Who is Annalisa?

Meet Annalisa Micalizzi, the dynamic Head of Customer Care at ALOHAS.

About ALOHAS

ALOHAS is a fashion brand that is setting fire to the footwear and ready-to-wear industry by emphasizing sustainability. By becoming synonymous with stylish made-in-Spain and consciously crafted designs, ALOHAS has quickly appealed to fashion-forward shoppers who value environmental responsibility, allowing customers worldwide to shop on-demand the latest luxury fashion trends while keeping the planet clean. Without sacrificing quality, the brand's commitment to reducing waste and overproduction makes it one of a kind.

Annalisa’s Journey at ALOHAS

With an extensive background in hospitality management, customer support, and processes improvement across various sectors, Annalisa is a force to be reckoned with. Her tenure at ALOHAS, now approaching three years, has been characterized by transformative leadership, propelling the customer service team to unparalleled heights.

Annalisa's journey into the realm of customer service began in the scenic landscapes of Sicily, where she was born and raised. Her career has seen a remarkable evolution from providing support and guidance for language courses at European universities to managing customer service in the hospitality industry, and eventually to working for global corporations like General Motors and Expedia, training and coaching agents and focusing on customer education. Her move to Spain in 2012 marked a significant turning point in her career, ultimately leading her to her influential role at ALOHAS.

Under Annalisa's expert guidance, the customer service team at ALOHAS has blossomed into a formidable 9-member squad, primarily focusing on B2C and marketplaces interactions. With ambitious plans to expand their scope to progressively support B2B and retail channels, the team is gearing up for increased growth ahead. The transition to remote operations during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a game-changer, allowing ALOHAS to tap into a broader talent pool and offer support in five languages, ensuring availability seven days a week, and solidifying their commitment to exceptional customer service.

ALOHAS Approach To CX

ALOHAS is standing out in the fashion world, setting itself apart with its innovative pre-order model. In this unique approach, customers can purchase products at a reduced cost as compensation for their willingness to wait. Unlike traditional fashion calendars, this forward-thinking company launches numerous drops throughout the year. This creative strategy reduces waste, prevents overproduction, and creates a captivating and interactive journey for customers. With an impressive lineup of 27 product launches in just the past year, ALOHAS is continuously fine-tuning its offerings based on immediate customer feedback, offering a vibrant and adaptive shopping experience that keeps customers eagerly returning for more.

At the heart of customer service for Annalisa is the art of building authentic connections. She passionately advocates for recognizing the uniqueness of each customer, their personal situation, and the significance of their choices. Trust is the cornerstone of any customer relationship in today's digital shopping era. Annalisa and her dedicated team go above and beyond to ensure that every customer feels supported, confident, and valued in their interactions with ALOHAS, transforming the customer service experience into an unforgettable journey. Moreover, the Voice of the Customer (VoC) implementation by her guidance helps capturing, analyzing, and interpreting feedback and preferences of the customers, to be shared with the rest of the company to ensure the business can align its offers to the customer needs and really hear and learn from them. 

Leading a remote team presents its unique challenges, from bridging communication gaps to understanding cultural nuances. Annalisa champions the practice of over-communication, using tools like Slack to create a sense of unity and togetherness within her virtual team. Also, recommends ClickUp as a super powerful tool to work collaboratively, time-alined and that serves remote companies work. Despite hurdles such as technical issues and the lack of physical presence, her team has excelled in the art of remote collaboration, ensuring smooth operations and steadfast customer support. 

The CX Team at ALOHAS

Under the leadership of Annalisa Micalizzi, the Customer Care team at ALOHAS has experienced significant growth in experience and capacity. This improvement has elevated ALOHAS' customer service, setting a new standard in the industry. The Customer Experience (CX) journey at ALOHAS is built up together with various other teams, including Digital and Digital Product teams.

Expanding the CX team's support capabilities is a testament to the team's dedication to inclusivity and accessibility. Transitioning from offering assistance in two languages to now providing live and self-service support in five languages, the team has broadened its reach to serve ALOHAS' diverse global customer base better. While overseen by Annalisa, this expansion has been a collaborative effort, with each team member playing a crucial role in its implementation. The team results are brilliant: the overall NPS of the team has been over 92/100 during these last years, together with a CSAT always exceeding the customer satisfaction average ratings within fashion ecommerce.

In response to the unique challenges of ALOHAS' pre-order model, the team has united to implement proactive measures to keep customers informed about their order status. This united front has alleviated concerns about wait times and reinforced ALOHAS' commitment to transparency and customer satisfaction.

Annalisa’s CX Leadership Advice 

Annalisa emphasizes the importance of not relying on a single strategy when it comes to leadership. She believes in and she has learnt on the power of testing and learning, constantly exploring different solutions and approaches to find what works best for her team and the company. This adaptive strategy ensures that the team remains agile and responsive to the business's and its customers' ever-changing needs. Processes continuous improvement is also key to enhance efficiency and increase quality. 

One of the key leadership insights Annalisa shares is creating an open feedback culture within the team. She advocates for a space where information flows freely in both directions, and strives to help the company creating a robust “radical candor” attitude in conversations. This means not only providing feedback to team members but also encouraging them to share their thoughts and opinions with her. This approach helps build trust, fosters collaboration, and ensures that everyone feels valued and heard. Training and monitoring, continuos inputs on KPIs and goals, access to extensive knowledge bases and data dashboards also contribute massively on giving agents the confidence and ownership on their job. 

Annalisa stresses the importance of making sure her team understands the significance of their role in the company. She believes that customer service is not just about resolving issues but about being the bridge between the customer and the company. By highlighting the importance of their work, she works hard to build everyday with and for the team members a sense of purpose and motivation to perform at their best.

Overall, Annalisa advises fellow CX leaders to embrace flexibility and continuous learning and to foster a culture of feedback and recognition. By instilling a sense of value and alignment with the company's objectives, CX leaders can inspire their teams to reach new heights of success, driving both customer satisfaction and business growth.

AI or No AI?

Annalisa acknowledges the potential of AI to enhance efficiency and personalize interactions but emphasizes that its successful integration requires careful planning and a human-centric approach. While since 2022 ALOHAS has already started and fully embrace automation in improving processes, average handle time and resolution time of customer queries, the company is exploring AI solutions to augment their customer service, ensuring that technology complements rather than replaces the personal touch that is central to their brand ethos.

AI is definitely in the radar of this sustainable company to improve efficiency and scalability of the customer support, however Annalisa is carefully looking at tools that reduce the risks of lack of human touch, accuracy and reliability among others. The team has collectively ensured that the personal connection ALOHAS' customers value is maintained. The careful and thoughtful integration of AI will be a group endeavor, with each member contributing to the balance between efficiency and genuine customer care.

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