Case: Improving Team Culture to Strengthen Customer Experience Internal Survey Initiative – Guinness

Context:

As a Bar Supervisor at the Arthur Guinness Bar in Dublin Airport, I work in a high-volume, high-pressure environment where customer service is essential — and product differentiation is limited due to our exclusivity contract with Diageo. In this context, our people and service quality become our most valuable assets.

The Challenge:

Despite delivering consistent service, I noticed signs of team dissatisfaction: communication gaps, low morale, perceived unfairness in task distribution, and limited leadership visibility. These internal tensions, while not always visible to customers, had the potential to erode both team cohesion and the customer experience.

The Solution:

I took the initiative to design and run an anonymous staff satisfaction survey. The goal was to understand what was working, what wasn’t, and how the team truly felt. Questions addressed communication, role clarity, recognition, and perceived fairness.

The results revealed important insights — many of which had never been openly discussed. Based on this feedback, I drafted improvement proposals focused on:

• Clearer communication and daily handovers
• Role rotation to prevent burnout and repetition
• Fairness in task allocation
• Creating informal spaces for recognition and feedback

Expected Impact:

The initiative sparked internal discussions and gave voice to the team. By addressing low-cost but high-impact issues, we aimed to boost team morale, reduce internal friction, and strengthen service quality — particularly important in an airport setting where customer interaction is brief, but impression matters.

What I Learned:

This experience reinforced my belief that customer experience begins with employee experience. It also sharpened my skills in listening, analysis, and internal communication — all essential for my transition into the CX and marketing space.