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The Regal Princess will set sail this November with a new "Medallion Class" experience. Take a look inside.
[...] Start by imagining a smart home, decked out with sophisticated tech and sensors. But instead of a residence for a few people, it can handle 3,560 guests at any time.
That's exactly what Carnival has done with the Regal Princess, the first ship in its Princess Cruises' fleet to get a massive technological overhaul as part of the Ocean Medallion project, first glimpsed back in January at CES.
Carnival's decision is yet another example of a company investing in cutting-edge tech designed to better serve customers and cater to their more sophisticated needs. From theme parks embracing virtual reality to airlines offering more advanced in-flight entertainment, vacations are increasingly going high tech. Now, Carnival is stepping up its game.
[...] "In theory, this technology will enhance the guest's experience," [The Sunday Times' Sue] Bryant said. "It makes it easier for crew members to recognize a guest and address them by name, for example, which is something that wouldn't normally happen on a big ship with a couple of thousand guests."
Each medallion and a related smartphone app will also streamline the boarding process, open your room's door, remember your wine preferences, let you book reservations for activities, send you invitations to events and allow you to make purchases from anywhere on the ship. It's like a digital concierge and planning guide. There is also an opt-in location service that lets you keep tabs on everyone in your group and shows you where they are at any time.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 06 2017, @03:04PM
Walgreens had a customer service crazy about knowing customers on a first name basis. It seems like it's the latest cargo cult attempt at good service. Only problem like you noted is I didn't introduce myself to any of them except the pharmacy tech. So it's just weird. I mean, yeah, I recognize everybody there and they recognize me, but it seems like starting to use first names out of the blue is weird and creepy. (Though I'm not old enough or accomplished enough yet to care to be a mister. That's my dad.)
I don't remember if the cashier got my name from my license since I occasionally buy cigarettes there but it was probably the rewards card I've decided to use. Guess that's what I get for selling my personal information to get an extra 50¢ off the odd end I pick up at Walgreens besides prescriptions.
So now almost everybody there calls me by first name. Very irritating, but I realize there's nothing I can do about. The Cargo Cult of Customer Service has spoken.
When the airplanes don't land (remembering Feynman's original usage of cargo cult), they'll move on to some other ritual to try to get the airplanes to land.
Reminds me of another treadmill that was a real groaner. It was "how may I help you?" Then it was "how may I assist you?" Then it was "how may I assist you today?" There was some crap about a focus group that responded to the next iteration of the treadmill better than the last. They were even giving people on the floor bad grades whenever they used last week's treadmill phrase.
Jeezus. Marketing and PR douches really can't figure out what makes good service, can they? There is no magic phrase that will hypnotize me into being a repeat customer. Only giving me prompt and reliable service with real courtesy instead of a magic phrase will do that.
The other thing that'll blow the marketing and PR douches' minds is that enabling people on the floor to actually provide good service instead of trying to control every word out of their mouths like they're robots actually makes for a rewarding job. I know because I too once worked service jobs when I was a poor college student.
I mean, but hell, treat your employees like robots so you can replace them with robots. And here we are with Carnival ahead of the curve.