Merlin rolls out NiCE CXone across 140 attractions

Merlin Entertainments has deployed NiCE CXone across its attractions business to manage guest service interactions. The system is now in use at more than 140 attractions in 24 countries.

The technology supports guest contact from trip planning and ticketing to in-park support and post-visit enquiries. Merlin, which runs brands including LEGOLAND Resorts, Madame Tussauds, SEA LIFE and Sydney Tower Eye, said it welcomed 60.5 million guests across its estate in 2025.

The rollout marks a broad use of artificial intelligence in customer service at a major leisure group. Merlin said the platform handles routine requests, helps staff during live interactions and directs more complex cases to specialist teams.

Since the deployment, issue resolution rates have risen to 95% from 75%. Call answer rates increased to 93% from 78%, while Merlin's helpfulness customer satisfaction score rose to 9.4 from 8.3 and its "Likely to Recommend" score increased to 9.3 from 8.3.

Merlin chose the system to connect stages of the guest journey that are often handled separately, such as reservations, ticketing and support. According to figures released by the business, this has enabled service teams to respond more quickly and resolve more cases at the first point of contact.

Operational shift

For operators of theme parks and visitor attractions, customer service can include online bookings, reservation changes, accessibility questions, on-site issues and post-visit follow-up. Demand can also fluctuate sharply during holiday periods, school breaks and weather disruption, making staffing and response times difficult to manage at scale.

Merlin's global footprint adds another layer of complexity. The group operates across multiple countries and brands, so its service systems must handle different markets, visitor patterns and operating models while maintaining a consistent standard of response.

Naomi Sale Hancock, Director of Guest Service and Standards at Merlin Entertainments, outlined how the company sees the platform's role in that process.

"From LEGOLAND to Madame Tussauds, every visit should feel effortless and memorable for our guests," said Naomi Sale Hancock, Director of Guest Service and Standards at Merlin Entertainments. "With NiCE, we can connect customer journeys across our resorts and attractions, giving our teams the tools to respond faster, solve issues sooner, and keep the focus where it belongs on creating great experiences that guests want to come back for."

The figures suggest Merlin has focused on practical service measures rather than automation volumes alone. Issue resolution, call answering and recommendation scores are closely watched in visitor-facing businesses because they can affect repeat visits and the handling of complaints during peak periods.

Broader adoption

Artificial intelligence tools have spread rapidly through contact centres, but large consumer-facing businesses have often moved in stages. Many began with chatbots or simple self-service functions before extending automation into routing, agent guidance and cross-channel support. Merlin's implementation points to a more integrated approach, using one platform across a broad estate of attractions.

NiCE said its system is being used to orchestrate interactions across the full guest journey. In practice, that means the software identifies straightforward enquiries that can be handled automatically, surfaces prompts to staff during conversations and passes more difficult cases to the team best placed to deal with them.

Darren Rushworth, President of NiCE International, described the arrangement as part of a wider shift in service operations.

"Merlin Entertainments is embracing an AI-first customer service model that puts connected, personalised guest experiences at the heart of every interaction," said Darren Rushworth, President of NiCE International. "From planning a visit to post-visit engagement, NiCE CXone enables Merlin to seamlessly orchestrate guest journeys across its attractions, empowering employees with CX AI to deliver faster, more proactive service while driving operational efficiency and stronger guest loyalty."

The deployment also reflects how attractions operators are trying to improve the guest experience beyond the physical visit itself. For many visitors, the quality of the booking process, the response to a question or the speed of fixing a problem can shape their view of a venue before they arrive and after they leave.

Merlin said CXone is now supporting those touchpoints across its portfolio, with the strongest reported improvement in issue resolution, which rose by 20 percentage points to 95%.