Yelpers Take a Cruise

Red And White Fleet had the honor of hosting about 50 Yelpers on Saturday night…it was a beautiful night for one and all…here’s what Christopher had to say about the evening…http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=QbewF-XkZNdyLDpNwDC-ng

 

 

Red and White Fleet Featured in FOGHORN Magazine

Dealing with Difficult Customers – By Karen Rainbolt, FOGHORN Managing Editor

Providing excellent customer service to happy customers is hard enough, but it’s quite a challenge to turn disgruntled passengers into satisfied customers. Yet, that’s exactly what the people at San Francisco-based Red and White Fleet do whenever the receive a customer complaint.

“We try to make it right,” explains Stefan Merkl, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

In order to make things right for passengers, the management at Red and White Fleet work with all the employees to ensure that they understand that the customers’ satisfaction is a priority of the company. Doing this is a process that includes hiring of a customer service manager and working with an outside consultant to formulate a training program that is used company-wide that focuses on serving the needs of passengers to ensure the highest levels of satisfaction. In addition, management regularly “checks in” with employees to address any concerns.

Joe Burgard,Red and White Fleet’s Vice President of Operations, says that it’s important that employees are taught in advance how to deal with a difficult situation so that they are prepared in the event a passenger is malcontented.

“We teach our staff key tools to help diffuse a situation involving an unhappy customer,” explains Burgard.

These tools involve listening carefully to the complaint and acknowledging that the employee understands the problem. “Listening is very important,” says Merkl. “We train our staff to be attentive to the customer and not to demonstrate that the complaint has been heard and understood.”

Providing feedback and offering empathy are also important. Says Merkl: “We ask our employees to apologize to the unhappy customer by saying something like, ‘I’m sorry you aren’t happy with this experience, what can we do to make it better for your next visit with us?’”

Another critical tool is empowering employees to make decisions to help ameliorate a difficult situation. Sometimes, though, another employee may need to be brought in to help fix the incident. “There are times when a third party can make a difference,” says Burngard. “sometimes, the unhappy customer feels better when another employee takes over to address the concerns. Regardless of what the additional employee’s actual job responsibilities are, the customer often perceives this person to be in a position to fix his situation and usually calms down.”

Acting quickly is crucial whenever a difficult situation arises. “We teach employees to address as quickly as possible any problems that come up before they become elevated,” states Merkl.

Perhaps most importantly, Merkl and Burgard stress that it is imperative for their staff not to take it personally when a customer is upset. “There are many times when a situation that causes a customer to be unhappy is completely out of the control of anyone here at Red and White, but the customer may still take out his or her frustration on the employee in front of them,” says Burgard. “We tell our people not to let it affect them or their job performance, which can be hard, but it’s vital that they maintain their composure.”

Cooking Cup Finalists Enjoy a Sunset Cruise

The finalists from Germany’s Cooking Cup TV cooking competition recently visited California where they had their big cooking show-down in Healdsburg at Gallo winery. After the competition, contestants were invited to see San Francisco from aboard the Red And White California Sunset Cruise. It was a beautiful, clear evening and provided guests with stunning views of the city and the surrounding bay.

 

 

 

New Season Pass

The Red and White Fleet just “christened” its fleet of four boats with a new, value-added Season Pass, which is now available online, by phone, or directly at the Pier 43½ ticket office.

For those that enjoy relaxing on the bay and soaking up all the views, or simply look for a great gift option with the approaching holidays, the Season Pass provides unlimited tours aboard Red and White Fleet’s one-hour Golden Gate Bay Cruise for an entire year. As an introductory offer, those that purchase the Season Pass before the end of 2009 will enjoy the benefits from the date of purchase through December 31, 2010. Priced at only $50 for adults and $30 for youth (ages 5-17), the entire package of benefits includes the following:

Unlimited rides aboard the Golden Gate Bay Cruise through 12/31/10

$10 off adult California Sunset Cruise and SF Explorer Cruise tickets

$6 off youth California Sunset Cruise and SF Explorer Cruise tickets

20% discount on snacks and beverages purchased during cruises (does not apply to snack bar service on private sailings or vending machine purchases)

20% discount on Red and White Fleet merchandise

$4 off Golden Gate Bay Cruise companion tickets

Season Pass Information – Season Passes are non-transferable. A valid photo ID is required to board vessel. Any Season Passes purchased in 2009 will be valid through December 31, 2010.

Redemption Procedure – The Season Pass may be redeemed directly at Red and White Fleet’s ticket booth at Pier 43½, Fisherman’s Wharf, located on the intersection of Taylor Street and Embarcadero. To take the cruise, please arrive about 20 minutes prior to your preferred cruise time and be sure to bring your activated Season Pass and valid Photo ID.

For bookings and additional information, visit www.redandwhite.com or call (415) 673-2900.

Sustainable Tourism on San Francisco Bay

The historic Red and White Fleet®, San Francisco’s original provider of bay tours since 1892, is proud to embrace environmentally sustainable business practices.

While Red and White’s efforts may not be evident to visitors, the family-owned fleet has been honored with the State of California’s prestigious environmental WRAP award for more than 7 consecutive years. In addition, the company has enthusiastically led a number of initiatives that have both significantly reduced diesel emissions from its marine fleet and contributed to the use of alternative fuels in the marine industry. Among these initiatives are:

• Re-powering of the company’s four vessels with new marine diesels that produce between 33%-50% less emissions than the original engines. The remodel with electronically controlled Tier 1 engines, which were new to the marine industry and offered the promise of applying dual fuel technology, occurred as early as 1999.
• Spear-heading a jointly sponsored project with the Federal Maritime Administration to conduct a feasibility study evaluating the effectiveness of converting one of the company’s vessels to dual fuel (CNG and diesel) in 2000.
• Independently running an alternative fuel trial with PuriNox, an emulsified diesel product supplied by Lubrizol that has been certified by the California Air Resources Board to reduce NOx by 14% and particulate matter by 63%
• Working with the Port and City of San Francisco as well as World Energy, Blue Water Network, and Cytoculture to bring Biodiesel to the San Francisco waterfront for industrial use
• Fostering relationships between fuel technology providers such as Power Research Inc. and World Energy that have led to further gains in emissions reduction technology
• Continuing to utilize a fuel additive that both increases fuel efficiency and reduces emissions.
• Operating four 450 passenger vessels on B20, a 20% blend of biodiesel with #2 ultra low sulfur diesel

Currently, the Red and White Fleet conducts insitu emissions tests with B20 on its new Tier II engines in conjunction with the California Air Resources Board. The results of this testing will likely influence the ARB views on biodiesel’s use in complying with the new Harborcraft Rules in California.