Who is Vasco?

Meet Vasco Fernandes, the Head of Operations and Customer Experience at Hey Harper!

About Hey Harper

Hey Harper offers waterproof jewelry crafted from stainless steel and fortified by a 10x stronger coating process named PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition). Their pieces promise enduring quality that will not rust or tarnish. 

Vasco’s CX Journey

‍Vasco, Hey Harper's first employee, has dedicated the past five years to the company's growth. He spearheaded the formation of a specialized customer experience team, providing personalized and efficient service. Vasco reminisces about the early days, saying, "For like the first year or two, I was answering all emails and direct messages myself." His hands-on approach in these initial stages was crucial in shaping the company's customer service values and practices.

“It was very exciting for me to have this [contact] with customers to see what were some of their concerns about the jewelry, shipping, and the information we present on our website,” he says, “What’s most exciting for me as a customer service leader is being able to see those concerns directly.”

Vasco emphasizes the critical role of customer service in driving brand improvement. In Vasco's words: "It’s as simple as if an order is lost or an order is not delivered. It’s all a matter of numbers and seeing how much we can afford to keep the customer satisfied."

Generating Revenue Through CX

Hey Harper now proudly offers free returns thanks to expanded fulfillment centers and proximity to customers, aligning with contemporary customer expectations. 

Vasco's CX team constantly assesses customer expectations from jewelry brands, evaluating how Hey Harper can provide meaningful service and eliminate friction in the customer experience. The team adopts a proactive stance, particularly in managing product issues. 

When customers receive a broken or incorrect item, the team immediately offers a straightforward solution. Vasco states, "If you're looking for a refund for your broken item, we will simply give it to you."  This approach not only bypasses traditional return processes, directly resolving issues to enhance customer satisfaction but also prevents refunds that could impact financials and empowers customers to choose an alternative product.

Decision-making at Hey Harper involves the board. Together, they work on addressing customer concerns, promoting a lifetime color warranty, and evaluating advertisements. Vasco notes, "It requires various departments to align their data and seek improvement opportunities."

Innovative Team Structure

Vasco's leadership style embodies adaptability and inclusivity. Team members have the flexibility to choose between remote or in-person work, with the majority opting for office collaboration. Some team members also adopt a hybrid schedule, working two to three days per week. The close-knit and friendly dynamic among the team, according to Vasco, is a cornerstone for fostering a great work environment.

Under the leadership of their team lead, the CX team is at the forefront of overseeing all support processes. They have implemented a targeted approach, dividing responsibilities among team members to handle specific tasks like Instagram DMs, addressing poor reviews, and managing returns.

Outsourcing the Team

Hey Harper initially had doubts about outsourcing but found success when they found their first provider in June 2023. The outsourced team now provides customer support for 15 hours daily thanks to the different time zones each agent lives in. 

Adding more outsourced agents simplified the learning process and reduced hiring burdens during peak seasons for Vasco’s team. Regular meetings helped agents understand operational intricacies, familiarizing them with tools like Shopify and Gorgias, resulting in effective collaboration despite initial challenges. 

The team's approach, involving direct engagement and coordination for complex issues and using Slack for communication, has yielded excellent results, especially in managing customer dissatisfaction.

Tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The support team at Hey Harper primarily tracks KPIs like agent satisfaction ratings, first response time, and issue resolution duration. The addition of two outsourced agents significantly reduced response times, greatly improving customer satisfaction and altering their perception. Furthermore, The team manages TrustPilot reviews and oversees the customer experience related to returns and reviews, addressing negative feedback swiftly. 

Vasco’s team also tracks post-purchase experiences via email, particularly those influenced by discount offers for claimed items. While these emails can drive sales, the team's focus is on gathering data for product quality improvement, not just revenue generation. This approach informs procurement and supply chain decisions, enhancing overall product quality.

Through these metrics, Vasco's team has achieved significant improvements in customer interactions and operational efficiency, thereby elevating the company's customer experience management.

Tech Stack

Gorgias

Shopify

Yotpo

ReturnGo

Slack

To AI or Not to AI?

While acknowledging the inevitable integration of AI in customer support, Vasco emphasizes that Hey Harper currently focuses on delivering excellent service and accurate responses using non-AI methods. “It takes more time for us to actually set up machine learning answers than it takes for us to answer,” he says. In other words, Vasco is open to AI but believes it is not yet the right time for its implementation. ‍

Advice to Other CX Leaders

Vasco emphasizes team members' long-term growth and development within the company, encouraging them to thrive in their roles for at least a year. He recognizes the challenge of motivating those who are content with their responsibilities and resistant to change.

In the rapidly expanding startup environment, Vasco stresses the importance of continuous learning for all team members. They are urged to surpass previous capabilities, autonomously solve problems, and contribute to overall growth. Vasco highlights the direct link between individual growth and company success, emphasizing that stagnation in team development hinders higher-level executives and the company as a whole. In this context, Vasco stresses the need for consistent skill improvement and self-presentation at every tier.