How customer interactions can energise jaded frontline service staff

The study is titled ‘Emotional Energy: When Customer Interactions Energise Service Employees’ and is authored by Julien Cayla and Brigitte Auriacombe. 

Contrary to the popular belief that customer interactions in the service industry are essentially draining, the study shows that under certain conditions, these interactions can rejuvenate service employees.  

Service interactions can generate high levels of emotional energy, similar to the confidence and excitement experienced at a concert or sports game. 

The key question is: How can customer interactions become a source of emotional energy for frontline service staff? 

The Club Med experience 

The study is based on research conducted in Club Med resorts, a unique service environment where employees and customers frequently participate in high-energy activities together – such as singing, dancing, playing sports or sharing drinks and meals. 

At Club Med, rituals such as the iconic ‘Crazy Signs’ dance performed every evening by staff and guests serve as powerful sources of emotional energy. The synchronisation of movements and emotions not only enhances the experience for customers but also energises the employees who lead them.  

The research highlights the importance of autonomy and status in generating emotional energy. Employees who have more control over their work and who are given opportunities to elevate their status, even temporarily, are more likely to experience positive emotional energy. 

“Our findings challenge the conventional wisdom that service interactions are inherently depleting. Instead, we argue that under the right conditions – such as opportunities for entrainment, autonomy and status elevation – customer interactions can be a source of emotional rejuvenation for service employees,” says Cayla. 

This has important implications for service organisations seeking to improve employee well-being and engagement. By fostering environments where positive customer interactions can flourish, organisations can help their employees maintain high levels of emotional energy that can lead to better service outcomes and lower turnover. 

Lessons for Chief Marketing Officers 

Among the takeaways for CMOs: 

• Increase employee autonomy and status. Cycling brands like Rapha arrange outings where customers and employees ride together. These experiences act as a regenerative moment for employees because the power differential associated with serving someone is temporarily removed. Such an environment develops common ground between service employees and customers. 

• Create ‘breathing rituals’. Organisations should consider introducing ‘breathing rituals’. These are moments that allow employees and customers to interact on a more equal footing. For example, in some cases, Club Med employees and guests form lasting bonds through experiences such as sharing a meal or drinks. These interactions are both pleasurable and serve as a counterbalance to the more routine, hierarchical aspects of service work. 

This shift in perspective – from seeing customer interactions as a burden to viewing them as an opportunity for emotional renewal – could help address the persistent challenges faced by the service industry. 

You can find out more about the study here.