How Carnival UK is leveraging omnichannel and generative AI

Customers have high expectations for seamless journeys and quality experiences, but not all organizations have the digital infrastructure to deliver on this. In fact, CX Network’s Global State of CX 2023 research found that 24 percent of organizations operated a multichannel contact center with fragmented connections between channels.

Working to unify these channels is vital and many organizations are now using AI-powered, solutions to facilitate better customer experiences and leaner operations. Among them is Carnival UK, a division of the world’s largest cruise operator group.

The project aligns with the ongoing digital transformation of parent company Carnival Corporation, which operates nine cruise brands including Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises and Seabourn. Its transformation has seen technology incorporated throughout the guest’s onboard experience for everything from payments and reservations to security. The transformation has also seen digital experiences between Carnival’s brands connected through shared technology and experience principles, while allowing each brand to operate independently.

At Carnival UK, the migration from multichannel contact center to a unified omnichannel experience center started in 2023, with the aim of empowering a hybrid workforce capable of delivering seamless experiences that drive an effective, efficient operation.

“Our guests come to us to enjoy our ocean cruises and see the world, and we strive to make every point of that journey as frictionless as possible,” says Paul Ludlow, president of Carnival UK and P&O Cruises. “From the moment our guests start searching for their desired cruise to the moment they step foot back on land, I am confident our digital transformation will provide them with the experience of a lifetime.”

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Upgrading from multichannel to omnichannel

To date, Carnival’s digital transformation has seen it work with a number of solution providers including Accenture, Tata Consultancy Services and Publicis Sapient.

The omnichannel upgrade is supported by NICE and sees Carnival migrate from its legacy incumbent solutions to NICE’s CXone cloud platform for its contact centers in the UK and Germany. Assisted by NICE value realization services and Sycurio Professional Services, Carnival UK has adopted the complete suite of NICE CXone voice and digital solutions, including Enlighten AutoSummary, CXone Expert, CXone Feedback Management and CXone SmartAssist for voice and text.

Once live, the next stage of the project will see generative AI deployed by mid-2024. Using Enlighten Copilot, Carnival will be able to deliver smarter interactions, personalized coaching for agents and automation opportunities, enhancing both customer and employee experiences.

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Advancing omnichannel to upgrade EX

Whether it’s up-skill opportunities or a more efficient working environment, agents are set to benefit extensively from the omnichannel migration, which will also support hybrid working for contact center teams.

In 2023, CX Network teamed up with Zoom to explore the links between agent working locations and contact center performance.

The resulting research confirmed that among those contact center operators who had switched to a hybrid or remote working model, 59 percent reported no impact on first contact resolution (FCR). The results highlight that location alone is not the deciding factor for agent performance. Instead, there are other factors at play that influence the ability of employees to conduct their work effectively, including the quality of tools available to them and the ease with which they can do their jobs.

On this point, the research found the greatest concern for agents is the quality of tools they must work with, with 51 percent of respondents selecting this response. Working hours and negative customer sentiment were less of a concern.

This means that, with the right tools in place, it is possible to run an effective, revenue-generating contact center staffed by agents in any location. This brings a new level of flexibility and opportunity for CX leaders, particularly when it comes to recruitment. No longer restrained by a physical working location, they can now recruit the best talent from a number of locations, rather than the talent that is available to them locally.

Digital first guest experiences

In 2018, Carnival Corporation won the Gold New York Design Award for Digital IoT for its guest experience platform, Ocean.

The Experience Internet of Things (xIoT) platform enables highly personalized service, enhances guest-crew interactions, facilitates interactive entertainment and removes friction points.

At the time it was the world's first xIoT system and worked by connecting a wearable device called OceanMedallion, to a network of sensors and readers across Carnival’s cruise ships.

It could then align the most relevant products, services and experiences with each guest's preferences based on their location, while enabling experience delivery to be personal and frictionless.

Explaining the benefits in 2018, Vince Ball, vice president of product innovation for Nytec, which helped pioneer the devices, described it as the most sophisticated IoT system on the planet for people. “The real beauty of this technology is how it blends quietly into the background, while seamlessly and effortlessly connecting guests and crew.”