Scroll to learn more about the Sales and Guest Services Internship from 2015 Summer Interns.
____________________________________________________
Nicole Jacobs
Summer 2013 Sales and Guest Services Intern
- Take plenty of notes!
The first few days of training will be more of an introduction, getting to know the management team/touring boats/basic descriptions of different cruises. Once you begin EBMS training, you will need to take plenty of notes! Honestly, it will be a handful. You will not remember everything based off listening and will need to refer to your notes quite often the first few weeks of the internship. Since we operate in various cities and several different boats, you might be confused at which one is which at first, especially with the small details, so taking notes will only help you in the long run.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions
Sometimes the supervisor station can become really busy and they don’t always have time to answer your question. Don’t be afraid to ask your fellow interns or coworkers for help. We are all here to learn from one another and help each other become successful.
- Take advantage of opportunities for more $$$!
Here at EC there are TONS of opportunities to earn extra money! So I would definitely recommend taking advantage of them. Who doesn’t want to receive more money on their paycheck or awesome gift cards? There are a variety of different incentives offered and by working a bit harder on a team competition or trying to get more upsells, you can make a substantial difference to your paycheck.
- Always be friendly and approachable
There is such great diversity in the EC contact center work environment, so always try to greet everyone in your work setting or in the kitchen area. You can learn a lot of different interesting things from every individual who works here.
- Don’t forget to practice OSS!
“Inspired by a commitment to excellence, we create unforgettable memories.” OSS is super important here at EC. We always want to remember those shared values and use them in every setting we encounter. Practicing those values and behaviors will not only make us better EC workers, but also better individuals in general.
____________________________________________________
Ann Kennedy
Summer 2013 Sales and Guest Services Intern
The highlights from this internship are hard to count. They begin the first day you step foot into Chicago, whether commuting from neighboring suburbs or living right in the city, Chicago offers many highlights before even starting the internship. Living in a big city should be on everyone’s bucket list even if you are a country girl or boy at heart; it is an experience you will not regret. Many of the best highlights from this internship are because Entertainment Cruises is based in one of the best cities on earth. Looking out the window and seeing skyscrapers on skyscrapers makes the hours in the office pretty awesome to view all day. Even the little things that one might not even think of make this internship what it is. Enjoying lunch outside and being able to hear and see the bustling city on one side and the calm and serine Lake Michigan on the other side, this makes lunch quite enjoyable.
Now after enjoying the little highlights the good stuff occurs, within the first month of the internship most of the interns have arrived and we get to experience our first OSS outing. And this is happens to be one of the famous double decker bus tours! Sounds a little tacky touristy at first, but who could turn this down, even if you are from Chicago area. Aboard the double decker bus, we learned loads and loads of fun facts about the city we are surrounded by and even finished up with an awesome food truck on Lake Michigan. As the weeks go by the summer feels as though it is flying by, not a bad thing just means we are having fun. Another highlight every intern enjoy are the OSS Thursdays, which consists of free food in the kitchen. Can’t beat free donuts every week. After a while comes another OSS outing which happens to be on the famous Seadog! We all get to have a fun night out on the SeaDog while enjoying food, drinks, music, and a nice trip down the Chicago River. All and all the highlights you get from this internship are pretty much everywhere you look, one of the best is the people you meet!
____________________________________________________
Mike Minogue
Summer 2013 Sales and Guest Services Intern
The first day anywhere is always a little uncomfortable. This goes for the first day at a new school or work as well. The one thing that gets me through these days is that I know other people are on the same exact boat as me. If everyone else can get through it, then so can I. Working the first day in the call center was no different. After a while though, the first day just ends up blending in with the rest of the days, and life goes on as normal. Most of my first day at Entertainment Cruises was just like any other, but there were certainly a few events that I won’t forget.
The first thing I remember about my first day is that I showed up very early, at least twenty minutes before my scheduled start time. I figured it would probably be frowned upon to show up late on the first day. I then remember just sitting in the break room for what seemed like an eternity while I waited for my shift to start. It was finally time to login and to clock in. I took a seat as close as I could to the supervisor station (I would end up bothering Cat with quite a few questions that day). I was finally clocked in, logged in, and finally “on ready”.
I would now stare at my computer screen, waiting for that first call. As I waited for that inevitable first call, there were several thoughts going through my head. “How would I answer the phone? Do I know enough about EBMS to process a real sale? How do I process a Groupon again?” Finally, the phone rang! I would be lying to you if I told you I could recall every detail from that first call. I completely forget the city, the boat, what they were looking for. The thing I will always remember about that fist call was how I was essentially “put on hold” by the guest.
The guest needed to talk to his wife briefly regarding prices, and politely asked me if I could stay on the line while he talked to her. I told him I would be happy to stay on the line. Ten minutes later, I was still waiting for him to come back to the phone. This was just so bizarre. A customer service rep being put on hold by the guest, oh the irony. At this point I asked Cat what I should do. I didn’t want to hang up the phone on my fist ever guest, but I also didn’t want waste my whole first day talking to nobody. Cat told me to hang up, so I did. Other then that, the rest of they day was smooth.
After those first few calls, everything seemed to come naturally. I processed some Groupon sales, moved a guest to another day, and processed my fair share of sales that day too. A first day at a new job or position could be pretty stressful for most people, including myself. The feeling of accomplishment you get when that day is complete, makes all the stress go away.
____________________________________________________
Joshua Paley
Summer 2013 Sales and Guest Services Intern
Aside from working in the call center there are also several other opportunities within Entertainment Cruises as an intern. Another option is working on one of the Chicago vessels. The boats that are in Chicago include The Odyssey II, Mystic Blue, and The Spirit. I was assigned The Odyssey II and really enjoy working on board. The Odyssey Chicago just had a entire renovation so its really awesome working on such an elegant ship. My two favorite things about working on board The Odyssey are you get to see the product you are selling over the phone in the call center and you also have the opportunity to interact with the guests face to face and help them enjoy their experience.
When I first started my internship with Entertainment Cruises I had my week of training for the call center. The following week I began my week of training for the boat. Training for the boat was similar to training for the call center day one, but day two and three we learned less about the company as a whole and more about the individual boat. Following training, interns are then required to have three follow shifts during different cruises. This part of training was the most efficient. These follow shifts involved you following around a current employee so you can better understand how everything works. All of the employees were extremely helpful and still are to this day. OSS on the boat is huge and with everybody working together and helping each other, it makes everything run much smoother.
Once it was time to be on my own I already felt confortable and the transition was smooth. I first started off as a server assistant. After about three weeks of doing that, I was “promoted” to a server. To become a server I again had three follow shifts because there was a bunch of new information to know as a server.
Working on the boat can also be a lot of fun. Not many people can say they have a job that is based out of Navy Pier. Not only are you working downtown in one of the best cities in the world, but you also get to cruise on a boat and see some pretty fantastic views. Its no wonder so many customers come back for another cruise.
Through the different outlets of the internship I have been given several great opportunities to learn things you don’t learn inside the classroom. Working directly with customers, learning sales techniques, and meeting people from all over the Midwest have all been highlights of this internship for me.
____________________________________________________
Catherine Olson
Summer 2013 Sales and Guest Services Intern
I’m on a boat, I’m on a boat!! I have 2 different experiences being on the Odyssey this summer, working as well as enjoying the cruise with my mom and sister.
Working: After a couple days of training, we were able to put on our black non-slip shoes, black pants, black button up and our black apron with our shiny new nametag on and begin to start our follow shifts. As an intern we all start off as SA’s, which is Servers Assistants – that means clearing plates, running drinks and doing everything you can to make your server’s job easier. After about a week and a half or 2 weeks of being a SA by myself I started my 3 follow shifts for being a server which was cool because I thought I’d just be a SA for the summer. I was nervous at first but with everyone being so nice on the boat they helped me with everything. You also have the opportunity to be a Host as well as a Bartending.
Being a Server on the Odyssey is such a great experience. Not only do we get to interact with the customers but we get to make sure they have the time of their lives on board! Working on the boat is kinda the best of both worlds because in the call center you get to make the reservations and see Entertainment Cruises through the sales side, while being on the boat allows you to see everything being put into action and it always keeps you on your toes. For me I like seeing the smile on the customers face when they are cruising because you know they are having a good time and that means that I’m doing my job right.
Cruising: I went the day before my birthday with my mom and my sister on the Odyssey. I knew what was going to happen just because I’ve already been working there for about 2 weeks at this time but I didn’t tell my mom or sister, I wanted them to be surprised, and surprised they were! They absolutely had a great time, they wouldn’t stop talking about the service they had on board as well as the whole experience. Our server and the SA were great and we couldn’t have asked for better service. On our cruise they showed awesome OSS and I encourage everyone to cruise just so they can experience what we did!
Entertainment Cruises 