"This might be YOUR vacation, but it's MY life"

[John&LaLa]

Thats great.... Maybe bring something like this and put it on the table on the first night...

 

They can get real time feedback

 

-Sean

Love it. 😁

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

[LMaxwell]

So, if customers complete the survey honestly, marking down where the product fails this could loose RCI a chance of some industry award.

 

Basically. It pretty much boils down to advertising credentials and bragging rights. In my industry there are a ton of trade "rags" and they give out awards based on scores.

 

One that pops to mind is the Honda CR-Z. A sporty 2 seater hatchback hybrid that recently went out of production. In the rest of the world the car has a backseat. Tiny, but usable for kids. In the United States there is no seat and no seatbelts, just a luggage shelf. It was deemed that the small back seat would result in negative responses to JD Powers surveys and be counted as a "problem" against the brand when it wasn't actually a problem, it was just a small back seat. So they removed the seat altogether so as not to damage the brand overall. Stupid. I have a small child and a long commute. Guess who isn't a contender to purchase a Honda CR-Z?

 

The seat the rest of the world gets, where Honda isn't concerned about winning some trade journal rag award.

 

 

The seat we don't get in the US so Honda doesn't get dinged in the trade journal rag awards. Stupid. Designed to game the surveys that are completely gamed to start with. Sorry, I know this is a cruise forum, but it illustrates a point.

 

 

 

 

Surely if customers filled in surveys honestly and RCI didn't receive any awards then RCI would have to improve the quality of its product.

 

But that costs money. Why not use the strong scores to justify further OpEx reduction while winning awards?

 

Pete

 

got a brother with that name. good name.

[KansasK]

The fact that the waiters need to interrupt your meal or conversation with a request to give them a 5 told me that a 5 is important to their job. That the cruise line makes this necessary put a damper on the dining experience of the guests, and is awkward for the guests. I usually want to give the waiters a 5, but maybe not the food. I don't want to be put on the spot about this.

 

We had two nights on our last cruise when we were asked to stand up and applaud the wait staff and chefs at length while the maitre'd urged even more applause and heaped more praise on the staff. Before this, there was just one night for this. This seemed to me an effort to convince us of something that might not be there, or they would not have to do this on a second evening. Maybe this is when the survey should be mentioned, not by the waiters at each table.

 

The cruise line should hire a few more waiters and assistant waiters so they can give great service more easily and improve some of the food choices.

[Enforcer]

Basically. It pretty much boils down to advertising credentials and bragging rights. In my industry there are a ton of trade "rags" and they give out awards based on scores.

 

One that pops to mind is the Honda CR-Z. A sporty 2 seater hatchback hybrid that recently went out of production. In the rest of the world the car has a backseat. Tiny, but usable for kids. In the United States there is no seat and no seatbelts, just a luggage shelf. It was deemed that the small back seat would result in negative responses to JD Powers surveys and be counted as a "problem" against the brand when it wasn't actually a problem, it was just a small back seat. So they removed the seat altogether so as not to damage the brand overall. Stupid. I have a small child and a long commute. Guess who isn't a contender to purchase a Honda CR-Z?

 

The seat the rest of the world gets, where Honda isn't concerned about winning some trade journal rag award.

 

 

The seat we don't get in the US so Honda doesn't get dinged in the trade journal rag awards. Stupid. Designed to game the surveys that are completely gamed to start with. Sorry, I know this is a cruise forum, but it illustrates a point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that costs money. Why not use the strong scores to justify further OpEx reduction while winning awards?

 

 

 

got a brother with that name. good name.

 

Hi LMaxwell,

 

Thanks for explaining that. The way I read it is that RCI is more interested in maintaining industry awards than how the staff perform, so if people fill in the survey honestly when they receive anything less than top marks it doesn't have much impact on the employees (unless they consistently receive low marks) and if RCI don't win awards for bragging rights (advertising which shows this award or that award) they would have to improve the service they provide which would impinge on their profits.

So filling in the survey by customers is very important if the product is to improve for the customer.

 

By the way Peter - good solid name, rock.:):):)

 

Pete

[mrs and mrs]

Heres how we do our survey, with our feet and our purses.

 

Keeps them on their feet.:)

[goodml]

I can remember on our very first cruise in 1989 having this truly amazing waiter named Scarlett. He would carry giant serving trays filled with dishes on his head and everything was part of his show. Even back then he told us it was critical that we score everything perfectly or he'd be penalized in a myriad of ways. I remember at the time thinking, who gives a perfect score on things like this? But ok, he was wonderful so we did. Still felt weird to me.

 

Fast forward all these years and I am in the banking industry where these surveys have also become the norm. It makes your head hurt. Staff have to 'prepare' clients for the possibility of receiving a survey by letting them know that anything less than a 10 negatively affects them. Getting a 7, 8, or 9 is the same as getting a zero. Getting 6 or less actually detracts from their cumulative scores and it affects their ability to receive promotions or an annual small performance bonus. So for instance, a teller in a small town branch who is well known and much loved by her customers got a 1 on a survey last week because she happened to be the one who waited on a long time customer (who loves her btw) on a day where he was furious because he hates the layout of the parking lot. He even put it in the comments but it's an automated system and it's crushing to her ongoing metrics. It also negatively impacts the branch score etc. It's a garbage system and no one that tells me I have to get these employees to coach the customer will ever convince me otherwise. It puts all the onus on one staff member for things that are sometimes completely out of his/her control. Plus most people would think an 8 or a 9 is a great score and rarely give out a 10 because everyone can always improve right? Before, it likely wouldn't have even occurred to me to give a perfect score on a survey-now if I can't, I don't complete it. Does it to a degree make staff more aware of their skills and behaviour with clients? Maybe. Is it the right way to motivate them? I'm less than convinced.

Edited November 24, 2016 by goodml

[BillOh]

Have people still been getting pressure for 10s on surveys? It was pretty blatent on Oasis lasr May, but I saw no evidence of this on Majesty in October. I don't know if Royal read comments and backed off or it varies from ship to ship?

[BND]

We've learned to just tune out the waiter when they start their spiel. We've had some fabulous waiters, but seriously, no one is perfect. DH completes the survey when we are home and he always clarifies in the comment section. My opinion is that the expectation of a high score does not improve service, it just makes the staff tell you that you have to give them a perfect score. I hate surveys and don't even do them at work. Everytime I put in a help ticket for one of my computers, I receive one and I never fill them out unless service was really bad. We've always been told that if you downgrade the food, it goes against the server, which is ridiculous in and of itself if it's true.

 

We just got off GR and got the request from our waiter. He was very good, but our asst waiter was just creepy. DH gave them good scores because our service was good, but not sure if he gave them perfect scores. We're not very demanding and have rarely encountered service we consider bad. DH did have an issue with a customer service person who was horribly rude and not helpful at all. His co-worker however was wonderful and he made sure to comment about both. On vacation we generally just go with the flow and look for decent service, not perfect. We're more likely to comment on bad service than good, like most people which is why these surveys are garbage and don't prove anything.

Edited November 24, 2016 by BND

[BillOh]

Everytime I put in a help ticket for one of my computers, I receive one and I never fill them out unless service was really bad. We've always been told that if you downgrade the food, it goes against the server, which is ridiculous in and of itself if it's true.

 

Having spent more than 20 years in IT, there is a lot like you and we know who you are! Our surveys didn't have scores and we weren't punished for perfect reviews, but we did get some rewards. (I was technician of the month 40 times in 48 months.)

 

I think I know who you are. You're the person who asked their colleague in the next office/cube to fix their computer before calling us. At that point there was nothing that could be done except reformat and reload. You had your files backed up didn't you? Then you put on the survey that the tech lost your data?

Edited November 24, 2016 by BillOh

[Miryam1234]

We usually do My Time Dining which means we can have different waiter team each night. When one team might be excellent (perfect 10), the other might be so out of line, we could not give them better than 2. So how to score them on the survey? Honestly, I dont know!

Same goes with food. One night it might be the most delicious and well prepared, and the second totally bad.

 

I am putting a special note to the survey comments about deleting the whole survey if only 10 are counted. I will keep on complaining about the SURVEY as long as I get the Talk for 10s from the waiter teams.

[BillOh]

I am putting a special note to the survey comments about deleting the whole survey if only 10 are counted. I will keep on complaining about the SURVEY as long as I get the Talk for 10s from the waiter teams.

 

That's probably not a bad idea, I can say from experience that most companies do read all the comments. After years of filling out paper/post card surveys, I wrote this on a hotel survey, "The major inaction of one of your employees nearly caused a major hotel fire" That one got a personal phone call.

[Host Jacquelyn]

Have people still been getting pressure for 10s on surveys? It was pretty blatent on Oasis lasr May, but I saw no evidence of this on Majesty in October. I don't know if Royal read comments and backed off or it varies from ship to ship?

 

Interesting. My experience was on Oasis too. I don't remember it being as bad on my Jewel cruise earlier in the summer.

[A&L_Ont]

 

 

Amazing what manufacturers will do for a few points. Even if you stored items in those trays they'd slide around on the plastic, be noisy, be cluttered and look like crap. I hate extra items in the car, some don't care if they have 20 lbs of "garbage" riding with them, but dislike it It's looks more like a formed seat that gets installed in the back of cruisers, rudimentary and washable.

 

Thanks for the input Maxwell coming for your work world.

[basil1]

Well, I guess I am just stupid, but if I was running the survey/ customer satisfaction part of any company. I'd want honest feedback. So that the company could improve where needed. If the service is a 5...GREAT! If the food is a 1 I'd want to know. It really serves no purpose to have a falsified survey. Take the low score and use it as an opportunity to improve. Then when the 5s start rolling in you know you've done something. It seems so obvious to me. But then I only want to be told I am doing a good job if I truly am.

[thinfool]

As noted, the surveys are often inaccurate and unfair.

 

Princess spent a boatload of money building the Royal Princess, without a center stairway. Likely some survey told them that no one cared about it.

 

Wrong.

 

The modifications have been made and just recently the new, center stairway was opened for passenger use. (imagine the cost on a ship that is 'in service')

 

Corporate mentality is nothing like common sense or good customer service. The determining factor, even for HR issues, is cash...cash...and more cash.

 

I have little doubt that some corporate dweebs wish the day would come when the passengers were all robots. Think of how few crew would be needed and how few complaints would be registered at Passenger services.

[nevin-deb]

Working in Customer Service for a major US wireless carrier for the past 10 years... I am well aware of the surveys. Every call can be surveyed, there are 3 ratings, the score I get, the score of the company and if I resolved the issue.

 

It is never fair that you the employee is scored down for something you have no control over.

 

A good score is something everybody strives for, however you should never hound a customer to give you a good survey.

[The_Big_M]

I think I know who you are. You're the person who asked their colleague in the next office/cube to fix their computer before calling us. At that point there was nothing that could be done except reformat and reload. You had your files backed up didn't you? Then you put on the survey that the tech lost your data?

 

The only problem is modern tech support is get the customer to do everything themselves (test on another computer, test with another connection, test with another cable) then when the customer has done all the work, maximise disruption by we'll reset your profile, reimage your machine, give you a new machine...) It's not about fixing but just resetting.

[JohnSnowGOT]

Well as I see it....Please Mr Server do not burden me with your personal work place issues....You wanna hear about my miserable job???You wanna hear about how hard I work to pay for this vacation? You wanna hear about my Director. The one without a heart and soul? I do not think you do.....

So please remember I am on vacation for which I have paid good money for...I will be pleasant .... please do YOUR job and don't burden me.

Just sayin:):):)

[danv3]

For me to give a perfect score on a survey (RCI or otherwise) the item I'm reviewing has to be essentially perfect. A request/demand by the person about whom the survey is conducted is an automatic -1 on the score. The experience is already not perfect if you have to tell me how to complete the survey.

[Host Jacquelyn]

For me to give a perfect score on a survey (RCI or otherwise) the item I'm reviewing has to be essentially perfect. A request/demand by the person about whom the survey is conducted is an automatic -1 on the score. The experience is already not perfect if you have to tell me how to complete the survey.

 

In theory, that is my attitude as well, but in practice I can't bring myself to do it. At the end of the day, these guys are doing the best they can to provide for themselves and their families, working 12+ hours a day, and just because "my vacation experience" wasn't perfect doesn't mean I should be jeopardizing this guy's livelihood. I know, though, that things won't get better with that attitude...

[island lady]

What good would a survey be if ALL reviews came in as a perfect 5 score. There

would be nothing to compare good or bad to, and no incentive to change...and no

real appreciation of a compliment where it is due.

 

As far as I know on a scale of 1-5.....there are five choices. ;)

[shipshape sam]

After reading some thoughts on this thread as to how companies use the ratings in comparison to other cruise lines, it seems they could just make up the numbers and save everyone the time and aggravation. Secondly, how/why would any informed consumer even believe the ratings. I personally don't recall seeing any reference to them, but even if I did, I would not put any weight into them.

 

For sure, it is not used for internally as the results are skewed and they know it. I do consider Royal management to be NOT stupid. :)

Edited November 25, 2016 by shipshape sam

[Joyful Joyful]

Just back from the Freedom and had fantastic head waiter and assistant waiter. When our waiter started the "shpiel" about the survey, he did not mention what rating we should give them. I asked if we should give them the highest rating (thinking that he was about to tell us to give the highest number), he said to give them an honest rating. They gave us 110% the whole week, answered every question, denied no request, and did so with smiles on their faces! They got extra tips, and I will give them the deserved high rating!!!!

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[mek]

This is going to sound terribly insensitive, but I ran out of craps to give a long time ago. Me? I would have still completed the survey and I would have been honest. It does no justice whatsoever for future cruisers if I rate level 2 or 3 food as a 5, or say nothing at all.

 

As for the bit about their livelihood, that's where my can of PC springs a leak. That's between the company and the employee and as far as I'm concerned, is none of my business. I don't play this game of them serving me a 2 and then trying to lay a guilt trip on me to lie on their behalf. Nope. If their livelihood is really on the line, I would think they would make for darn sure to earn that 5.

 

Agree with you. I don't play the game either and I rank everything as I see it .

 

Why do people think things never change - because they give "5's" when they're not deserved.

[BND]

Having spent more than 20 years in IT, there is a lot like you and we know who you are! Our surveys didn't have scores and we weren't punished for perfect reviews, but we did get some rewards. (I was technician of the month 40 times in 48 months.)

 

I think I know who you are. You're the person who asked their colleague in the next office/cube to fix their computer before calling us. At that point there was nothing that could be done except reformat and reload. You had your files backed up didn't you? Then you put on the survey that the tech lost your data?

 

Wow how obnoxious. Not even close. You don't know me or anything about me or my computer abilities. I attempt troubleshooting (which they always ask) before calling. We are on a closed network and can only reboot. We can't reformat anything, so before you go any further, get over yourself. My issues are pretty much always server issues and I have never lost any work as I always back up my work.

 

BTW, my son is an IT guy and I probably know more than your average user, but regardless you have the attitude that a lot of IT "experts" have and it's not necessarily a good one based on your above post. I've probably done 2 or 3 negative reviews in 20 years and they have more to do with issues our network has and not the tech themselves. The help desk and sys admin guys are always very polite and try to help.

Edited November 26, 2016 by BND