Company: International Voyager Inc., Morristown, NJ
Nomination Submitted by: CruiseDirect
Company Description: CruiseDirect is a leading online cruise travel company dedicated to providing customers with better deals than any other cruise website and access to great deals on cruise vacations. Offering special rates and savings on cruise bookings with some of the most popular cruise lines in the world, we are so confident in our cruise packages that each and every deal is backed by a price guarantee.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - Leisure & Tourism
 Nomination Title: International Voyager Inc.
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2020 of the nominated department, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 2 words used.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/zoFrxX3LGNopF6JzBUc2sTpZWp3Ksefpz6zcduapwEAsdYXyKUCEN9NjTSjdvGIzYvp9quuOZPwcPjcpdA_e7Lxk34kHr2dq6wUEn9J0yo0gR7dRSSoKZ59o_-rsUgCvVy3MvKDY7Ps_Y_wZZUhBfL0-ELAX8V6BGDYl3JBbTapVG3RMqVvw8sn-ffWnwg
Versus competitors:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1OjdZuXnxEUqloXRtRtgq8vHL8XqbedENuuK1DJHe6PprRs-OlZwdzuqlE4ptN91RbHhba2EJfLV9clLz9lFzeBn0NFuFTNsiZHWLIz_1DztVAw_3K4MchHNui8BnLYuFbt2ZlCPGjQaJeNbVmR_caESr-9UU5gJ79DHzFJj_Py_YtW4qZnfUfM8_Uv5-w
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Z85E8PT4IJ2JhfTaFjotwpGEZyLSVGf-ROXR8w19kFFrBgHriAo8KiQR2fNiWyt0iFsUWjjvejT_O3N3YlInqJ4USu5IE75fx5FLgRPShI6HSJnFssJ82UYbf1-5r3FAYZ36fn796byEtIFkri9s7brapQFexqrSS9FxWsb1s_bvb_5aMs-5rwAZuKRQ_Q
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Outline the department's achievements since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 211 words used.
Starting in July 2020, our post-covid team at CruiseDirect.com reorganized to develop systems that matched our Mission and Values, to recruit, train and retain staff. Our goal was to Create Joy through Exceptional Cruise Travel Experiences that we now measure as JPH (Joys Per Hour). We focused on creating joyful experiences for our customers by creating joyful work experiences for our team. To achieve this, we grew our team by recruiting candidates experienced not only in call centers but also having worked on ships, so they understand the customer's needs, ship operations, and destinations around the world. We then administered a Comprehensive Assessment test to make sure the new staff was a perfect fit for the job. In addition, we developed a world-class Learning Management system to teach every aspect of our business in an engaging way. We tested after every course and retest when necessary. We also monitored staff happiness and made changes to keep staff happy. We used Huddle meetings, regular evaluations, and workplace by Facebook to keep our multinational work-from-home team connected and happy. Finally, we analyzed low-level common questions and implemented live chat on our site and developed chat bots to answer customer's basic questions so our team could focus on higher-level issues complicated by COVID.
- Briefly describe the nominated department: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 181 words used.
Since our inception in 2003, CruiseDirect.com has been a leader in the cruise vacation industry. We have consistently delivered outstanding customer service and sales. In December 2019, we opened a new office in the Philippines to prepare for the record-breaking 2020 season. By January 2020, the sales and customer service team were spread across two offices, one in the Philippines and another in Morristown, NJ. Then, in February 2020, the cruise industry was the first North American industry to be affected with the quarantine in the Port of Yokohama in Japan. Calls from customers around the world began to spike in record numbers as they needed to cancel their trips. Unfortunately, both offices were forced to close on the same day. The US office was forced to close due to local regulations and the Philippines government ordered the closure of the Angeles City office with only 24 hours’ notice. The staff was immediately cut in half as calls continued to rise. Despite the daunting challenges the staff was able to work-from-home worked for months without breaks to solve customers’ issues.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the department's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 190 words used.
CruiseDirect.com is a company that has achieved remarkable success, especially in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic. During these challenging times, we remained open 365 days a year, despite an industry that was devastated by the pandemic. We were able to keep our abandonment rates and satisfaction levels to those of 2019, even though we were operating with half the staff and in some cases twice the call volumes. We have also maintained stellar reviews across the web, both compared to our competitors and even the cruise lines. We've been able to achieve this despite the difficult environment, and our staff surveys show engagement scores of 8.5/10 and excellent NPS scores. The business has now begun to return, and we are well-equipped to take advantage of the new opportunities. We have powerful systems in place that allow us to grow our organization and serve our guests better than ever. The achievements of CruiseDirect.com during this global pandemic should not be underestimated. Our commitment to our customers, staff, and partners has been unwavering. We are proud of our successes and look forward to the future with optimism.
| Attachments/Videos/Links: |
|---|
|
