1. Empower your team to handle escalations independently: Ethan values autonomy, believing it fosters better problem-solving and reduces escalation bottlenecks.
2. Focus on prompt service, not just ticket count: Ethan found that focusing on response time, rather than volume, leads to a more satisfying customer experience.
3. Prioritize adaptability in your team: Given the dynamic nature of customer service, Ethan believes adaptability is key for agents handling varied situations.
4. Build strong team communication: Ethan emphasizes the benefits of working in close quarters to create strong bonds and better team coordination.
5. Be cautious with AI integration: Ethan is hesitant about AI replacing human interaction, prioritizing the quality of customer experience over automation.
Ethan Bringhurst's world at Chirp, where a department dedicated to customer experience is more than just that—it's a passion! Find out how he fosters a culture of collaboration and agility to handle the difficulties of CX. Through his distinct perspectives, Ethan divulges how his group converts obstacles into triumphs, one client encounter at a time.
Ethan Bringhurst is the Manager of Customer Experience at Chirp!
Chirp produces percussive massage products designed to relieve muscle tension. Their “Chirp Wheel,” product line provides users with a wide range of ways to relax and exercise various muscle groups through dynamic poses.
Ethan began his journey into customer experience as an agent, working his way through the ranks until he became the Manager of Customer Experience at Chirp. Ethan finds the work fulfilling.
“One of the things that I personally enjoy is to go across and help a lot of customers throughout the whole situation. I think there's a lot of fun in working with different departments, being able to take feedback from customers.”
He leads a small but effective team of four people, all of whom work together in one office. “The main reason we like to be in the office is just because it helps build a closer team where we all get to communicate more."
The close quarters have helped Ethan’s team members develop strong bonds. He reports that everyone works well together. Their biggest challenge? Effectively leveraging feedback to have the highest possible impact. They negotiate this concern through relatively simple means.
When it comes to new team members, Ethan believes in the importance of determination and a willingness to learn. Many customer service skills can be trained into a person, but it starts with a strong foundation.
He leverages a flexible approach to training new hires. "We try to train really fast. Whether it's sitting down with someone, shadowing, and kind of taking on new challenges.”
He believes this approach is uniquely important due to the dynamic nature of CX. Circumstances are never exactly the same, requiring agents to be able to adjust and adapt. “A lot of our problems in CX do happen to be one-off situations that can change.”
Ethan notes that his team’s primary customer interaction channel is email. "Most of our customers prefer to come in through email right now.”
Through these tools Ethan’s team is given latitude to handle most customer complaints on their own, using whatever resolution strategies feel appropriate to them.
"We aim to empower all our representatives to manage escalations independently to a high standard.”
While he personally handles some escalations, the team prioritizes preemptive problem-solving. They anticipate potential issues during operations setup, aiming to mitigate problems before they arise.
However, despite proactive measures, challenges can still occur, such as delayed shipments during peak seasons. In such cases, Ethan emphasizes prompt communication with customers, offering multiple solutions to address their concerns before they escalate further.
Ethan formerly relied on a fairly uniform approach to key performance indicators. "Previously, we relied on ticket count, but we discovered it resulted in poor customer experience.”
He observed that concentrating solely on ticket count encouraged agents to artificially prolong conversations. Instead, the team now prioritizes measuring time, particularly the wait time from when a customer initiates contact to when they receive assistance. While they also monitor ticket counts and contact resolution, his primary focus remains on ensuring prompt service to enhance customer satisfaction.
Keeping a close eye on these metrics is particularly important during peak periods of activity. Because Chirp provides very gift-oriented products, they find that their customer contact volume can double or even triple around Christmas. By focusing on key data points, Ethan and his team ensure that the highest possible service is delivered even when the cards are down.
Ethan is hesitant to embrace AI. “Right now, when it comes to AI, one of the worries I personally have is that can a chatbot really replace a human being? And if so, is it given the same level of experience to the customer? If not, don't want to move forward with it, but I do think if you can get that, there's a lot of opportunity.”
While he’s open to the potential of AI integration down the line, the majority of support at Chirp is currently administered by humans.
Gladly
Excel
Workbooks
Number 1 Tool: Gladly.
Most Important Quality in a New Hire: Just being open to learn.
Favorite Communication Channels: Phone call.
Influential Book or Podcast: Roger Martin’s Harvard Business Review on Strategic Thinking
Number 1 Challenge: I think it just ties back to just organizational skills of just being able to present information out to other departments and just bringing that full circle.
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