Louise Whitfield, strategy director at McCann Synergy, explores the connection between employee experience and stakeholder relationships.

As National Customer Service Week (6th–10th October) approaches, conversations about customer experience are intensifying. Yet despite record investment in automation and AI, UK customer satisfaction has fallen to a 10-year low (Institute of Customer Service, 2024). In some cases, technology-first strategies have even backfired. Klarna, for example, had to rehire staff after replacing human service with AI when customer trust began to erode (BBC News, 2024).

At McCann Synergy, we believe the debate is framed too narrowly as AI versus people. The real challenge - and opportunity - lies in how organisations empower employees to deliver both efficiency and empathy. Supported employees don’t just resolve customer queries more effectively; they protect corporate reputation and build the trust on which stakeholder relationships depend. And communications play a critical role in ensuring this connection is seen, felt and sustained.

Employee experience (EX): A communications and stakeholder challenge

For too long, EX has been treated as the domain of HR alone, associated with engagement surveys, wellbeing initiatives or flexible working. But EX is also a communications issue, because it directly shapes how an organisation is experienced and talked about by customers, employees and society at large.

When employees feel supported, connected to purpose and confident in what they say and do, the service interactions they deliver become a form of lived communication. Every frontline conversation is a brand message; and every employee behaviour either reinforces or contradicts the corporate story.

The numbers prove the link. Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace shows engaged organisations report 23% higher profitability and 18% higher customer loyalty. Deloitte found companies with strong EX outperform competitors by 2.4 times in customer satisfaction scores (Deloitte, 2023). For communications leaders, this means EX isn’t just an “internal” matter - it is a visible driver of corporate reputation, credibility and stakeholder confidence.

The human–tech balance: Communicating care as well as speed

The pressure to digitise service functions has accelerated in recent years. Automation, chatbots and AI platforms deliver efficiency at scale. But efficiency without empathy risks undermining trust.

EY’s 2024 Future Consumer Index highlights the tension: while 67% of consumers value the efficiency of digital channels, 58% say human interaction is essential for trust. AI can answer a query in seconds, but it can’t reassure a nervous passenger before a flight delay or rebuild confidence after a failed delivery.

Here, the role of communications is twofold: first, ensuring employees understand how technology supports them rather than sidelines them; and second, helping organisations frame digital adoption in ways that show care, not coldness. The companies that rank highest in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index are those that combine digital efficiency with a clear internal narrative of empowerment, giving employees permission, tools and confidence to personalise service.

Case studies: Employee experience as lived communication

Heathrow Airport – The power of hello
In one of the world’s most complex service environments, Heathrow needed to improve passenger satisfaction while maintaining world-class security. We worked together to embed a campaign centred on one simple behaviour: greeting passengers with a warm “hello.” With communications training, prompts and recognition in place, security teams gained the confidence to make service interactions more human and reassuring. Passenger feedback showed significant improvements not only in satisfaction but also in perceptions of Heathrow’s culture of care and safety.

British Airways – Bring the warmth
Post-pandemic, British Airways faced the dual challenge of scaling operations rapidly while onboarding thousands of new staff. In the rush, what risked being lost was the warmth of service that once defined the globally renowned brand. We helped re-centre this human connection, turning service back into a point of pride and purpose – for employees and the organisation. The result? Improved passenger feedback about warmth and personal connection, alongside employees reporting greater pride, meaning and confidence in their roles.

Aldi – Service heroes
During a previous National Customer Service Week, Aldi wanted to celebrate its unique approach to service - brilliant basics delivered with simplicity and efficiency - while helping colleagues across stores, warehouses and head office see how their roles shape the customer experience. We created Service Heroes, a unifying campaign where colleagues can nominate one another and share stories that showcase excellent customer service. The result? Colleagues reported greater pride and recognition in their work, while Aldi reinforced its reputation for delivering “Best in Town” experiences, every day.

In all cases, service behaviours became a form of corporate storytelling: simple human actions, consistently delivered, amplified organisational messages about care, safety and quality.

A call to action this National Customer Service Week

As organisations mark National Customer Service Week, many will spotlight new tools, loyalty schemes or customer feedback channels. These are valuable, but the real opportunity lies behind the scenes in the daily experience of employees, and in how that experience is communicated and reinforced.

We implore you to consider:

•   Are employees clear, confident and recognised for delivering both efficiency and empathy?
•   Does your technology strategy empower employees, and do your internal and corporate messages make that clear?
•   Do you treat employee experience as a core part of your corporate story, one that underpins reputation and stakeholder trust?

At McCann Synergy, we believe the future of customer service won’t be decided by AI versus people, but by how organisations enable their people to make the difference. Supported and motivated employees don’t just create happier customers. They embody and communicate the values that protect reputations, reassure stakeholders and drive long-term growth. That is the real power of experience.