In a recent webinar hosted by Perceptyx, Naketrice Snow, Director of People Experience at Mohegan, shared how this global gaming and entertainment leader has successfully applied employee listening feedback to transform its culture and improve its customer experience.
A Commitment to Listen and Act
In her presentation, Snow described Mohegan’s multi-channel listening program, encompassing both engagement surveys and lifecycle listening, and how it evolved from a traditional, static format to a more dynamic and integrated approach. She elaborated on the organization’s approach to leveraging this data: "We began to see opportunities where we are doing well and areas needing improvement. Year over year, we were seeing an increase in our customer experience (CX) scores based on our employee experience (EX) scores and the actionable steps taken to address EX."
Employee feedback mechanisms have been tightly woven into Mohegan’s strategic initiatives. Leaders at all levels engage with the data to ensure that the action plans are robust and directly address the feedback provided by team members. Snow detailed the practical application of this data: "We share our leadership scorecards and dashboards with our property leaders so they can share them with their teams. They talk about them in huddles. We also use back-of-house bulletin boards to put these numbers out there so that the front-line team members feel connected to the scores."
One of the strengths of Mohegan’s program is its adaptability and responsiveness to new insights and technological advancements. "As Perceptyx has continued to increase what its software integrates with [including key HRIS platforms like Workday], it has enabled us to do new kinds of listening," Snow explained.
Snow also discussed the phased maturity of listening strategies within the organization, illustrating how Mohegan moved from 'episodic listening' — large scale, infrequent surveys — to 'continuous conversations at scale.' This progression ensures that feedback is not only gathered but is also acted upon in a timely and effective manner, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Overcoming Skepticism
When discussing barriers to effective listening, Snow highlighted the initial challenges of encouraging participation without fear of retaliation, and the importance of transparency in the survey process. She detailed measures taken to overcome these barriers, such as educational campaigns about survey confidentiality and the visible display of action taken on feedback.
"The first year we did the [engagement] survey, almost all of our properties did it anonymously, but we were determined to move them to a confidential survey that could be attributed to individual properties so that we could have the most robust analytics. Property leadership can now compile their own dashboards and scorecards to share metrics of organizational health from a people perspective," said Snow.
Mohegan faced the common issue of low survey participation as well as skepticism about the confidentiality of employee feedback provided. To overcome these challenges, the organization implemented a robust communications strategy. According to Snow, "We initiated a comprehensive campaign using our enterprise newsletter, rallies, and personalized meetings to educate our team members about the confidentiality and importance of their feedback."
Hotel leadership also showcased the administrative functionality of the Perceptyx platform through videos at the Niagara Casino, allowing employees to see firsthand that their personal data remained private. At Mohegan Casino Las Vegas, efforts to boost survey participation were particularly successful, achieving a remarkable 90% survey response rate for two consecutive years. Snow praised the methods used: "We organized pre-survey rallies and daily huddles to ensure every team member knew how and why their feedback was necessary. It's all about the personal touch and making our team members feel they are genuinely heard."
Linking Survey Insights to Business Outcomes
The strategic emphasis on employee experience led to tangible improvements in customer service metrics. "We observed a direct correlation between our engaged employees and our service quality," Snow explained, noting that corporate leaders regularly review EX data alongside CX scores. Mohegan's focused approach resulted in a 3-point increase in enterprise CX scores from 2022 to 2023, which is five points above industry benchmarks.
Snow described the philosophy underpinning their approach, rooted in the Harvard Business Review’s Service-Profit Chain model: "If you take care of your team members, they will take care of the guests, and the guests will remain loyal. This loyalty grows the profit chain."
The numbers tell an impressive story. Properties like Mohegan Casino Las Vegas and Resorts Casino Hotel Atlantic City have seen significant gains in their Net Promoter Scores (NPS), with increases of 12.2 and 6.3 points respectively.
Comprehensive use of the Perceptyx People Insights Platform for engagement surveys and lifecycle listening has been central to Mohegan's strategy. The platform facilitates a deep dive into employee sentiment and engagement levels, allowing leaders to craft targeted initiatives that address specific needs and opportunities for improvement. "Our approach to employee engagement is integrated into our operational strategy, which allows us to continuously improve and transform," Snow said. "The insights gained from these surveys shape initiatives that resonate with our team members."
Mohegan by the Numbers
Snow summed up the session with a powerful reflection on their progress and outlook: "Our journey from just measuring engagement to actively working to increase it is a continuous loop of feedback and improvement that drives our success."
- Achieved a 90% response rate for two consecutive years at Mohegan Casino Las Vegas.
- Introduced vibrant visual display walls to transparently share survey results, priorities, and progress toward initiatives.
- Observed a 73% increase in favorability across survey categories from 2022 to 2023.
- Demonstrated the EX to CX link by mapping the correlation between highly engaged staff, eNPS and NPS scores, and organizational health.
- Noted a 3-point increase in enterprise CX scores from 2022 to 2023, exceeding industry benchmarks by five points.
For more detailed insights and to review the strategies discussed, watch the full webinar and then schedule a meeting with a member of our team.