How Can Businesses Reduce The Burden of International Calling Charges For Customers?

For thousands of professionals dreaming of working at sea, their first real step toward a cruise career often begins with a single phone call. On the other side of that call, Carnival Support Services India (CSSI) carries the responsibility of answering questions, easing anxieties, and guiding people into roles that can change their lives. Yet for a long time, those crucial conversations were happening over an infrastructure that simply was not built for the scale or reach the company had achieved. Customers scattered across countries were dialing a UK landline, paying high international calling charges, and often struggling with poor connectivity, just to ask for help. CSSI knew that every dropped call or missed follow-up was not just a lost interaction, but potentially a lost career opportunity or a dissatisfied client.

About Carnival Support Services India (CSSI)

Carnival Support Services India (CSSI) is the largest international staffing company in the country, dedicated to providing highly qualified and trained professionals for cruise ship operations across the world. Operating under the Carnival Corporation umbrella, CSSI manages 21,000 Indian employees on more than 95 cruise ships, creating access to some of the best cruise jobs for professionals. Their work sits at the intersection of global operations, complex logistics, and very human aspirations. With such a large workforce spread across numerous ships, the quality and reliability of communication with clients and candidates is critical to the company’s promise.

Before Vs After: A Clear Breakdown

The Challenge: A Global Support Line That Couldn’t Scale

Before integrating with MyOperator, CSSI’s international support depended heavily on a UK landline customer support number. Calls made to this number were then forwarded to Indian mobile numbers, creating a patchwork system that struggled under the weight of high call volumes and diverse caller locations.

CSSI received a large number of calls from clients in different countries seeking assistance related to travel and logistics, as well as from individuals looking for recruitment opportunities on cruises. In theory, they had a central contact point. In practice, several limitations of the UK landline setup were undermining the experience for both callers and the business.

Key issues included:

• Poor call connectivity leading to inefficient customer support: Forwarding calls from a UK landline to Indian mobiles introduced quality challenges. Callers, already dealing with time zones and international dialing, frequently faced unstable connections, making conversations less efficient and more frustrating.
• High international calling charges for customers: Clients and prospective recruits had to pay international rates to reach the UK support number. For many, this additional cost could be a barrier to calling in the first place, especially for those just starting their journey toward cruise employment.
• International call forwarding costs for CSSI: On the business side, CSSI was also being charged international rates to forward incoming UK calls to Indian mobile numbers. This meant the company was bearing a significant ongoing cost just to maintain this support structure.
• No reliable way to ensure follow-up on missed calls: Because the system did not provide robust visibility into missed calls, CSSI had no dependable way to track who tried to reach them and when. As a result, a substantial number of calls were missed, and with them, on-call orders and opportunities for timely support.

Altogether, this setup made it difficult for CSSI to match the quality of its phone support with the scale and importance of its role in global cruise staffing.

The Solution: International Toll-Free Numbers and IVR for Three Countries

Recognizing that their existing model was limiting both customer experience and operational efficiency, CSSI turned to MyOperator for a better way to manage international enquiries.

CSSI wanted to move away from the UK landline approach and adopt an international toll-free number model for its on-call support processes. This would allow customers in multiple countries to reach them without worrying about high international call charges.

MyOperator provided CSSI with a comprehensive call management setup that included:

• International toll-free numbers for three different countries: Instead of relying on a single UK landline, CSSI was equipped with international toll-free numbers dedicated to three countries. This shift eliminated international calling charges for clients calling those support numbers, making it easier and more comfortable for them to get in touch.
• IVR integrated with the toll-free setup: Alongside the toll-free numbers, MyOperator implemented an IVR system to support the call flows for these three countries. This helped route calls more effectively, ensured a structured experience for callers, and created a more organized backbone for the support process.

Together, these components formed a full-fledged call management setup tailored to CSSI’s international support needs. The solution was designed not only to reduce costs but also to improve the overall efficiency of handling calls, without losing sight of the importance of every conversation.

MyOperator’s call management solution helped CSSI:

• Save money and improve the efficiency of their call handling process: By moving to international toll-free numbers and a structured IVR, CSSI could significantly cut down on international calling charges, both for callers and for the company itself. At the same time, the system made their support workflows more organized and effective.
• Unlock benefits that went beyond initial expectations: The combined impact of better call flows, reduced costs, and improved reliability delivered advantages that exceeded what CSSI had initially anticipated when they first set out to replace their UK landline setup.

The Results: Better Visibility, Better Control, Better Conversations

With MyOperator’s call management solution in place, CSSI gained a more stable, transparent, and manageable environment for dealing with international enquiries.

Key outcomes included:

• Access to timely updated call reports: CSSI could now receive regularly updated call reports, giving them a clearer view of how business calls were being handled. This made it easier to monitor support performance, understand call volumes, and identify trends across different countries.
• Automatic recording of customer conversations: Customer conversations were automatically recorded, creating a valuable repository of real interactions. This allowed CSSI to analyze calls, understand recurring issues, and use real conversations to improve team performance over time.

These capabilities helped CSSI move away from a reactive stance, constantly trying to keep up with calls on a limited infrastructure, to a more proactive posture, where they could oversee and refine their global support operations with greater confidence.

A Closing Reflection: Turning a Support Line into a Gateway

For Carnival Support Services India, the phone is more than a channel; it is a gateway through which thousands of professionals begin their journey to sea. By transitioning from a constrained UK landline model to an international toll-free and IVR-powered call management setup, the company did more than fix connectivity and cost issues. It made the act of reaching out feel simpler, fairer, and more accessible for people spread across different countries.

MyOperator’s international toll-free numbers and IVR did not just introduce new technology; they reshaped how CSSI could stand behind every enquiry, whether from a logistics partner needing urgent clarity or a candidate taking their first step toward a life on board. With updated call reports and automatic recordings, CSSI can now learn from its conversations, refine its support, and stay closely connected to the people it serves.

For teams facing similar challenges, CSSI’s story is a reminder that thoughtful changes to how calls are handled can quietly transform the experience on both ends of the line. Exploring an international toll-free and IVR-led approach, as CSSI did, is ultimately about making sure that when someone decides to call, distance and cost no longer stand between them and the help they need.

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