Who is Jonathan?

Meet Jonathan, Director of CX at REDCON1.

About REDCON1

REDCON1 is a science-backed supplement brand that provides products for consumers who want the best out of their fitness and exercise routines.

Known as the fastest-growing sports nutrition brand in history, REDCON1 works to redefine the industry and create products that are transparent and accessible to everyone. Above all else, the company strives to uplift its core values which include authenticity, consistent improvement, and innovation. The customer experience department brings these ideals together, ensuring that each customer leaves with an experience they are sure to enjoy.

Jonathan’s CX Journey

Jonathan has worked in CX for 16 years. He started his career in healthcare. Even before he discovered his passion for CX, he was aware of the symbiotic relationship between provider and consumer. During his time in healthcare, he saw the patients as clients and noticed that the hospital provided a service to them. Throughout his career, his understanding of this concept evolved.

A few years later, Jonathan began working for Apple and fully immersed himself in customer experience.  During his 11 years there, he spent time in the sales and training departments, which also enriched his knowledge. Most importantly, he learned how crucial it is to understand the customer and their needs, which improves the buyer-seller relationship. He notes the ways that E-Commerce has revolutionized CX, which had a major impact on his career down the line. 

When it comes to Apple, it’s all about providing information and creating meaningful interactions with the customer. “Some people are there just for information,” he says. “Some people are there to learn something.” The type of information varies, depending on different qualifiers such as the customer’s age and background. Jonathan explains that the goal is to discern the needs of the customer and help them discover which options fit them best. “It’s really getting to know the customer first and then providing solutions for them,” he adds.

He then took this knowledge to supplement provider REDCON1, where he hoped to transform the customer experience team into the “Apple of the supplement industry” and provide excellent service.

The REDCON1 CX Team

Jonathan manages a team of eight people out of Boca Raton, FL. Although other companies have gone remote, most of the company’s departments work in-house, which increases engagement and flow within the workplace. This helps to ensure that all of the teams are on the same page.

From Jonathan’s perspective, the keys to managing his team successfully are flexibility, understanding his colleagues’ needs, and most importantly, maintaining an open line of communication. He also employs incentives, like raises, to increase workflow and introduce goals to his team members throughout the year. “The way I see it is that they don’t work for me. I work for them,” he adds. “What can I do to get the most out of them?” 

Jonathan’s team is composed of parents and students, so he also understands when someone needs to change their schedule or work from home.

Over the course of his career, Jonathan has learned that it is extremely important to know the ins and outs of the industry as well as the product and the consumer to succeed in customer experience. When working with his team, he emphasizes this idea. “How can we accommodate them? How can we have empathy? A lot of our business is direct to consumer,” he notes. “How do we keep those customers coming back for more and what content are we giving them to keep coming back?”

When hiring, Jonathan looks to the areas where his current team can improve. Understanding that everyone has a specialty that can fit into the workplace in some way, he finds those strengths within his new hires and then works to create a compatible atmosphere within his team. He prefers to cultivate a collaborative team that builds upon their strengths and works together to fill in for each others’ weaknesses.

The REDCON1 customer experience team is also made up of members with various backgrounds and experiences. Jonathan mentions that his department is a “good place to filter for other positions within the company” because it can be a stepping stone for a further career at REDCON1. After some time, employees with other interests can transfer to other departments such as marketing, production, or media. “...There are other people in the company who started with me here and who are now in the social media team who are working in marketing, who are now working in logistics. Having that foundation here helps them in their new positions,” he says.

KPIs Jonathan Is Tracking

Jonathan takes a holistic approach when measuring progress within his team. “To me it’s all about encouraging them, pointing more on their strengths and understanding,” he says. Instead, Jonathan works with his team members to create goals that appeal to their individual needs and areas for improvement.

His team also uses Gorgias to track sales and other measurements. Jonathan likes that the platform tracks the revenue that each member of his team brings in, which helps with monitoring performance. Unlike other CX teams, Jonathan considers customer experience an aggregator of revenue, so he motivates his employees to share this idea as well. “A lot of people don’t look at customer service or the customer experience as a generator of revenue. But that’s something we encourage,” he explains.

Training New Members

When he began working there, Jonathan implemented REDCON1 University, a training program for the company’s new hires. In REDCON1 University, he teaches his new employees everything they need to know about the culture of the company, its customers, and the products they sell. Jonathan knows the importance of identifying a company’s audience and appealing to them through all of his experience in the space. 

He instills this value in his team, emphasizing, "We've come to understand that not every product suits everyone. Our focus is on assisting them in discovering the product that best suits their needs," he explains. "By recommending the right products, we can foster customer loyalty and repeat customers.”

Tech Stack

Gorgias

Slack 

Ordergroove

Yotpo

Google Workspace

Shipstation

‍

Advice for Other CX Leaders

Jonathan advises other leaders to be very vigilant in the people that they bring onto their team. At the end of the day, a successful team should prioritize their strengths and bring other people in to improve its weaknesses. “If you build teams like that, you have teams that are not stepping on each other’s toes. You have teams that want to help each other out,” he notes.

He urges leaders to understand the importance of listening to their teams. Because team members have other priorities and goals along the way, a good leader should be receptive to these needs. You should have a great relationship with all of your team members and prioritize a healthy work-life balance. 

“Really focus on the people that you have around you because that’s the most important thing. Understand that they are individuals,” he explains. Jonathan is an expert not only in customer experience but also in creating great workplace connections.