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Cruise industry to dig out customer relationship

By Netpal Travel Bureau

The cruise industry is reasonable with growing fleets. After passengers had to drive back and cancel trips during COVID-19, its demand has never been great.

Cruise lines sail to many similar destinations where the cabins are remarkably alike. The new competitive differentiator is the customer experience of the entire customer journey which starts before booking and lasts till the ship docks. 

The expectation for modern travellers when it comes to customer experience has never been higher. People expect suitable, easy support when an issue arises and are quick to lose loyalty and switch brands if expectations are not met.

Cruise lines need to meet these expectations to extend customer relationships and secure repeat bookings. Around 95% of consumers mention customer service as important as their selection and loyalty to a brand and 61% have switched over due to poor customer service.  

On social media, nearly 50% of consumers expect a response on social media questions or complaints within an hour, with 18% expecting an immediate response. The average response time for cruise lines, though, is over 30 hours on Twitter, compared to 23.2 hours on email. 

As the cruise industry supports a surge in travelers in 2022 and 2023 from pent-up demand and new bookings, cruise lines need to plan now to keep travellers happy. The industry is falling short of expectations today. To turn short-term advantage into sustainable growth, cruise lines need to prioritize the customer experience to sail into a future of long-term, profitable relationships. 

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