"BOOKING REQUEST ENGINE" to REPLACE CURRENT BOOKING ENGINE

[Spursgirl]

During our numerous conversations with Azamara UK last week was told that the move to the Guatamala call centre has been deferred until April 2014.

 

At this point it doesn't bother me who I communicate with. I just want to be given correct and non contradictory information.

 

Surely this is not too much to ask

[oddjob16]

Tried to manage my reservation on the Swedish, the International and the US web page. (The Norwegian site has goone missing) No can do. If this lasts for long there should obviously be a solution for those who miss out on printing their documents or are unable to book excursions before the four day limit.

I am sure it is a system upgrade error that will be resolved, but there should be a statement from Azamara on this very soon.

BTW : I haven't received any mail regarding the discontinuation of Land discoveries 25% Savings either.:rolleyes:

[uktog]

BTW : I haven't received any mail regarding the discontinuation of Land discoveries 25% Savings either.:rolleyes:

Maybe for our sailing they are making very special (better) rules

 

What I cannot understand, given all the pain we went through in the last "enhancement" and the complete loss of some functionality for over a year is why there was not sufficient testing of this system before "Go live". As usual, its as if IT had set a deadline for it to happen and happen it will regardless of the impact on the customer

[mara01]

Just been into Manage my Reservation for both our 2014 cruises with no problem on the UK site, also been into the shore excursions booking pages.

 

The only problem with those pages are the lack of Azamazing Evening info for them, but we are of course assured that Bill is on the case!:)

[tomtal]

Rose and Steve - The Azamazing evening for 3 April cruise is in Cochin, not Phuket. You can book it now on line. Still don't quite understand the 8 hour excursion in Phuket to Phang Nga Bay where lunch is included some time in the trip, although it is a 1.30 pm start. Will wait to book it in case of amendment. - Pam

[mara01]

Thanks Tomtal, we'd missed that, we were still assuming that it was in Phuket! Have now booked it at Cochin

 

Yes, we too are holding off on the sea canoe trip for the moment to see if it is amended

 

Steve

[uktog]

We will let you know how the Cochin evening goes as we are doing that on our cruise that starts next week

[tomtal]

uktog - thanks,look forward to your experience. Have a great holiday! - Pam

[cheznick]

well its still broken no matter what little bits may or may not be working at any given time, it is still impossible to view linked bookings etc (we have our relatives linked to ours and cant view it) also various other bits like transportation/ special occasions/ etc, fortunately we are in no rush as not travelling until february so we will sit back and wait on the repair !!!! if it ever comes.

[fortworther]

well its still broken no matter what little bits may or may not be working at any given time, it is still impossible to view linked bookings etc (we have our relatives linked to ours and cant view it) also various other bits like transportation/ special occasions/ etc, fortunately we are in no rush as not travelling until february so we will sit back and wait on the repair !!!! if it ever comes.

 

Same status here. Unfortunately I leave in 4 weeks. How about it Azamara? A status report or something please?:(

[Bill Leiber]

Oct 29, 2013

 

Hello Azamara Followers -

 

As Andy pointed out there was a system wide reservations system rework which could be explaining some of the issues. I'm stating this fact not as an excuse but to add context to the scope of the changes that were make.

 

I want you to all know that we are not ignoring your problems with My Azamara and that our IT unit and marketing and website teams are investigating the situation.

 

Until I have a response to which they agree, I'll be asking for your continued patience as I await a response and again express our apologies for your frustration.

 

Also, I'll respond to your AzAmazing Evening question separately sometime tomorrow.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[bigbenboys]

Bill, With the temp system and the new booking system. Will there be any way to know what rooms or if a room I want is available before we send off a request. I did see where you can put a room number in. I am assuming that will be a request for that room. Why spend my time and others if the room that I want is not available on the cruise I'm looking at. Thanks Richard

[cheznick]

hi - again

call me a cynic BUT.... having worked with computers for 40 years...if the website is broken, take it down for whatever length of time it takes and FIX it !!!!! i cant believe the I.T department have failed so badly. put it back as it was until a new version has been tested and is working before switching them over

[cruzluvers]

Not working here in Florida either. It won't even recognize my name:confused:

[fortworther]

Not working here in Florida either. It won't even recognize my name:confused:

 

Well, at this juncture, it seems to be a lost cause. ACC is not taking this to be a priority thing if a thing at all. Bill Leiber says they are working on it. The character Wally in the comic strip "Dilbert" survives by that tactic. Check out the debacle in DC for an analogy. I think the message is find a way around it (Also Sprach Obama). I will just put my trust in God that somehow when i show up on embarkation day that all will be well.

[audobon_tx]

well, i suppose things could be worse. check out the Celebrity board. apparently nothing works on the website if you are a guest on X. hello?:eek:

[Bill Leiber]

Hello "My Azamara" Users -

 

I have learned from Azamara's marketing and website management as well as from our IT department that the "My Azamara" component of our website is built upon old and outdated technology. Even prior to the removal of our booking engine and its replacement with a "Booking Request Engine" there were functions in which we experienced service shortfalls.

 

In "My Azamara" there are the following functions along with a status report on each option:

§ My Reservation:

- You can see the reservations, but you cannot book, change or cancel a booking. This (book/change/cancel functionality) has not been available since early this year.

- I'm reporting our business decision that with a small universe using this section, we will not spend resources on fixing this old technology to be able to make changes to or to cancel bookings in this component. It is an extensive, time-consuming and expensive project. However, we will keep the functionality so that guests can go in and view current/future bookings. We'll need some time with IT to make sure it works properly, but will make sure it does. Please note that old bookings will not show. This list of voyages is not tied to our guests’ records to show full history, it is simply tied to the reservations system which will only show current/future bookings.

- There is currently a problem with the pricing that shows for the displayed/booked voyages. Every time you go into "My Reservations," the price changes. Our website manager is working with IT to correct this portion; however, I'm unable to provide a timeline. As you know the corporation has implemented a major update in our reservations Pricing and Promotions project for the three brands, so correcting the fluctuating pricing is part of a bigger list of priorities at a time of major systems enhancements.

§ My Profile: Functional.

§ Communications Preferences: Functional.

§ My Travel Companions: Functional.

§ Online Check-In: This works and can be achieved without the need to log into "My Azamara."

§ Book Shore Excursions: This works and can be achieved without the need to log into "My Azamara."

 

In speaking with our Call Center Manager, we've experienced issues with "My Azamara" in the past. We inform our guests or their travel agents that they can book Land Discoveries and their Online Registration without the need to log into "My Azamara." More often than not, that usually takes care of problem.

 

We are sorry for the frustration that some of you have experienced and until the functionality is repaired on the "My Reservations" component, we urge you to please contact our call center in the US or UK for assistance.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[uktog]

Bill

It's been logged by the UK team, but guests also need to be aware the functionality to pay the balance online on a cruise booked direct with Azamara has also been lost. I think that will cause some panics when people who are used to having this functionality and are close to payment deadlines discover its been lost. The very helpful gentlemen I spoke to in the UK IT team did not know if that loss was temporary or not but they have reported it as an issue.

 

I would suggest if the Manage My reservation is was being withdrawn, the sensible thing would have been to remove the page text in full and replace the page with a message directing guests to the new route, that's what websites usually do in that case (or even auto route them)

 

Bill, you are just carrying the messages, I feel for you, but in this change over the customer has gone off the radar of the decision makers, which is not what people would hope for.

 

As all my future cruises still show a cost of £700 each, can I pay that now as full settlement bill ;) !

Edited November 1, 2013 by uktog

[Bill Leiber]

Bill

It's been logged by the UK team, but guests also need to be aware the functionality to pay the balance online on a cruise booked direct with Azamara has also been lost. I think that will cause some panics when people who are used to having this functionality and are close to payment deadlines discover its been lost. The very helpful gentlemen I spoke to in the UK IT team did not know if that loss was temporary or not but they have reported it as an issue.

 

I would suggest if the Manage My reservation is was being withdrawn, the sensible thing would have been to remove the page text in full and replace the page with a message directing guests to the new route, that's what websites usually do in that case (or even auto route them)

 

Bill, you are just carrying the messages, I feel for you, but in this change over the customer has gone off the radar of the decision makers, which is not what people would hope for.

 

As all my future cruises still show a cost of £700 each, can I pay that now as full settlement bill ;) !

 

Hello Ann -

 

Let me seek out a response from the Miami team.

 

Stand-by ---

 

Bill Leiber

__________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[LOP]

My opinion: Do NOT like the new booking engine. No way to surf pricing and cabin availability accurately. I do not want to provide personal information until I am ready to book. I do not want anyone to contact me to complete my booking or give me pricing, I want to have the "option" to do this on my own.

 

There are other ways for Azamara (RCCL) to harvest client (potential client) information and alienating their clientele via the web is not one of them.

 

And again this is just my opinion.

[bigbenboys]

My opinion: Do NOT like the new booking engine. No way to surf pricing and cabin availability accurately. I do not want to provide personal information until I am ready to book. I do not want anyone to contact me to complete my booking or give me pricing, I want to have the "option" to do this on my own.

 

There are other ways for Azamara (RCCL) to harvest client (potential client) information and alienating their clientele via the web is not one of them.

 

And again this is just my opinion.

 

Your not alone in your opinion. Richard

[gillianrose]

My opinion: Do NOT like the new booking engine. No way to surf pricing and cabin availability accurately. I do not want to provide personal information until I am ready to book. I do not want anyone to contact me to complete my booking or give me pricing, I want to have the "option" to do this on my own.

 

There are other ways for Azamara (RCCL) to harvest client (potential client) information and alienating their clientele via the web is not one of them.

 

And again this is just my opinion.

 

It's my opinion, too. I think Azamara is going to get a lot of phony and useless information entered into the booking engine, just so a person can get an idea of what's available. In fact, if a lot of people do that, maybe Azamara/RCCL will get the hint that it's not what we want to do and will revert the procedure.

[Bill Leiber]

Bill, With the temp system and the new booking system. Will there be any way to know what rooms or if a room I want is available before we send off a request. I did see where you can put a room number in. I am assuming that will be a request for that room. Why spend my time and others if the room that I want is not available on the cruise I'm looking at. Thanks Richard

 

Hello Richard -

 

When you submit your stateroom or suite number preference, doing so does not confirm your request.

Until the new booking engine is operational, sometime scheduled in April 2014, the booking is on a "request-basis" with this reservation component. If it is available, we will confirm the specific stateroom or share other options that are available at that time. Our reservation team can then take you through the process to complete your stateroom/suite booking.

 

Some background - in order to create our new booking engine it was necessary for us to dismantle the original booking engine. Hence, the introduction of our Booking Request Engine in the interim. Again, I'm sorry for the temporary inconvenience that you and others are experiencing.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[Bill Leiber]

My opinion: Do NOT like the new booking engine. No way to surf pricing and cabin availability accurately. I do not want to provide personal information until I am ready to book. I do not want anyone to contact me to complete my booking or give me pricing, I want to have the "option" to do this on my own.

 

There are other ways for Azamara (RCCL) to harvest client (potential client) information and alienating their clientele via the web is not one of them.

 

And again this is just my opinion.

 

Hello LOP and other readers -

 

Based on your feedback, here is a more detailed explanation about using the new Booking Request Engine so that you are dealing with our reservation team at our Call Center in Miami and not receiving calls or emails from third-party travel agencies.

 

Background information:

In the US and Canadian markets, Azamara has implemented a lead follow-up program with a third-party travel agent partner so that we can proactively contact potential customers who have agreed to receive more information while visiting our website.

Our strategy is to grow our brand and to do so, we must expand our new-customer base by adopting innovative and more resourceful marketing programs that can "tap" into the potential for "new" business from the many prospects who visit the Azamara website every day and then decide to gather more information about our experience by signing-up to receive Emails about our Specials; by ordering our Destination Guide; or completing a "Request a quote" form when they visit our special promotions; and/or deciding to "Talk to an Expert" and "Click-to-Call."

 

When a potential customer clicks on one of "contact" options, there is language that discloses that a third-party "Expert Azamara Travel Partner" will then contact them with follow-up information based upon the selected option(s) following their completion of a template requesting their private contact information. When a potential customer selects an option that includes the words - "Expert Azamara Travel Partner" - that indicates their consent to receive follow-up information from a third-party. To avoid being contacted, there are two other choices: 1) I am currently working with a travel agent, and 2) I am a travel agent. Of course, the recipients will be able to unsubscribe at any time by clicking the links. Azamara's privacy policy requires that the third-party travel agency partner participating in this program is acting on Azamara's behalf as a service provider/vendor, and must keep that contact information confidential.

 

Booking Request Engine - Azamara Only Channel:

Here is a route to follow so that you can work with our reservations team at our Call Center in Miami:

1. To reach the Booking Request Engine (BRE) on the website go to Find a Voyage tab in the body of the Home page and then click on Search.

 

2. On the right, you will see two bars below the statement "prices starting from $XXX" - 1) Itinerary & Booking, and Request a Quote.

a. Please click on the Itinerary & Booking bar to remain in the Azamara system.

b. If you click on the Request a Quote and agree to the conditions, then a third-party travel agent will contact you.

 

3. Once you're on the Itinerary & Booking page, on the right are four options:

1) "Talk to an expert, call us today" - 1-877-999-9553 = Direct number into Azamara's Call Center.

 

2) "We will call you" = Third-party travel agent will call if you agree to conditions.

 

3) "Request a Quote" = Third-party travel agent will call if you agree to conditions.

 

4) "Book This Voyage Now" = portal into Booking Request Engine and its four-step process ending with connectivity to Azamara's Call Center.

 

I hope that this lengthy explanation and detailed information has been helpful in explaining the background behind your receiving unsolicited information and navigating the process in the future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

___________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[LOP]

Hello LOP and other readers -

 

When a potential customer clicks on one of "contact" options, there is language that discloses that a third-party "Expert Azamara Travel Partner" will then contact them with follow-up information based upon the selected option(s) following their completion of a template requesting their private contact information. When a potential customer selects an option that includes the words - "Expert Azamara Travel Partner" - that indicates their consent to receive follow-up information from a third-party. To avoid being contacted, there are two other choices: 1) I am currently working with a travel agent, and 2) I am a travel agent. Of course, the recipients will be able to unsubscribe at any time by clicking the links. Azamara's privacy policy requires that the third-party travel agency partner participating in this program is acting on Azamara's behalf as a service provider/vendor, and must keep that contact information confidential.

 

I hope that this lengthy explanation and detailed information has been helpful in explaining the background behind your receiving unsolicited information and navigating the process in the future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

___________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

 

 

Thank you Bill and I am aware of why Azamara has chosen to pursue this course, but again, it will alienate some, if not most, of your clientele...at least those that like to shop without commitment such as myself.

 

And again, there are other ways to harvest this demographic information via the website and achieve the same goal...unless that goal is to try and close the sale immediately hence the need for instantaneous communication.

 

I'm not shooting the messenger here Bill, I know you are just relaying the information provided, but involving a 3rd party or forcing us to speak to a rep. in order for pricing/availability is a path I will not travel.

 

Thank you again for all you do and have a GREAT day.:)