Staff "demanding" good ratings?

[nbsjcruiser]

They tell their people that anything under a 10 is considered a failure. So what they are looking for is perfect people who never make a mistake. Those people may be out there in the world somewhere but they aren't serving me my dinner on a cruise ship, I can tell you that much.

 

RCI is only fooling themselves with these tactics and it shows. By insisting people give 10's most reviewers aren't going to want to ding that poor guy or gal working their tails off in the MDR so they get their 10 most times despite the service or food. The problem as I saw it happens when the food is obviously not as good as it should be, as happened to us on our last 3 RCI cruises. The food for the week on all 3 cruises was hit or miss. Cold food at times, steaks not cooked properly, wrong food delivered and so on. Now what RCI does is it tells its people to go out there and push a 10 so that they can bask (falsely) is the light of a perfect cruise. It wasn't perfect and, btw, it never will be perfect. I've had cruises where I came off and was really pleased with everything, but there's always a little something they could have done better but if I blindly give everyone a 10, what good does it do? It removes the incentive from the cruiselines to do better and in fact, I would argue it provides incentive to actually scale back and cut back. Its a harmful process that is making their product worse, not better.

 

Instead, they should be telling people that a 7 is a minimal pass, 8 is good, 9 is excellent and 10 is perfect. Things should be a bell curve with very few outliers. If they did that, then they'd have something they could work with. "Where can we improve?". How can they improve on 10? They can't!

 

What we do is always give the servers and room stewards excellent reviews and we always mention them by name - UNLESS there's been obviously poor service which I have to say has never happened to us, they always go the extra mile. If however food has been lack lustre or the accommodations have been sub par then I am mentioning it while making sure that I point out that it was beyond the employees control.

 

RCI really needs to change this. Its corporate BS and nothing more. A way to fool themselves and find ways to cut costs and people while pretending things are perfect. They're not RCI, they're not.

[FPerillo81]

Let me get this straight...

 

Taking time from my vacation to provide honest, detailed feedback makes me petty?

 

So...lying on your survey and giving 10s across the board means you have integrity?

 

If you chose to be disingenuous on your surveys, that is your deciscion.

 

I think it's unfortunate that you encourage others to do the same.

 

If you have an issue with the way RCI uses feedback...perhaps you should take that up with them rather than calling me "petty" and "elitist".

 

Fun fact...I have worked for years as a customer service auditor. Basically I take time to do what I am trained to do (and accustomed to being paid for) while on vacation.

 

You can keep handing out 10s if that's what makes you happy.

 

I will keep giving valuable feedback...because...

 

(...in my best Dr Suess voice...)

 

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." The Lorax

 

:)

 

Have great day!

 

 

 

 

I was just saying that knowing the scale that they use more than likely considers 0-9 a fail and 10 a pass, then it's not disingenuous to just give the 10. If RCI actually accepted 0-9 as it's meant to be taken, then it makes sense to grade accordingly. As I've said three times now, with this method, the same one used at my job, it's basically a yes or a no at its core. The customers don't know that, but in discussions with my employer's customers using a throwaway username on forums, most have said they'd have given the top score if they knew this, unless the service was extremely poor. With this knowledge, most of us here in this thread would give the ten and move on instead of overthinking everything, while using the comment section for the criticism they'd normally score down for. The ones who wouldn't are the ones who probably make 15 nearly invalid visits to guest services per cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited March 24, 2016 by FPerillo81

[LMaxwell]

They tell their people that anything under a 10 is considered a failure. So what they are looking for is perfect people who never make a mistake. Those people may be out there in the world somewhere but they aren't serving me my dinner on a cruise ship, I can tell you that much.

 

RCI is only fooling themselves with these tactics and it shows. By insisting people give 10's most reviewers aren't going to want to ding that poor guy or gal working their tails off in the MDR so they get their 10 most times despite the service or food. The problem as I saw it happens when the food is obviously not as good as it should be, as happened to us on our last 3 RCI cruises. The food for the week on all 3 cruises was hit or miss. Cold food at times, steaks not cooked properly, wrong food delivered and so on. Now what RCI does is it tells its people to go out there and push a 10 so that they can bask (falsely) is the light of a perfect cruise. It wasn't perfect and, btw, it never will be perfect. I've had cruises where I came off and was really pleased with everything, but there's always a little something they could have done better but if I blindly give everyone a 10, what good does it do? It removes the incentive from the cruiselines to do better and in fact, I would argue it provides incentive to actually scale back and cut back. Its a harmful process that is making their product worse, not better.

 

Instead, they should be telling people that a 7 is a minimal pass, 8 is good, 9 is excellent and 10 is perfect. Things should be a bell curve with very few outliers. If they did that, then they'd have something they could work with. "Where can we improve?". How can they improve on 10? They can't!

 

What we do is always give the servers and room stewards excellent reviews and we always mention them by name - UNLESS there's been obviously poor service which I have to say has never happened to us, they always go the extra mile. If however food has been lack lustre or the accommodations have been sub par then I am mentioning it while making sure that I point out that it was beyond the employees control.

 

RCI really needs to change this. Its corporate BS and nothing more. A way to fool themselves and find ways to cut costs and people while pretending things are perfect. They're not RCI, they're not.

 

It is very refreshing to read a post like this where you understand the game and how it is rigged; rigged against the guest and the employee.

[LMaxwell]

Get a glass of water and calm down.

 

I was just saying that knowing the scale that they use more than likely considers 0-9 a fail and 10 a pass, then it's not disingenuous to just give the 10. If RCI actually accepted 0-9 as it's meant to be taken, then it makes sense to grade accordingly. As I've said three times now, with this method, the same one used at my job, it's basically a yes or a no at its core. The customers don't know that, but in discussions with my employer's customers using a throwaway username on forums, most have said they'd have given the top score if they knew this, unless the service was extremely poor. With this knowledge, most of us here in this thread would give the ten and move on instead of overthinking everything, while using the comment section for the criticism they'd normally score down for. The ones who wouldn't are the ones who probably make 15 nearly invalid visits to guest services per cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

That takes quite a bit of mental gymnastics to seem reasonable to me; although I accept that's "the way it is".

[nbsjcruiser]

It is very refreshing to read a post like this where you understand the game and how it is rigged; rigged against the guest and the employee.

 

Precisely, and thanks.

 

There's a local chev dealer that does the same thing. We used to have a chev and when I'd take it in for service, I'd get a survey. Well one time I put down a 9 (a good score I thought) and lo and behold a couple days later I get a phone call from the service rep. "What did I do wrong?". Well, let me see, nothing. I told him everything was great and that 9 was an excellent review I felt. It was a failure according to him. So I called the service manager and explained the situation while at the same time giving my opinion on a "perfect" service call. Unless they want to send a guy to my house, pick up the car, service it, deliver it back to me and then tell me pay them next time I'm in town then it wasn't perfect now was it. Was it excellent? Yes it was.

Edited March 24, 2016 by nbsjcruiser

[cheezwiz]

I was just saying that knowing the scale that they use more than likely considers 0-9 a fail and 10 a pass, then it's not disingenuous to just give the 10. If RCI actually accepted 0-9 as it's meant to be taken, then it makes sense to grade accordingly. As I've said three times now, with this method, the same one used at my job, it's basically a yes or a no at its core. The customers don't know that, but in discussions with my employer's customers using a throwaway username on forums, most have said they'd have given the top score if they knew this, unless the service was extremely poor. With this knowledge, most of us here in this thread would give the ten and move on instead of overthinking everything, while using the comment section for the criticism they'd normally score down for. The ones who wouldn't are the ones who probably make 15 nearly invalid visits to guest services per cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

So, because I decline to play this nonsensical game, I'm likely to be making 15 "nearly invalid" visits to guest services per cruise?

 

Now THAT is nonsense.

(I won't even ask what "nearly invalid" is supposed to mean.)

[R_i_c_h]

I think most of us agree that the rating system is flawed, and that it may not get the cruiseline what they're looking for with respect to customers' perspectives. However, my opinion of the validity of the survey or my indignation over having to provide a less than 100% honest score does not trump the career path or the continued employment of a server who's provided good service for me all week. Maybe others are OK with being provided great service and their server facing the consequences of getting an 8 or a 9 on the survey. I'm not.

 

Rich

[MommaBear55]

I think most of us agree that the rating system is flawed, and that it may not get the cruiseline what they're looking for with respect to customers' perspectives. However, my opinion of the validity of the survey or my indignation over having to provide a less than 100% honest score does not trump the career path or the continued employment of a server who's provided good service for me all week. Maybe others are OK with being provided great service and their server facing the consequences of getting an 8 or a 9 on the survey. I'm not.

 

Rich

 

I am with you! I could never knowingly jeopardize a cruise line employee's job just because I do not agree with the way corporate has rigged the system.

[FPerillo81]

I am with you! I could never knowingly jeopardize a cruise line employee's job just because I do not agree with the way corporate has rigged the system.

 

 

Unfortunately for others, it's like trying to get through to a wall.

 

 

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[NIATPAC29]

You people could complicate a 1+ 1 math problem. Do your evaluation with a clear conscience and be done with it. That is all

[Aquahound]

Why should any of us participate in a program where unless the worker is rated the absolute best, nothing better is possible, the company takes money away from them?

 

Where did this sentiment come from that anything less than a perfect 10 results in money being taken away? :confused:

[cheezwiz]

Where did this sentiment come from that anything less than a perfect 10 results in money being taken away? :confused:

 

Apparently that info was included in one of the server's "speeches" on a recent cruise & reported by a poster in this thread and earlier, IIRC.

[nativetexan]

I think most of us agree that the rating system is flawed, and that it may not get the cruiseline what they're looking for with respect to customers' perspectives. However, my opinion of the validity of the survey or my indignation over having to provide a less than 100% honest score does not trump the career path or the continued employment of a server who's provided good service for me all week. Maybe others are OK with being provided great service and their server facing the consequences of getting an 8 or a 9 on the survey. I'm not.

 

 

 

Rich

 

 

Exactly.

 

 

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[cheezwiz]

I think most of us agree that the rating system is flawed, and that it may not get the cruiseline what they're looking for with respect to customers' perspectives. However, my opinion of the validity of the survey or my indignation over having to provide a less than 100% honest score does not trump the career path or the continued employment of a server who's provided good service for me all week. Maybe others are OK with being provided great service and their server facing the consequences of getting an 8 or a 9 on the survey. I'm not.

 

Rich

 

That was very well put. Thank you.

ETA: While we can disagree about the conclusion, I certainly appreciate someone who can sum up the problem in a nutshell and state his position in a compelling & thoughtful manner, in 4 lines no less!)

Edited March 24, 2016 by cheezwiz

[LMaxwell]

I am with you! I could never knowingly jeopardize a cruise line employee's job just because I do not agree with the way corporate has rigged the system.

 

I'd be more likely to just not participate in the survey. It is disingenuous in its purpose. I'd hate to feel like I put someones job at risk for telling the company they did a very good job and I was satisfied; but that it was not the most perfect best wow service of my entire lifetime. Or that the food was good, but not the tastiest best meal I've ever had.

 

By not being given the proper tools to achieve a 10 to start with (short staffed, food of average quality, etc...) the workers on the cruise have had to figure out how to game the system and try to subtly guilt guests into giving all 10's. Really, the company should look at an 8 and be saying what can we improve to get to a 10; not who can we fire, not promote, or what can we cut out.

 

I hate the speech and the next time I get it I'll just cut them off and say I have heard it before and understand.

[MommaBear55]

Unfortunately for others, it's like trying to get through to a wall.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Exactly. See the post directly after yours as an example of that.

[LMaxwell]

Exactly. See the post directly after yours as an example of that.

 

It would be nice if you, or others, had suggestions of how these surveys could be more fair to both guests and employees, rather than suggesting that everyone just play along. Why should we all accept and play in a broken system? Why not change it and have it mean something and be a benefit for all?

[MommaBear55]

It would be nice if you, or others, had suggestions of how these surveys could be more fair to both guests and employees, rather than suggesting that everyone just play along. Why should we all accept and play in a broken system? Why not change it and have it mean something and be a benefit for all?

 

Where, or to whom, would we direct an email? I would be glad to send a comment. I would also like to think that the words I use on the survey are also factored in, not just the numbers.

 

I agree the system is not transparent and makes no sense, because it does not explain what the ratings mean. Everyone should know the "rules". Really they are more expectations than rules, but you know what I mean.

 

For instance, when I stay at a 4 or 5 star hotel, one of the questions on the survey always is "how well did we meet your expectations?" My expectations are very high, and so if they have been met, truly the answer should be 5 of 10, which translates on their scale to meet expectations. But, they think I should put a 10. In this case the question is worded poorly.

[Thetrail]

We were told by our waiter on our last cruise that when people fill out a survey and rate the food poorly its them that gets in hot water and not the kitchen staff or chef.

The waiter said they are expected to interpret if a guest does not like their meal and make it right by getting them a new entree so the guest will be happy and give them a 10.

It's the galley that gets the blame forr poor food not the waiter. The waiter does ask how your food is, so if you didn't enjoy your meal he will do everything he can to make you happy, i.e., another meal if you like. If you don't let him no or say it was fine, oh well. But your wrong it is not the waiter that gets in hot water if the food is sub par.

[LMaxwell]

Where, or to whom, would we direct an email? I would be glad to send a comment. I would also like to think that the words I use on the survey are also factored in, not just the numbers.

 

I agree the system is not transparent and makes no sense, because it does not explain what the ratings mean. Everyone should know the "rules". Really they are more expectations than rules, but you know what I mean.

 

For instance, when I stay at a 4 or 5 star hotel, one of the questions on the survey always is "how well did we meet your expectations?" My expectations are very high, and so if they have been met, truly the answer should be 5 of 10, which translates on their scale to meet expectations. But, they think I should put a 10. In this case the question is worded poorly.

 

Good question; I don't know if Royal Caribbean actually administers and interprets the surveys or if a third party vendor does this. I believe it is a third party. So I don't know if the actual comments get anywhere, or if it is just there so guests feel like they are having their opinions and preferences heard. I don't know the best way to make a change to this. I agree with the rest of your comments.

 

Same with any review really; I refrain from writing a review, say, for a restaurant where it is the lowest or highest score possible, because it's not likely that I had the worst or best experience of my life. And I tend to discount reading those types of reviews either. Most life experiences tend to be positive in an average or above average way; but how many times does one experience truly exceptional, out of this world, wow, mind blowing anything?

[Thetrail]

On our cruise it was explained to us that the gratuities were going to be distributed based on the evaluation and anything less than a 10 would result in them losing money. This was apparently a fairly new introduction. The MDR staff also told us that if we weren't "wowed" by our food it had become their job to realise we weren't wowed and send back the meal and get us something else. Thats kind of hard as I may well enjoy a meal but it wouldn't necessarily wow me and certainly it wouldn't be anything to complain about but if that didn't earn then a 10 then they would be the losers. I would imagine too a lot of these staff rely on the gratuities as they send money back to their families in their home countries.

Read post #184 thats the CORRECT reason.....:rolleyes:

[Kingofwylietx]

I think I have read all the posts in this thread...did I miss where anyone actually has any factual first-hand knowledge of how the ratings are actually interpreted or used? I saw a lot of guessing and name-calling...but I don't think I saw anyone who really knew what was going on. I did see where people understood various scales, but I didn't notice where they had any authority or ability to prove that RCL really used that scale.

 

Is this entire thread conjecture and supposition...or did I miss something?

 

I can't imagine that corporate really wants everyone to blindly put 10's...that sounds like something the people on the ship are doing to get higher ratings. If people are manipulated/guilted into putting 10's, then it becomes a useless survey...no matter what method of interpretation is used. The survey then only serves to show which ship/workers are more persuasive/compelling in getting their pax to rate/rank them more highly. Surveys are only useful when people respond honestly.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Kingofwylietx

[Clarea]

I think I have read all the posts in this thread...did I miss where anyone actually has any factual first-hand knowledge of how the ratings are actually interpreted or used? ...

I mentioned earlier how the rating directly affects the amount of tables (and therefore the money they make) that a waiter gets.

[John&LaLa]

I think I have read all the posts in this thread...did I miss where anyone actually has any factual first-hand knowledge of how the ratings are actually interpreted or used? I saw a lot of guessing and name-calling...but I don't think I saw anyone who really knew what was going on. I did see where people understood various scales, but I didn't notice where they had any authority or ability to prove that RCL really used that scale.

 

Is this entire thread conjecture and supposition...or did I miss something?

 

I can't imagine that corporate really wants everyone to blindly put 10's...that sounds like something the people on the ship are doing to get higher ratings. If people are manipulated/guilted into putting 10's, then it becomes a useless survey...no matter what method of interpretation is used. The survey then only serves to show which ship/workers are more persuasive/compelling in getting their pax to rate/rank them more highly. Surveys are only useful when people respond honestly.

 

I'm sailing on Enchantment in 8 or 9 days. We've gotten chummy with one of the restaurant managers. I'll see if I can ask him

[Cuizer2]

It is quite obvious that you have never listened to anyone in your life telling you how to act. What you don't understand is that you don't have the authority to tell me how to act. As long as I am not violating any laws or rules, I am free to decide how I will act.

 

You keep bringing up this do not call registry but there is huge difference between a telemarketer you hever met and a person who has been serving you for a week. It is obvious that you don't have the moral compass to understand the difference. A sales pitch is a sales pitch. I don't want to hear it.

 

My last reply to you on this thread. Adios.

 

Go back and read the other comments. The "speech" makes others feel uncomfortable. Some do the best to ignore it. Some lie to make the person stop. Some leave early to avoid it and some just don't show up at all on the last night. Given this, and your position on this issue, you are clearly no authority on a "moral compass".