grain of salt because they are no longer impartial.

[cle-guy]

Will you know that the person you are speaking to has a financial interest in the outcome of the conversation?

 

But doesn't the employee at X making the sale, or X's in-house TA have a financial interest too, like their salary, and I would think their agents must get some sort of commission too? Their financial interest is far greater than an occasional $10 an hour and perks and gifts that this program is paying out - though I have no idea what this new program pays out.

 

As I understand from a prior poster (as it works at NCL), you only attach to the "advocate" by clicking a link on the NCL web page, so I would think that any reasonable thinking person would assume this is related to Celebrity, and likely to be "biased" towards Celebrity. I know I would assume the NCL agent is biased to NCL.

 

The advocate program pays a wage I gather, not commission based (unless that's something coming soon or maybe after doing enough "blocks' of time). I'd assume anyone I talk/chat with via a company website is being paid by or on behalf of that company, and as such I wouldn't really expect any comparison to other companies other than generalizations.

 

In addition to the remarks that I posted earlier, I really want to say the term "Advocate" is really being poorly used here. An advocate implies that the person is an objective individual that sides with the "customer" in a dispute and advocates/argues on their behalf.

 

Can someone not advocate for the company in as much as a consumer can have an advocate?

 

ad·vo·cate

noun

ˈadvəkət/

a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy. "he was an untiring advocate of economic reform"

a person who pleads on someone else's behalf. "care managers can become advocates for their clients"

a pleader in a court of law; a lawyer. "Marshall was a skilled advocate but a mediocre judge"

 

verb

verb: advocate

publicly recommend or support. "they advocated an ethical foreign policy"

 

To me, it sounds like using the word advocate in itself means there will be a biased opinion for 1 side or the other.

 

Now to go check out the former Royal Champion program.....

Edited August 3, 2015 by cle-guy

[hcat]

Hope it is not another "Royal Caribbean Champions" fiasco from 2009. Seems to be structured differently and at least somewhat transparent, but could be suspect nonetheless.

 

That really was a huge disaster! They even had their own logo....did not go over too well in this cruise community...

Edited August 3, 2015 by hcat

[Fish Lover]

"Can someone not advocate for the company in as much as a consumer can have an advocate?"

 

Well they may as well call them Celebrity Sales People then, because that's what they will be.

 

An advocate is generally an impartial person who has some clout to help resolve disputes. That is unlikely to be the case here.

 

Also, advocates are generally assigned to the party that has the least amount of power/clout. That most certainly would not be Celebrity in this case. Examples would be " Tax payer advocates" who help with the IRS machine, or "Patient Advocates" who help with patient problems and the hospital.

 

The dictionary definition, without common usage context, is not a complete picture. So...I stand by my comments.

Poorly named and poorly conceived program.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Fish Lover

[LuAnn]

Bottom line, they are looking for people to spend 3 hours at a time chatting with people with questions, and selling them on a cruise - sales is a part of it. The thought is WE have a way better knowledge of the product than a call center staff in Nebraska can have, most of whom may have never even seen a cruise ship, let alone sailed.

 

They asked 5 or so questions regarding celebrity expertise... 1 had something to do with when did Chandris start and when did RCL acquire (multiple choice questions), another which list provided an accurate listing of offered itineraries, another what is the elite program called.

 

SOOOOO basic.

 

Then there are a series of videos to watch some have simple tests. Looks like there will be a typing test soon to look for grammar and spelling and speed of typing.

 

But no doubt, this is intended to push sales, so of course cheerleaders are needed, as much as general knowledge. This service works for multiple businesses, it's not run by RCL.

 

I've got time, so I've been going thru the routine to see what it's all about. But bored with the videos, so stopped of the day.

 

If I can sit at home and get paid to chat instead of do it here for free, why not give it a whirl. More than anything, hopeful maybe some unique cruise opportunities come of it if nothing else. I haven't even figured out how they payment process works and hat you have to do to get a payment.

 

Reading some reviews about it, seems most people earn $10 an hour doing this. They require you to schedule bloks of 3 hour time to be available. The remit payment mondays for the prior week to PayPal.

 

I got through part of the process...and then it seemed like it was difficult to continue on...but then made it to the videos...and I stopped too! All this for $10 an hour??? Not sure if it is worth it...would rather be on line here with my CC buddies I think!!! LuAnn