It takes more than a great idea to create a solution. In the case of a cruise ship, it has to work to drive the guest experience onboard.
Such is the genesis of the LMS and Carnival Corporation/Princess Cruises partnership. In October 2017, LMS came aboard to deliver hospitality-related products for the OceanMedallion™ program.
MedallionClass® cruises personalize service by anticipating guests’ needs throughout the vacation experience. The quarter-sized device streamlines boarding, acts as a GPS and a cabin key. In addition, it supports food deliveries and many other conveniences.
Mobile food ordering aboard the ship is one of the essential functions of the Medallion. LMS, with SMEs experienced in the hospitality industry, made it work. Special requests, including dietary restrictions and allergies, are essential for an exceptional dining experience, which the Medallion delivers.
Ordering drinks is also necessary, and our support of the Medallion technology has created a new way of life onboard. No more waiting for a server. Guests simply place their order with the aid of the Medallion, and drinks arrive without moving from the poolside chair.
Drive the Guest Experience Onboard
Our relationship with Carnival and Princess progressed during the first years of the OCEAN program. So did our ability to deliver technology consistently. Of the many other vendors involved in the Medallion project, not all held themselves to the same standards as LMS. Issues arose concerning compatibility with vacation packages and responding to technical problems. This lead to a crossroads in Medallion’s history.
By June 2018, the LMS footprint became international, with team members stationed worldwide in support of MedallionClass® cruises. We began staffing the MedallionClass® Experience Innovation Center (xiC). In addition, we changed its business model from 9-5 to 24/7/365 in response to our partner’s needs. The round-the-clock schedule improved the Medallion’s performance, bringing perpetual, real-time answers to issues affecting guests and crew.
xOpsTools On Call 24/7
LMS’s shift into the guest experience industry created a need for a specialized subsidiary, so we established the Guest Experience Maximization (GEM) brand. As GEM grew its team in the xiC, it also developed the xOPsTools. This monitoring and troubleshooting CRM technology with process automation enhanced experiences on the entire fleet of Princess Cruises ships.
Designed by GEM’s Rajat Narula, xOPsTools identifies Medallion issues that might arise on board before they occur. Our DevOps Team is now the backbone of MedallionClass® cruises.
“As a team, we find innovative methods of developing and utilizing technologies that have not been used before,” Narula says. “We pride ourselves on being resourceful and always finding a way to accomplish our goals.”
The GEM staff is perpetually available to address issues that escalate beyond automation. Our technology teams are constantly developing the next-generation xOpsTools. Making it user-friendly and efficient streamlines booking and onboard experiences for the guests and crew. Our GEM team staffs the xiC in a new facility in Fort Lauderdale, FL, bordering Port Everglades, home of Princess Cruises.
Carnival Corp. (NASDAQ: CCL and CUK) remains the standard in the cruise industry. It is the only company included in the S&P 500 and the FTSE 250 indexes. Princess Cruises currently sail to more than 380 ports and destinations worldwide.
The xOpsTools technology has developed to the point where it is now adaptable to other Fortune 500 experience-oriented industries. We are proud of the technology our team created in response to our partner’s needs. They had a great idea, and we made it work.