Staff "demanding" good ratings?

[wovenwonder]

We were given a card to fill out after we dined at Grande earlier this month on the Anthem. There were a few different categories and faces with different expressions to mark off. We were encouraged to check off the smiley face for each category and drop the card off outside in the hallway where there was a special survey box.

 

I don't mind doing reviews but this is suppose to be the Grandest formal night and I think it was a tacky way to end that evening for sure.:rolleyes:

[SamFritz]

As a teacher, I reserve grades in the 90's for students who exceed grade level expectations. 80's indicate the student is consistently doing grade level work. 65-79 represent partial work at grade level, but with some areas below. Grades below 65 are failing to meet any grade level expectations. I apply the same sort of standards to my customer survey.

 

I have in recent years made the comment that, "I have had superior service in the past, and so my expectations are very high; it is unfortunate that staffing cutbacks in recent years make it difficult if not impossible for employees to provide the kind of service that I know they would like to, and which was once commonplace in your company."

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big_G]

We were given a card to fill out after we dined at Grande earlier this month on the Anthem. There were a few different categories and faces with different expressions to mark off. We were encouraged to check off the smiley face for each category and drop the card off outside in the hallway where there was a special survey box.

 

I don't mind doing reviews but this is suppose to be the Grandest formal night and I think it was a tacky way to end that evening for sure.:rolleyes:

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Royal putting a ban on the 'speech' but if the bosses are demanding 10s from the staff, they'd have to lower their expectations a little on the survey too.

[gaylemh]

We were given a card to fill out after we dined at Grande earlier this month on the Anthem. There were a few different categories and faces with different expressions to mark off. We were encouraged to check off the smiley face for each category and drop the card off outside in the hallway where there was a special survey box.

 

I don't mind doing reviews but this is suppose to be the Grandest formal night and I think it was a tacky way to end that evening for sure.:rolleyes:

 

I was given one of those cards, along with a speech every night in all the restaurants. It started getting annoying after awhile. Service and food were great until the cards and speeches came.

[tserface]

Of course, it could be that RCI is so insistent on the surveys because they really care if the crew is doing a good job and the expectation of a survey helps keep them motivated.

 

I don't mind doing the survey (especially the email ones after the cruise since they are so easy), but I think the speeches are self-harming a lot of the time. It's unfortunate that some of them (especially the good ones) are put in a position of having to explain it since there are a lot of people that just believe "their ain't no 10" and they know that in RCI's eyes 10 just means they did OK. So, if someone *is* really good and they get a 9 and RCI thinks that's unacceptable, I can see why they'd try to convince people otherwise on future cruises.

 

I also think RCI has been attracting a lot of new cruisers who don't know the drill so there seems to be a need for more explanation. We are often at a table with seasoned cruisers and the waiters know that and hardly bother us at all. Last time they just said, "You'll get a survey and if you think the service was excellent we hope you'll give us 10's... but you guys know all about this so ..." Then they let it drop. I didn't find that to be demanding at all. In fact, we kind of felt a little special for "knowing all about this..."

 

RCI really needs to consider this from both sides.

 

Tom

[Winghunter]

I was given one of those cards, along with a speech every night in all the restaurants. It started getting annoying after awhile. Service and food were great until the cards and speeches came.

 

My wife and I have come to the conclusion that RCI uses these to punish the workers but really does not read them or really care what you write, if it's not a 10 they look but never read the comments. Over the last 20 years we've filled out plenty of these surveys, some issues were HUGE and never so much as a response.

[Paulette3028]

My wife and I have come to the conclusion that RCI uses these to punish the workers but really does not read them or really care what you write, if it's not a 10 they look but never read the comments. Over the last 20 years we've filled out plenty of these surveys, some issues were HUGE and never so much as a response.

 

We had a rather sad situation occur on our Allure sailing a few years ago. It absolutely wasn't the waiter's fault, and my foursome actually made very light of the situation. The Maitre D' did not and harshly spoke to the waiter in front of the cruisers about it. The waiter apologized profusely, and we all told him that he 'was not responsible for what occurred' and not to worry at all. I did speak to the Hotel Manager/Food and Beverage Director onboard, because of how the Maitr D' made way more of the situation than the situation deserved.

 

On our survey, I gave the waiter a 10 and in the comment section spelled out what happened. I did get a call from the home office, and throughout the conversation made sure they understood who I felt was the cause of the problem (believe me it was a very small issue, that the Maitre D' blew out of proportion) and they seemed to be very appreciative of our feelings.

 

My point is -- yes, sometimes you do get a call from the home office.

[TexCruise371]

I really don't mind giving a 10 if that is what they deserve. However, if I give someone a 10 for service that really should only be a 6 or 7 then I leave a false impression that everything was great and there is no need for improvement. Therefore, if I whine and moan about the service later then it's my fault for doing so.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I really don't mind giving a 10 if that is what they deserve. However, if I give someone a 10 for service that really should only be a 6 or 7 then I leave a false impression that everything was great and there is no need for improvement. Therefore, if I whine and moan about the service later then it's my fault for doing so.

 

Yep. It kind of leaves us all between a rock and hard spot. I really don't to negatively impact a crew member's job, but on the other hand, I really don't want Royal thinking a subpar experience is passable (I am in no way saying that all of my experiences have been subpar, I'm just making a point).

[TexCruise371]

Yep. It kind of leaves us all between a rock and hard spot. I really don't to negatively impact a crew member's job, but on the other hand, I really don't want Royal thinking a subpar experience is passable (I am in no way saying that all of my experiences have been subpar, I'm just making a point).

 

I'm right there with ya! :)

 

I would hope that if someone is given a low rating that the cruise line would provide the training to help them out.

Edited March 23, 2016 by TexCruise371

[cheezwiz]

Royal cut the staffing on the ships, making it much harder for the crew to provide superior service. The food is not what it once was, so it doesn't really lay the foundation for a superior dining room experience anymore. Having made those changes, Royal decides that "10" is the only acceptable rating, and lays that on the shoulders of the crew. The crew then has to do whatever they can to elicit phony fabulous ratings, or suffer some sort of penalty.

 

What sense does it make? Exactly none.

 

The surveys and their results are a sham. Just say no.

[OCruisers]

The push for a 10 has been going on for a very long time. :o

[GUT2407]

Ask (or demand) and it's a good way to get a bad feedback and/or no tip, from me.

[joandian]

I really don't mind giving a 10 if that is what they deserve. However, if I give someone a 10 for service that really should only be a 6 or 7 then I leave a false impression that everything was great and there is no need for improvement. Therefore, if I whine and moan about the service later then it's my fault for doing so.

 

I feel pretty much the same. It's got to the point where too many business expect a top mark. In my opinion, you would have to be pretty darn perfect and go above and beyond to score a 10, whether on a ship, a car yard or a phone support service and for management to expect nothing less is totally wrong.

 

Perhaps all these '10's' is why service on the ship is so bad. If everyone starting giving a true rating, maybe RCI would have to pick up their game.

 

Having said that, we do generally give those high marks on a ship unless there has been a problem that hasn't been addressed in a timely manner, since we know their living depends on it.

Edited March 23, 2016 by joandian

[Cuizer2]

We had a rather sad situation occur on our Allure sailing a few years ago. It absolutely wasn't the waiter's fault, and my foursome actually made very light of the situation. The Maitre D' did not and harshly spoke to the waiter in front of the cruisers about it. The waiter apologized profusely, and we all told him that he 'was not responsible for what occurred' and not to worry at all. I did speak to the Hotel Manager/Food and Beverage Director onboard, because of how the Maitr D' made way more of the situation than the situation deserved.

 

On our survey, I gave the waiter a 10 and in the comment section spelled out what happened. I did get a call from the home office, and throughout the conversation made sure they understood who I felt was the cause of the problem (believe me it was a very small issue, that the Maitre D' blew out of proportion) and they seemed to be very appreciative of our feelings.

 

My point is -- yes, sometimes you do get a call from the home office.

 

The waiter must have put the fork on the wrong side of the plate. :eek:

[Overtyme]

I always give a 10 regardless of how the actual service is. I always write couldn't be better! Who cares. Give the employee the benefit of the doubt!

 

 

The other side of the coin is that you may be promoting somebody to a position that shouldn't be promoted, and consequentially, they will not train their staff properly, and as a result you may get less than great service.

If enough of this happens, you will find that service is spotty at best.

This is not to say that these people don't work hard, but I do think that you're doing a disservice by giving those who deserve a 5 or 6 a top rating.

It's not the same as giving an fringe 9 a 10.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[jackson bernard]

The other side of the coin is that you may be promoting somebody to a position that shouldn't be promoted, and consequentially, they will not train their staff properly, and as a result you may get less than great service.

If enough of this happens, you will find that service is spotty at best.

This is not to say that these people don't work hard, but I do think that you're doing a disservice by giving those who deserve a 5 or 6 a top rating.

It's not the same as giving an fringe 9 a 10.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

It won't have any affect on me whatsoever. The chances of me sailing on the same ship multiple times a year with the same employees is slim to none. It's even less if the service is bad.

 

It's not my place to affect someone's income if they are having a bad day for whatever reason. If the cruise line wants a true picture, they probably should pay for mystery shoppers themselves.

[Chip and Dale]

In all our cruises including 19 with Royal, we've never heard that version of the 'speech' at the end of the cruise so I don't think it's rampant or a trend. It's always been 'If you enjoyed the service I provided I would appreciate your highest rating' or something similar. I've never received a demand.

 

We got off of Brilliance on March 17th. On this cruise they did the annoying joining on the steps and singing and then the speech given by the dining room manager requested 10's for everyone. We just shook our heads.

 

We have been asked many many times by waiters in the dining room for 10's. Every time we have been asked, they really did not deserve a 10 due to poor service. A few of them have been very vocal!

 

Sadly we receive the same coaching from the salesman that we buy our vehicles from. Ford sends out customer surveys and when you pick up your vehicle the sales manager seems to appear and explain how crucial the top mark on the survey is.

[time4u2go]

The other side of the coin is that you may be promoting somebody to a position that shouldn't be promoted, and consequentially, they will not train their staff properly, and as a result you may get less than great service.

If enough of this happens, you will find that service is spotty at best.

This is not to say that these people don't work hard, but I do think that you're doing a disservice by giving those who deserve a 5 or 6 a top rating.

It's not the same as giving an fringe 9 a 10.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Agreed. How else is a company to know how to differentiate their better employees from others if not from customer feedback?

[Chip and Dale]

We've heard the evaluation speech before. We usually give them 10s, but on our Snowbird Migration, I was so disgusted w/ our Asst Waiter, I mentioned her by name and needless to say she didn't get a 10. Every time I give a ten, I think I'm giving it to them, not like they earned it.

 

If management wants only 10s, they should change the form from a likert scale to a true of false model.

 

DITTO!!!!! We were on the Snowbird Migration and we actually told the waiter and Head Waiter repeatedly that our Assistant Waiter appeared to be shopping for a husband and was the worst Asst Waiter we had ever had. I wonder if you had our Assistant Waiter.

[Cuizer2]

If management wants only 10s, they should change the form from a likert scale to a true of false model.

 

Actually all they need to do is remove the option for 1 -> 9.

[mr walker]

As others have posted, this is not restricted to RC, nor to cruiselines in general.

 

I have had it in a car dealership, and an electrical retailer. I'm sure there were others.

 

Anything less than a 10 is a problem for the employee, or at least that's their perception.

 

Once I stayed in a hotel on a business trip. I had a late night flight out, so asked for a complimentary late checkout, as is possible thru their loyalty scheme if rooms are available, and I was willing to pay if necessary. The desk lady leaned forward and said "I will give you for free if you rate us 10 for all points in the survey". I said "yes, of course". I got the free late checkout, the hotel staff got their 10's - all's good with the world.

 

Reading some of the posts on here suggests I should have taken the offer and then rated zeros all down the list. :eek:

[riclop]

On our recent RCI cruise I was taken aback when what I thought would be a short thank you and farewell from our waiter on the last night became a rant that was basically- I know I do a good job so I expect the ratings you give to all be 10- I don't want any rating lower- or I will not get my money. But I have done a good job so I know I can expect 10's.There is no excuse for any lower number... so that is what I will expect.

 

My tablemates and I were aghast at this tone.. then I went to our cabin where the steward we had really loved knocked on our door and said when he came in.. it has been pleasure serving you and I know you liked what I did because you told me ( we had and given him an extra tip mid cruise). So, I know I can ask you to please give me a 10 for my rating. It is very , very important for me to have that... " and as he said it tears filled his eyes.

 

I have been on more than a dozen cruises and never had staff beg for or demand high ratings... is some reign of terror going on.. is there some contest being held with cash incentives ? I saw our tablemates the next am and asked them if they heard similar from their steward and they had and were equally uncomfortable. I realize that English is not thefirst language of most staff, but it all sounds either abrasive or pathetic to me...

 

Whatever is prompting this behavior needs to be done away with ...

 

They are looking for promotions.

[jagsfan]

In my city, every performer, whether singer, actor or the whole symphony orchestra gets a standing ovation. It makes me laugh. If the audience sees someone truly outstanding, how will they reward them? Standing ovations are obviously given for just walking out on the stage. If every employee on a cruise line rates a 10, how does the cruise decide who has earned a raise or a promotion. At least the people who are standing there applauding and screaming Bravo at every dadgum performance aren't being coerced into doing it.

I think the cruise lines, all of them, need to find another way to rate performance than they're using now.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Virtopia]

I've had this pitch on multiple cruises and it is quite uncomfortable. The worse was probably on my last sailing. They kept us at the table an extra 7 or so minutes telling us about the surveys and how we should score them.

 

They were good waiters and in any other circumstance, I would've given them a 7 or 8. But I just gave them a 10 since it seemed to mean so much to them. However, in future, I will follow some of the tactics I've read here and politely cut them off early.