Global media and technology leader Comcast began its partnership with Perceptyx more than a decade ago, reflecting a long-term commitment to employee listening. Our joint work began with Perceptyx overseeing Comcast’s annual “Your Voice” engagement survey and has expanded to include Employee Net Promoter (eNPS), pulse, and lifecycle listening.
Despite initial challenges in mapping Comcast's complex organizational structure, both teams persevered. "It took us a couple of months to get it where we wanted, but now we just send updated annual data files to the Perceptyx team, and they make sure it's updated on that side," said Dan Fiedler, Director of Employee Engagement with Comcast.
The flexibility of Perceptyx's People Insights Platform allowed for detailed mapping and insightful reporting. Annie Geckle, Manager of Employee Engagement, highlighted a key benefit: "The self-service survey capability has been really helpful, and we use that a lot to answer specific, targeted questions about business outcomes."
Developing Leaders Through Feedback
Comcast has also leveraged Perceptyx's platform to implement various feedback mechanisms for leadership development. "We've run learning and development self-reflections via the platform," said Geckle, "where we have a cohort going through different coaching programs as new managers or as managers, and they're asked to reflect on their abilities before and after, based on what they learned in the program."
The company used insights from these programs to refine its leadership training curriculum and built a power app called U-Learn. "We didn't just ask HR what skills you need. We used the Perceptyx platform to ask business leaders and people in operations, sales, all throughout the company, 'What skills do you need and what skills does your team need to keep growing our business in the future?'" Geckle explained.
Addressing Employee Turnover
Comcast's focus on reducing turnover has been significantly informed by Perceptyx's detailed insights. "For the past several years, what we've seen is that the largest gap between those who stay and those who leave is in engagement," Geckle said. This insight has driven strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing employee retention, particularly among front-line employees.
The team has leveraged Perceptyx's analytics to identify key drivers of turnover and implement targeted interventions. Key initiatives include new programs to promote internal talent mobility and development, as well as targeted training for people leaders to improve their relationships with team members.
Leveraging eNPS for Employee Feedback
Comcast uses the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) as one key component of its employee listening strategy. While the numerical score is important, Geckle emphasized that "the whole story is in the comments. So that's where I get most of the benefit from it."
Comcast has achieved high participation rates in its confidential eNPS surveys and other listening events. "We have a 90% response rate in the annual survey this year for the second year in a row, and eNPS is 80-ish percent now," Geckle reported.
Agile Listening Capabilities
The People Insights Platform has significantly enhanced Comcast's ability to maintain a continuous conversation at scale with its people. Geckle highlighted the impact of the platform's flexibility: "The ability to quickly create and launch surveys has been really helpful, and we use that a lot as we think about business outcomes."
This has proven particularly valuable in rapidly changing situations, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform's flexibility and ease of use make it easier for people leaders to access and action employee feedback results across the organization.
Powerful Comment Analysis
Comcast has applied Perceptyx's robust comment analysis capabilities to gain deeper insights into employee sentiment and concerns. "We use comment analysis a lot, and the theming as well. We track themes over time," Geckle explained. This feature has allowed the team to identify emerging trends and concerns among employees quickly.
The depth of qualitative feedback gives Comcast access to insights that might otherwise have been missed. The Perceptyx platform's ability to cross-reference themes across different types of surveys has enabled Comcast to develop a more holistic understanding of their employees' experiences and concerns.
Driving Business Outcomes
These listening insights have directly contributed to tangible business outcomes for Comcast. By focusing on areas identified through employee feedback, such as compensation, leadership development, and career growth opportunities, Comcast has seen significant improvements in both employee retention and performance.
"Tying that back to the kind of analysis that brought us here, as we have looked at our drivers of engagement over the years, the top driver of engagement, regardless of group, is confidence in survey action," Geckle explained. This insight has driven a company-wide focus on not just collecting feedback, but visibly acting on it and communicating the results of those actions.
A Partnership Built for the Future
As Comcast continues to evolve and grow, its partnership with Perceptyx remains a cornerstone of its employee engagement strategy. The company is exploring new ways to leverage the platform's capabilities, using artificial intelligence for more advanced comment analysis and predictive analytics for turnover risk.
"I'd like to think that we help you as much as you help us," Fiedler concluded. "And Perceptyx has certainly been a true partner and a big help to us for over 10 years now."
To dive deeper into Comcast’s listening and action journey, as well as the resulting business outcomes, read the full case study.