Carnival Cruise Customer Service: Example of Delight

I went on a carnival cruise recently and was very impressed by it. One of the elements that impressed me the most is that, even though none of the crew had me me or any member of my family, I felt that they knew me. Carnival Cruise Customer Service actually made me feel important and feel special. How did they accomplish that?

At almost every interaction my first name was used. Our deck steward (the person responsible for our room or cabin) and the wait staff in the restaurant all used our first names and all knew something about us. It was really incredible. When you turn to the next page, you’ll see what I mean.

All throughout the cruise I wondered how they did that. Then, on one of the nights, the wait staff left a piece of paper out on the waiter table.

As you look at the image or picture I took below, you’ll see a very strong emphasis on who we are and our name. This is a great example of customer focused thinking:

How important is this small piece of paper? VERY important. I’ll explain on the next page.

The piece of paper above shows the names, age, gender, and any special occasions being celebrated during the cruise. Could something as simple as that piece of paper lead to the customer feeling special and feeling like the company actually knows them?

Absolutely. Simple gestures such as knowing the name and something about a customer can do wonders. Carnival Cruise accomplishes that amazingly well. Next, I’ll explain how our behavior is shaped by what we measure.

Behavior and Measurement

We know that what we measure often determines behavior. At the end of the cruise, I received a survey from Carnival Cruise Lines and, it turns out, several of the questions in the survey was about service and being acknowledged by name.

And the answers to the “acknowledged by name” question ranged from a 1-10 and segments by staff: Staff in restaurants, housekeeping staff, and guest services staff.

Below are some of the relevant survey questions:

• Overall, how SATISFIED were you with your Carnival cruise?
• How would you rate the level of OVERALL FRIENDLINESS AND HOSPITALITY of the crew?
• During your cruise, how often were you acknowledged by name?

In conclusion, to delight the customer, it might take a simple gesture such as knowing something about the customer and using his or her first name. Make it personal. It’ll pay off in more loyal customers to be sure.