So how about those Celebrity call center reps

Every time I call up to their center I get someone who is rude, not very knowledgable, and does not want to help or make me feel like I am a valued customer. Very disappointing. Thoughts? Anyone have similar experiences with the call center reps?

I don't know what call centre you end up with but I end up with the one in Guatemala. I have always found them pleasant but rarely helpful. Even minor queries I have always seem to be referred back to my travel agent which is not helpful. Whilst TA's get paid a commission to do a lot of the work Celebrity still fail to get the message that I am the PAYING customer and unless they look after me there are plenty of other cruise lines to choose from

Every time I call up to their center I get someone who is rude, not very knowledgable, and does not want to help or make me feel like I am a valued customer. Very disappointing. Thoughts? Anyone have similar experiences with the call center reps?

I had the same issue today. Wow. I wanted to confirm when the late 2017 and early 2018 itineraries would be out and was told, " I am a sales rep and only here to book cruises", said they were transferring me to customer service but I ended up with another Sales Rep. As soon as they realized I would not be booking with them today they basically hung up (well put me back into the call center hold). Finally got a customer service rep who told me there were no early booking dates for Captains Club, but itineraries would be out in Decenber.

In general cruise company call center employees get pretty poor reviews - across most major lines. Carnival and NCL seem to do a better job. Celebrity has been among the worst.

That being said, sometimes cruisers expect too much from an employee who is goaled on making bookings and on the number of calls handled. They are not kept in the loop on the big picture aspects of the company.

In general cruise company call center employees get pretty poor reviews - across most major lines. Carnival and NCL seem to do a better job. Celebrity has been among the worst.

 

That being said, sometimes cruisers expect too much from an employee who is goaled on making bookings and on the number of calls handled. They are not kept in the loop on the big picture aspects of the company.

Have to disagree. The whole purpose of the call centre is to deal with customer enquiries. If Celebrity don't want their call centre to deal with general enquiries pertaining to a booking then perhaps they should start employing people to answer email enquiries

The Celebrity call centre reps won't deal with queries if you have booked with a travel agent.

I called the Center on Friday and I was very pleased. The rep was pleasant and professional. However, I did make the original booking thru Celebrity and I was asked to confirm this.

I also received a confirmation via e-mail regarding the transaction and it was right on. I am glad I called. No complaints here.

A couple weeks ago we tried to book an Alaskan cruise. The website wasn't working (I know that shocks everyone). I tried using 'chat' but ended up finding out that 'chat' is manned by Celebrity frequent cruisers, not actual Celebrity staff. The woman gave me a number to call, ended up having to leave a message. I wasn't happy and made that clear in my message, saying I was trying to spend money with Celebrity, but it didn't seem they needed or wanted my suite reservation. Then came across another number, talked to a real person who spoke English and got our booking done and one for our son and his family as well. Shortly after I hung up, the folks I left a message with called me back and they knew had had made a reservation, but wanted to make sure all our questions got answered. That call left me feeling betting than me initial efforts, but still was not an overall good experience.

Celebrity should really pay attention to the above posters comments about the call center experience. The cruise line would benefit from training their call center staff to be more customer service focused. For example, if the representative doesn't know the answer to a particular question, they should put the customer on hold while they get the answer from a more knowledgeable supervisor or team leader. On several occasions I was told I was being transferred to the right department and ended up listening to the hold message and ultimately being transferred back to the same sales department. Booking a vacation should be an enjoyable experience, not one that annoys the customer and raises his or her blood pressure.

The problem may be in part the way the call center staff are compensated or rewarded. If the corporate culture is primarily focused on maximizing sales rather than offering the highest level of customer service,

the customer may come away feeling disrespected and/or disappointed.

Have to disagree. The whole purpose of the call centre is to deal with customer enquiries. If Celebrity don't want their call centre to deal with general enquiries pertaining to a booking then perhaps they should start employing people to answer email enquiries

Purpose vs. Reality

The purpose of a call center at a for profit company is to enhance those profits. Would better informed customer service agents accomplish that - Maybe. But that is not how they are goaled, that is not how they keep their jobs. They are not there for general inquiries, especially about what the unpublished itineraries MIGHT be some time 3 years from now.

They are there to answer your questions regarding the products being offered now in order for you to book a cruise. They are there to handle your issues around a cruise you have booked directly with them. They are NOT there to answer any minutia that someone with 16,000 post on CC might come up with. They don't have that kind of time.

Now, as has been stated, Celebrity does a pretty bad job on the phone and in email at having a consistent level of service. It would be great if they knew the passenger contract, the rules of all the programs, changes to deck plans, who the staff and entertainers might be, and the movement of all the ships - but folks who might have the focus and talent to keep up with that information won't work for the wages the cruise companies will pay to answer the phones.

NOW - if folks want to pay higher average fares or lose on board amenities then maybe they'd bring on a more elite staff. LOL, RIGHT!!

Celebrity should really pay attention to the above posters comments about the call center experience. The cruise line would benefit from training their call center staff to be more customer service focused. For example, if the representative doesn't know the answer to a particular question, they should put the customer on hold while they get the answer from a more knowledgeable supervisor or team leader. On several occasions I was told I was being transferred to the right department and ended up listening to the hold message and ultimately being transferred back to the same sales department. Booking a vacation should be an enjoyable experience, not one that annoys the customer and raises his or her blood pressure.

 

The problem may be in part the way the call center staff are compensated or rewarded. If the corporate culture is primarily focused on maximizing sales rather than offering the highest level of customer service,

the customer may come away feeling disrespected and/or disappointed.

All too true! Unfortunately it's not the business model most mass market cruise companies employ.

I have always had excellent communication with Celebrity phone reps

Having booked with or without a TA.

They're usually based in the Central USA when I call...

I had sort of a different experience the other day. I called to make final payment, wham bam I just wanted to get off the phone quickly, and the first one started with Pleasantries (which are ok), then went into "and how many cruises have you taken with us?"...I might have seemed rude but I said "I think I dialed the wrong department, I just wanted to make a final payment", HUACA and this time took the initiative by saying "I'm in a little hurry, can I just make a payment"? and it was handled quickly and efficiently.

Sometimes ya want chit chat, sometimes ya don't.

But I have to say I usually call one of the Captain's Club numbers, I think they put their better people on there, and they usually are pretty competent.

Every time I call up to their center I get someone who is rude, not very knowledgable, and does not want to help or make me feel like I am a valued customer. Very disappointing. Thoughts? Anyone have similar experiences with the call center reps?

Recently we found out that due to X web site glitch, my DW is assigned the new Captains Club number without any sailing history. I called Captain Club rep to request to put back the old number and she was totally clueless. But she promised to fix it within 24 hours. Nothing was fixed and I sent email to Lee Moreau (X Director of Loyalty Marketing) as well as onetouch email. Lee replayed to me but the issue is not fixed yet.

If even highest escalation is not working, the entire customer service system is bad and it need to be completely reorganized.

I agree with everybody's reply that we are paying customers and we deserve a better response to our requests/issues/concerns.

 

But I have to say I usually call one of the Captain's Club numbers, I think they put their better people on there, and they usually are pretty competent.

Last call I made was to the Capt'ns Club... and it was fine

The rest were also fine....

Purpose vs. Reality

 

 

 

The purpose of a call center at a for profit company is to enhance those profits. Would better informed customer service agents accomplish that - Maybe. But that is not how they are goaled, that is not how they keep their jobs. They are not there for general inquiries .!!

Agree! At least I give the two Reps credit for admitting their only job/ goal was to sell cruises!

I tried using 'chat' but ended up finding out that 'chat' is manned by Celebrity frequent cruisers, not actual Celebrity staff.

This sounds all wrong to me. Would you care to elaborate?

celebrity has their ambassador program who work with chat's and are manned by folks like cle guy who try to help folks on questions about celebrity. They are not, strictly speaking, celebrity employees, although they do get some payment for their time and credit should you book with their assistance...I'd call them quasi employees....and they do (I hope) get US tax 1099's for dollars and perks earned. Perhaps not the best source for unbiased opinions...but excellent if you want real facts about cruising or celebrity.

As far as call center reps....I think the industry statistic on time of employment for new reps is less than four weeks...they come and go when they need money and they get as much or as little training as each company gives....which usually translates to none, other than reading from pre written scripts. You are most often speaking to someone earning a few bucks for christmas gifts or paying college gifts. They are driven by their opportunity to earn money...not to answer questions. BTW, that doesn't apply to those centers in India where they pay well (for india) and there are college grads manning the phones. Other countries, including the US...not so much.

One of the issues that comes up is that cruisers who book with some of the discount travel agents call Celebrity about their reservation. When they are re-directed to their travel agent, these cruisers become frustrated and indignant.

Been sailing with Celebrity since 2008 and don't have a clue as to what a "call center" is. I always book directly with a Certified Vacation Planner at Celebrity who is based in Miami and never, never have an issue. If I have a question on another matter I call Captain's Club and always spake with a representative here in the USA. Seems odd that we are Elite+ and have never had an issue like I have read about in the previous posts. What number are you dialing? My CVP sent me a reminder yesterday that I have payment due on Feb. 2016 cruise. I also email her when I have a question that relates to a booked cruise or a cruise I am considering booking and she always emails be or calls me. I do know that if you book with a TA you must call them not Celebrity and that makes sense to me since the TA is being paid a commission to assist you. What is a "call center?"

Been sailing with Celebrity since 2008 and don't have a clue as to what a "call center" is. I always book directly with a Certified Vacation Planner at Celebrity who is based in Miami and never, never have an issue. If I have a question on another matter I call Captain's Club and always spake with a representative here in the USA. Seems odd that we are Elite+ and have never had an issue like I have read about in the previous posts. What number are you dialing? My CVP sent me a reminder yesterday that I have payment due on Feb. 2016 cruise. I also email her when I have a question that relates to a booked cruise or a cruise I am considering booking and she always emails be or calls me. I do know that if you book with a TA you must call them not Celebrity and that makes sense to me since the TA is being paid a commission to assist you. What is a "call center?"

Us too, but since 1997. Thanks for the response, saved me a lot of typing. :D:D:D

It's almost as though different people have different experiences! ;)

Likely the op is referring to the folks that answer the phones when you call to make a reservation or ask a question.

It is probably people calling a general number vs. calling a CVP (we've been working with ours for 5 years) or the CC. I can't remember the last time I called a general number so probably why I have good results.

Before I retired I managed a tax department with both a call center and specialists. I agree, answers given by a specialist were always accurate and given quickly. I did expect the call center reps to be professional, courteous, and knowledgeable, If they could not answer the question then they needed to be willing to get the answer, refer you to a specialist, or take a number so someone could get back to you. Not the best solution but necessary given limited resources.

celebrity has their ambassador program who work with chat's and are manned by folks like cle guy who try to help folks on questions about celebrity. They are not, strictly speaking, celebrity employees, although they do get some payment for their time and credit should you book with their assistance...I'd call them quasi employees....and they do (I hope) get US tax 1099's for dollars and perks earned. Perhaps not the best source for unbiased opinions...but excellent if you want real facts about cruising or celebrity.

 

As far as call center reps....I think the industry statistic on time of employment for new reps is less than four weeks...they come and go when they need money and they get as much or as little training as each company gives....which usually translates to none, other than reading from pre written scripts. You are most often speaking to someone earning a few bucks for christmas gifts or paying college gifts. They are driven by their opportunity to earn money...not to answer questions. BTW, that doesn't apply to those centers in India where they pay well (for india) and there are college grads manning the phones. Other countries, including the US...not so much.

I'm really surprised about the chat lines. We often see comments here criticizing Celebrity employees for having no direct knowledge of cruising, so it's good to know that at least some knowledgable people represent the company.