Missed Opportunity
We had called this voyage our “trip of a lifetime” and it
lived up to that billing. We also likened
it to a “Whitman Sampler” – where, like with the chocolates, one could identify
future possibilities to explore. We've now uploaded all of our pictures onto the website and,
of course, have provided our thoughts about all of the details of the trip.
Those comments though are no more than the opinions of a single couple and deserve no more attention than that. There is, however, another dimension upon which I can speak as a professional – not just another passenger – and that is the domain of customer satisfaction and market research.
Here’s a fact that I’m not certain anyone in the cruising industry appreciates.
You are the envy of virtually every company in the world.
Many of my former clients paid upwards of $500-$750 simply to establish contact with their key individual customers while you hold yours captive for weeks at a time. The failure to capitalize upon this information resource - $20 million in customer revenues I would guess over the first seven weeks – is in my mind, a lost opportunity at best and closer to a travesty.
DESIGNING THE LOOP
River cruises may well be sufficiently intimate that feedback may be adequately gained informally. With ocean going vessels that intimacy is simply unavailable. A higher degree of rigor is called for. Here are my three overarching contentions.
I. The biggest hurdle in collecting valuable customer (and potential customer) information is relationship - simply establishing contact with your current and potential customers. You have cleared this hurdle with your expected guests, months before they even arrive.
II. The other significant hurdle, of course, is engagement. Just because you have established a relationship, that doesn’t necessitate their cooperation. As a matter-of-fact, most organizations do this very poorly and engagement is not obtained.
III. If an engaged relationship can be established, you will create a treasure trove of insight that is first off a huge competitive advantage as well as a resource other industries can do no more than envy.
BUILDING THE LOOP
What excites me about Viking’s opportunity to optimize guest insights is that it’s both easily achievable and affordable. There are many paths you could follow but here’s one that I find appealing.
1. Comment Cards - Continue this program making them available in public spaces because they enable guests to communicate directly with you. Recognize however that this is a non-representative sample of your guests. This is a “squeaky wheel sample” which tends toward extremes and leans negative – it gives little insight into the attitudes of the masses.
2. Daily Surveys - Institute these but keep them “short and sweet”. Few folks object to 3-5 minute questionnaires (5-10) questions – particularly if the survey is well written, understandable, and easy to execute.
3. In-Room Monitors – These are the most enticing method of administration and all that is required is keyboards to interact with them. (As one stung a bit by the maiden cruise technology limitations, I realize this is a stretch – but it’s worth stretching for.)
4. Overview Surveys – Execute these each day for both guests in each cabin. It might consist of three points (above average, average, below average) and a few topics like “yesterday’s dining”, “today’s excursion”, “last night’s entertainment”, etc. It should be no more than a three minute exercise.
5. Invitation to Elaborate – This option should be extended at minimum to those responding “below average” and can either be open ended or survey if appropriate. (Please note that I recommend against the often used comparison to expectations. There are many reasons why this is not all that useful.)
6. Incentives – These are always an option if you find that response rates are less than you desire. With so many things included a free beverage is one of the few options that comes to mind. Compared to the costs endured by other industries to acquire information, this would be peanuts.
7. Detailed and Robust Profiles - While some privacy issues may exist (EU laws, US citizens, Norwegian registry all entwined), it is highly probable that you can concatenate one survey after another from individuals. This also serves as a foundation for customer segmentation that can again yield another level of actionable insights.
IMPLEMENTING THE LOOP
If such a guest information model is constructed then you’ll be dealing with two levels of issues – individual comments (my toilet is backed-up) as well as aggregate surveys (the excursions in Santorini were not EASY!). Both types of issues require a communications template to be transformed from information to action. Let me illustrate the former.
· Guest to Viking via monitor – “My toilet is backed-up”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “Got it. This is Open Issue 509.03. Your toilet is backed-up”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “We will have someone at your cabin within the hour.”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “Your toilet is fixed.”
· Guest to Viking via monitor – “Yes it is” or “No it’s not”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “Issue 509.03 is now closed”
On several occasions shipboard I was disappointed that no one responded to my concerns but then, when approached, they were completely familiar with them. A bilateral conversation like the one above would alleviate any confusion over the status of the issue in question.
As for survey feedback - like mislabeled excursions – the daily briefing sheet could convey “new learnings” – i.e. “All Santorini excursions have been reclassified from easy to moderate or difficult”. Other feedback, however, may not need to be communicated to guests. For instance, that “The Chef’s Table scores below Manfredi’s and The Restaurant and may need retooling” is useful for Viking management but, at best, interesting for current guests.
CLOSING THE LOOP
I've simply touched upon the issues to be addressed and their calibrations. (For example, a monitor survey should know what excursion you were on and, better yet, which bus as well.) I’d be both available and delighted to converse with Viking as to how this – or a similar more tailored – model could make your great organization perhaps even greater.
Those comments though are no more than the opinions of a single couple and deserve no more attention than that. There is, however, another dimension upon which I can speak as a professional – not just another passenger – and that is the domain of customer satisfaction and market research.
Here’s a fact that I’m not certain anyone in the cruising industry appreciates.
You are the envy of virtually every company in the world.
Many of my former clients paid upwards of $500-$750 simply to establish contact with their key individual customers while you hold yours captive for weeks at a time. The failure to capitalize upon this information resource - $20 million in customer revenues I would guess over the first seven weeks – is in my mind, a lost opportunity at best and closer to a travesty.
DESIGNING THE LOOP
River cruises may well be sufficiently intimate that feedback may be adequately gained informally. With ocean going vessels that intimacy is simply unavailable. A higher degree of rigor is called for. Here are my three overarching contentions.
I. The biggest hurdle in collecting valuable customer (and potential customer) information is relationship - simply establishing contact with your current and potential customers. You have cleared this hurdle with your expected guests, months before they even arrive.
II. The other significant hurdle, of course, is engagement. Just because you have established a relationship, that doesn’t necessitate their cooperation. As a matter-of-fact, most organizations do this very poorly and engagement is not obtained.
III. If an engaged relationship can be established, you will create a treasure trove of insight that is first off a huge competitive advantage as well as a resource other industries can do no more than envy.
BUILDING THE LOOP
What excites me about Viking’s opportunity to optimize guest insights is that it’s both easily achievable and affordable. There are many paths you could follow but here’s one that I find appealing.
1. Comment Cards - Continue this program making them available in public spaces because they enable guests to communicate directly with you. Recognize however that this is a non-representative sample of your guests. This is a “squeaky wheel sample” which tends toward extremes and leans negative – it gives little insight into the attitudes of the masses.
2. Daily Surveys - Institute these but keep them “short and sweet”. Few folks object to 3-5 minute questionnaires (5-10) questions – particularly if the survey is well written, understandable, and easy to execute.
3. In-Room Monitors – These are the most enticing method of administration and all that is required is keyboards to interact with them. (As one stung a bit by the maiden cruise technology limitations, I realize this is a stretch – but it’s worth stretching for.)
4. Overview Surveys – Execute these each day for both guests in each cabin. It might consist of three points (above average, average, below average) and a few topics like “yesterday’s dining”, “today’s excursion”, “last night’s entertainment”, etc. It should be no more than a three minute exercise.
5. Invitation to Elaborate – This option should be extended at minimum to those responding “below average” and can either be open ended or survey if appropriate. (Please note that I recommend against the often used comparison to expectations. There are many reasons why this is not all that useful.)
6. Incentives – These are always an option if you find that response rates are less than you desire. With so many things included a free beverage is one of the few options that comes to mind. Compared to the costs endured by other industries to acquire information, this would be peanuts.
7. Detailed and Robust Profiles - While some privacy issues may exist (EU laws, US citizens, Norwegian registry all entwined), it is highly probable that you can concatenate one survey after another from individuals. This also serves as a foundation for customer segmentation that can again yield another level of actionable insights.
IMPLEMENTING THE LOOP
If such a guest information model is constructed then you’ll be dealing with two levels of issues – individual comments (my toilet is backed-up) as well as aggregate surveys (the excursions in Santorini were not EASY!). Both types of issues require a communications template to be transformed from information to action. Let me illustrate the former.
· Guest to Viking via monitor – “My toilet is backed-up”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “Got it. This is Open Issue 509.03. Your toilet is backed-up”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “We will have someone at your cabin within the hour.”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “Your toilet is fixed.”
· Guest to Viking via monitor – “Yes it is” or “No it’s not”
· Viking to Guest via monitor – “Issue 509.03 is now closed”
On several occasions shipboard I was disappointed that no one responded to my concerns but then, when approached, they were completely familiar with them. A bilateral conversation like the one above would alleviate any confusion over the status of the issue in question.
As for survey feedback - like mislabeled excursions – the daily briefing sheet could convey “new learnings” – i.e. “All Santorini excursions have been reclassified from easy to moderate or difficult”. Other feedback, however, may not need to be communicated to guests. For instance, that “The Chef’s Table scores below Manfredi’s and The Restaurant and may need retooling” is useful for Viking management but, at best, interesting for current guests.
CLOSING THE LOOP
I've simply touched upon the issues to be addressed and their calibrations. (For example, a monitor survey should know what excursion you were on and, better yet, which bus as well.) I’d be both available and delighted to converse with Viking as to how this – or a similar more tailored – model could make your great organization perhaps even greater.