1. Prioritize soft skills in hiring: Paul emphasizes hiring problem-solvers with genuine enthusiasm for helping others, as this ensures personalized and effective customer support.
2. Balance efficiency with personalization: Paul seeks quick issue resolution but stresses the need for deeper engagement through personalized services like virtual consultations to build long-term relationships.
3. Be proactive in customer engagement: Paul notes that a lack of customer outreach is a red flag, often signaling a technical issue or shifting market demands that need to be addressed quickly.
4. Use AI to enhance agent capabilities, not replace them: Paul believes AI should assist agents by aggregating useful data, enabling personalized customer recommendations with full context.
5. Adapt quickly to business changes: Paul points out that CX leaders must be agile, as the fast pace of business requires quick adjustments, especially when new initiatives don’t work as planned.
Meet Paul Bierne, the Head of Customer Experience at Proper Cloth!
Since its inception in 2008, Proper Cloth has been dedicated to offering made-to-order clothing designed to ensure a perfect fit for every customer. They do this by using predictive algorithms and 3-D visualization tools that give customers significant control over their orders.
This process provides customers with high-end clothing priced competitively.
Paul began at Proper Cloth nine years ago. Before that, he’d always had a passion for fashion. After a failed attempt at launching his own brand, Paul decided he still wanted to integrate his interests with his professional talents. Having worked previously as a consultant running help desks for customer software projects at Deloitte and Booz Allen, he found an opportunity at Proper Cloth.
Early Days at Proper Cloth
Paul's transition to Proper Cloth began with an informal meeting with the company's founder. "I got a meeting with our founder, Seth. Had coffee, told him what I do and what I'm interested in," Paul says.
This impromptu meeting resulted in an immediate job offer, setting the stage for his long-standing role at the company. Starting as an agent in the showroom, Paul quickly applied his consulting background to scale the online support side of customer experience, a role he continues to lead and develop.
What Excited Paul About CX
The most fulfilling aspect of the job for Paul is the impact Proper Cloth has on customers who struggle to find well-fitting clothing. "For some people, custom clothing is the only way they're ever going to find something that they look and feel good in," he explains.
Paul takes pride in providing a rewarding experience for these customers, making custom clothing accessible and convenient. "We really center the customer in everything we do," he adds.
The CX team at Proper Cloth has evolved and changed over Paul’s almost decade-long tenure. Originally, the customer service department operated entirely in-house out of a New York City showroom. Working in this environment produced hybrid responsibilities.
The support team alternated between handling in-person customer interactions and remote communications.
Pivoting into Remote Communications
COVID-19 changed things. During the pandemic, most operations became remote.
"We pivoted to online appointments, which we still host," Paul notes.
The physical showrooms still exist but are now entirely separate from the online support team.
The team has now expanded beyond New York. Currently, there are employees working all over the world, including Jamaica. Despite their geographic isolation, the team remains efficient and cohesive.
There are about twenty team members altogether, managed by Paul and two others. This configuration allows Proper Cloth to effectively serve its customer base while maintaining high standards of personalized service.
Paul’s team leverages a combination of text and phone-based communications to resolve customer complaints.
Like many CX leaders, Paul values soft skills. He looks for team members who are natural problem solvers. He wants people with a genuine enthusiasm for helping others. He says that a proactive mindset is crucial for addressing customer concerns effectively. Of course, it also helps to have team members with an active interest in fashion.
For the sales team, Paul looks for a slightly different skill set. While problem-solving remains essential, he emphasizes the need for an outgoing personality. Sales team members should be proactive, ready to follow up with customers about upcoming events like weddings, and eager to create value.
"If you are a problem solver and you have any interest in fashion or custom clothing...that usually is the right mix for us," he says, summarizing the ideal traits for his team members.
KPIs Paul is Tracking
Paul seeks balance when looking at metrics. He does understand that the number of tickets closed and cases resolved each day are productivity indicators. However, customer satisfaction remains his priority.
Despite being an e-commerce store, Proper Cloth distinguishes itself by offering personalized support from real people. "We are set apart by having that real live person behind the scenes helping you," Paul notes.
Elevating to the Next Level
Looking ahead, Paul identifies two key areas for CX development. Firstly, he emphasizes the importance of balancing efficient support for transactional inquiries, such as order tracking and returns, with the desire to cultivate long-term relationships with customers.
This involves providing quick and effective assistance for immediate needs while also offering personalized services like virtual sales and free personal styling consultations to deepen customer engagement.
When customers aren’t reaching out, it’s a red flag. Paul says he sees this as either a significant shift in demand or a technical issue. He recalls, for example, that the onset of the pandemic resulted in a sharp demand for dress shirts.
In addressing these situations, Paul adopts a pragmatic approach, acknowledging the potential causes behind the lack of customer engagement. Whether it's adapting to changing market demands or resolving technical glitches, he remains vigilant and proactive in ensuring a seamless customer experience.
Paul’s Perspective on AI
Paul believes artificial intelligence has a place in CX, but only when it is applied thoughtfully. He criticizes the "worst implementation" of AI, which involves placing a bot between the customer and support, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction.
He does think AI can be used to improve website navigation or resolve issues outside of business hours.
However, Paul's primary interest lies in utilizing AI to support customer service agents. He envisions AI assisting agents by aggregating and analyzing vast amounts of product information, including product descriptions, past customer inquiries, and internal chat communications.
This would enable agents to provide personalized recommendations with perfect context, enhancing the customer experience.
Zendesk
Number 1 Tool You Can’t Live Without: Zendesk.
Most Important Quality in a New Hire: Problem solver.
Last Book or Podcast You Found Interesting? Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck.
AI or No AI: AI—to the extent that it is helpful.
Number 1 Challenge as a CX Leader: One of the inherent challenges there is that the business changes quickly. At the same time [if] something breaks or we try something new and it doesn't work and there's like this whiplash and you got to adapt quickly.
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