Who is Caela Castillo?

Meet Caela Castillo, the Director of Customer Experience at Jaxxon!

About Jaxxon

Jaxxon specializes in high-end jewelry. While gold and silver chain necklaces feature prominently in their product line, there are many other pieces available to choose from as well, including pendants, bracelets, and more.

Jaxxon has more than one million customers and is sold in over one hundred countries. With a sizable number of their offerings meeting the standards established by the Responsible Jewelry Council, Jaxxon is dedicated to ethical sourcing.

Caela’s CX Journey

Caela’s entry into Jaxxon came through a family connection. Caela's brother, Jarett, who was friends with Jaxxon's co-founders, introduced her to the company in January 2021. "Jarett was like, 'Hey Caela, if you're looking for a job, we really need someone and we're not entirely sure what we need,'" she recalls. This opportunity came at a pivotal time for Jaxxon, which had started in 2018 but experienced significant growth in 2020.

Initially working remotely from New York, Caela leveraged her customer service experience while also expanding her skillset into marketing and copywriting. This multifaceted role allowed her to contribute to Jaxxon's growth during its crucial expansion phase, marking her first foray into the E-Commerce sector after years in traditional retail and service industries.

Now well-established in her CX role, Caela focuses on problem-solving through direct communication.

"Sometimes if you just send a screenshot of a report it doesn't translate. But if you're talking about it, it might pique their interest," she notes. This approach allows her to spark curiosity and encourage deeper discussions about products or processes, fostering a more collaborative and productive work environment.

The CX Team at Jaxxon

Caela manages a medium-sized team at Jaxxon. Her leadership style focuses on nurturing individual strengths within that group.

She explains her approach to team development: "Once we notice like, hey, they handle this really, well, we want to help them grow. And usually what I do is I ask, is there a specific area that you would either like to learn more about or you think you're really good at and you want to do more of?" This personalized method allows her to provide targeted training and growth opportunities, tailoring each team member's development to their interests and strengths.

Team Structure

The customer experience team at Jaxxon is structured with three lead agents who serve as primary points of contact. Beyond this leadership tier, individual agents are recognized and utilized for their unique strengths. Some excel in quality assurance, while others demonstrate proficiency with data analysis and Excel spreadsheets. An example of this is Donnah, a team lead from TalentPop who performs internally as a manager of customer experience as well. This has world-wide appeal for Jaxxon, and the goal is to continue to build this out further in the future.

“There's a lot of opportunities to work with your team, where it's not just like, hey, you answer the tickets, you're done at the end of the day .It's really bringing them in and making sure your team grows,” she explains.

This approach allows for diverse opportunities within the team, moving beyond the basic expectation of simply answering tickets. Team members are actively involved in various aspects of the operation, including reporting tasks, based on their specific skills.

The strategy of involving team members in different areas of work and recognizing their individual strengths has proven to be highly beneficial. It not only enhances the team's overall performance but also contributes to personal growth and job satisfaction among team members.

Approach to Hiring

Jaxxon's customer experience team requires adaptable individuals who can thrive in a fast-paced, 24/7 support environment. The ideal team members are those who are enthusiastic. “I want people who are really excited and eager to talk to our customers and to learn more about our brand,” she explains. 

The hiring process has evolved to identify candidates with specific strengths that complement the existing team. This includes assessing their previous work experience, communication style on calls, and writing abilities when interacting with customers. The goal is not just to find people who can answer questions, but to build a cohesive team that can handle the demands of busy periods like holidays.

CX Team Success Factors

The success of Jaxxon's customer experience team relies heavily on comprehensive training and open communication. A constantly updated training manual serves as a foundation, but the team goes beyond this with hands-on, situational training.

"We'll be right there in the platform, just like we're going to go through tickets because you can see as we're moving through the different tech stacks of different software, like how does someone on our team typically go through that?" This approach allows new hires to understand various workflows and find what works best for them. 

Caela views this as a two-way learning process: "I take it as an opportunity for me to learn from them as well because they're coming in with fresh minds."

Tech stack

Slack—[I just love] being able to keep those communications as tight as humanly possible.

Gorgias.

Revenue Generation/AI/topics of interest 

Caela encourages her agents to review new products from a customer’s perspective. This helps them converse more naturally with customers while also offering high-quality pre-purchase support. Through this understanding, CX can drive revenue through recommendations and upsells.

“We're not just looking to answer questions, we're looking to enhance the customer's experience with our brand," Caela explains.

By resolving issues efficiently and going above and beyond in their service, they turn potentially negative experiences into positive ones. This approach not only saves potential lost sales but often leads to repeat business.

"When a customer feels heard and valued, they're more likely to return and recommend us to others," she notes. The team also gathers valuable customer feedback, which informs product development and marketing strategies, indirectly contributing to increased sales and brand growth.

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