At A Glance

Ever wondered how a startup like Blenders Eyewear turned into a CX sensation? Jessica Bardo reveals her recipe for blending a small, tight-knit team with international support to keep customers smiling around the clock. Dive into her world of skill-based assignments and innovation.

Who is Jessica?

Jessica Bardo is the CX Manager at Blenders Eyewear!

About Blenders Eyewear

Founded in 2012, Blenders Eyewear has quickly become one of the fastest-growing sunglasses brands in the country. Started by passionate surfer, Chase Fisher, the company produces stylish eyewear for every occasion. 

Fisher started the company out of his backpack after graduating from SDSU. While the original product line was geared toward beachish eyewear, it has now expanded considerably to include snow sports-related products and prescription eyewear. 

Jessica’s CX Journey

In 2018, Jessica embarked on a professional journey with Blenders Eyewear, marking the beginning of what has developed into a six-year tenure with the San Diego-based brand.

She began as an agent but developed into the leadership role she currently holds over time. Jessica says that when she started at Blenders, the department consisted of just several people. The rest of the company wasn’t much bigger. 

"When I joined, I was like the 10th or 11th person at the company," Jessica said. 

The company has grown since then, with CX expanding alongside it. 

"Now we're in a pretty fancy office that's twice the size.”

Despite the expansion, the customer service department remains relatively small, consisting of seven dedicated individuals, including Jessica. However, she gets a lot done with a small but dedicated team. 

The CX Team At Blenders Eyewear

Jessica’s team consists of five in-house agents working in a mix of a hybrid/remote setup. While most of the agents are based in San Diego, there is one who works out of Washington. The team also benefits from offshore BPO support particularly during busy seasons, ensuring flexibility in staffing.

Jessica leverages skill-based assignments to allow each agent to explore their strengths. One person specializes in prescription support, collaborating with the lab for prescription-related queries. Another manages snow warranty requests.

This strategic division of labor ensures that all agents are given the opportunity to pursue the work that interests them. It also helps guarantee that customers are receiving the best possible service. 

However, Jessica also recognizes the need to keep things fresh so her team remains engaged. 

“I try my best to divide up their time and kind of break it up and stuff because sometimes our core responsibilities can be a little redundant and repetitive, so I do like to try to give everyone projects to work on or if they do have a special interest.”

Managing International Teams

Ensuring round-the-clock customer service is a priority for Blenders Eyewear.

"Our goal is to try to service customers 24-7, seven days a week, so we do have teams in a lot of different time zones," Jessica explained. The company strategically leverages outsourcing to maintain continuous customer support, recognizing the importance of being available whenever their customers need assistance.

Blenders Eyewear extends its reach across different continents, with Jamaica and Indonesia being the primary locations for outsourcing. "Those two we always have, sometimes there's teams in Kenya," Jessica added.

Despite the geographical diversity, Jessica emphasized the strong relationships they've built with their outsourcing teams. "It is awesome…We're really close with our Jamaica team and our Indonesia team.”

KPIs Jessica is Tracking

Jessica uses KPIs sparingly compared to some CX leaders. "We used to look at KPIs bi-weekly during our one-on-ones, but later we shifted to a monthly basis.”

She still finds key performance indicators important. However, her focus as a leader is not to zero in on a single metric, but rather to think about the overall experience each agent is providing. 

"I check for how many tickets they close in their review period, what their CSAT score was, and we use case reviews." 

Her ultimate goal in performance reviews is to make sure that the brand’s image is being upheld in every customer interaction. "I would just pull a random case review, check their phone tone, listen to calls, and do a quality check," she explained. 

Jessica’s leadership style has facilitated a high retention rate. Everyone on her team has been with the company for more than two years. Not only does this speak to her effectiveness as a CX manager but it also trickles down to the customers, who benefit from an expert support team. 

AI or No AI?

Jessica advocates for a careful approach to AI integration. “I think there's definitely a place for it here. We've been using it a little bit. We're cautious about how much AI we use and what we use it for because we don't want to lose that human interaction with our customers," Jessica explained.

"We currently use it now. We've used Thankful, Gladly’s AI tool, for many years. And then we also introduced Solvvy, who just recently got bought out by Zoom, so now it's called Zoom Virtual Agent, but that's on the site as well.”

Jessica is optimistic overall about the role AI will play in the future of CX. "I think it's been really, really good for us. I think AI can help enhance the customer experience and can help lower ticket volume." 

However, Jessica also advocates for a cautious approach, recognizing the importance of preserving genuine human interactions. "So, I'm a supporter of it, but I think to use some caution with how much AI you want to introduce, probably smart," she concluded. Like most CX managers, she ultimately believes that there is a human component to customer service that can’t be easily replaced. 

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