At A Glance

Meet Happy Head's Rene Cervino, who is handling the nexus of AI and human engagement. Find out how his calm demeanor, together with an emphasis on teamwork and emotional connection, is revolutionizing customer service in the hair loss solutions sector.

Who is Rene?

Meet Rene, the Director of CX at Happy Head!

About Happy Head

Happy Head offers unique hair loss solutions, providing non-invasive, dermatologist-prescribed treatments for all. They specialize in an individualized approach through online consultations and outstanding customer support. 

Rene’s CX Journey

Rene's CX journey began with selling shower water filters for his parent’s business in Mexico. This early exposure to business provided him with foundational experience in dealing with customers and understanding their needs. As a result of Mexico's cultural hospitality, he developed an innate inclination towards customer care, citing, "When you go [to Mexico], people treat you like you’re royalty no matter where you’re from or who you are. It’s just the way Mexicans are brought up and how we treat our guests. So I always had a bit of a sixth sense on service and how to do it right, growing up with those values."

Upon relocating to the U.S. in 2012, Rene broadened his expertise in donor services for nonprofits, learning valuable communication skills. Reflecting on this experience, he notes, "These people were giving their money for free, so the service had to be even higher." Rene’s journey continued in the beauty industry with Toppik, upgrading his understanding of CX in the beauty industry, and later at Dermstore, where he worked for seven years before joining Happy Head.

At Happy Head, Rene has played a key role in refining the customer journey, particularly during the critical three to six-month post-purchase period. His data-driven strategies, coupled with a keen understanding of customer needs, have significantly enhanced customer satisfaction and retention.

Reflecting on his unconventional career path, Rene humorously remarks, "It’s funny because nobody’s a kid and they’re like ‘I’m gonna wake up and be a customer experience director, right?’ But it’s a job that is needed in this world where you have a lot of E-Commerce [businesses]."

Rene’s CX Philosophy

Rooted in sensitivity and adaptability, Rene's CX philosophy recognizes the emotional context of customer interactions. He emphasizes, "These customers are reaching out for a specific reason... It's an emotional thing for them.”

Rene’s CX Philosophy also relies on making people happy and ensuring seamless experiences for new Happy Head customers. He deeply believes in the importance of being a people pleaser in customer service, highlighting the constant need to identify factors that make customers happy. Rene loves seeing numbers rise, stating, “That tells you people are happy with what you’re doing. You can see that customers are sticking around longer or the purchase experience is a lot easier for them or the post-purchase experience is a lot easier for them." 

Team Structure

Rene leads a diverse team of 27 members, including customer experience managers and digital solutions specialists. The team is a strategic blend of in-house and outsourced members, strategically located in both the Philippines and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles team specializes in addressing niche concerns, such as treatment or order inquiries that need a dermatologist’s input. On the other hand, the two teams in the Philippines have distinct focuses—one on customer operations and logistics and one on front-line customer service. The customer operations team works behind the scenes, mitigating shipping issues so everything goes smoothly on the customer’s end. His front-line customer service team helps customers with quick inquiries like tracking shipments or contacting dermatologists.

Rene has introduced AI in certain customer interactions, carefully balancing technological efficiency with the need for human empathy. His leadership style is inclusive, often involving the team in decision-making and ensuring that their emotional well-being is catered to, given the challenging nature of CX work.

How Rene Works With His Outsourced Team

Rene, emphasizing the importance of considering outsourced team members as integral to the company, states, "We don't see them as numbers; they are actual people belonging to our company. When treated this way, the quality of service reflects it." Outsourced team members are actively involved in the process, participating in individual interviews and evaluated as if they were part of the in-house teams. The company's commitment is evident in providing incentives and recognition, creating a cohesive and unified approach. This inclusive philosophy is reflected by Happy Head’s remarkable CSAT score of 92. 

KPIs Rene is Tracking

In addition to closely monitoring internal metrics like customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, Rene places a strong emphasis on the 'customer ease metric.' For him, it is crucial to evaluate how simple and efficient the entire customer journey is, from the initial purchase to issue resolution. He emphasizes that "ease is not just about making everything super simple and easy; it's about ensuring customers have all the information they need."

Rene's commitment to a holistic approach extends to tracking external metrics as well, including platforms like Better Business Bureau, Trustpilot, and social media reviews. Actively engaging with customer feedback on social media allows the CX team to respond promptly to comments, addressing concerns and gaining valuable insights into areas that may require improvement. This dual focus on both internal and external metrics reflects Rene's comprehensive strategy for enhancing the overall customer experience at Happy Head.

Tech Stack

Zendesk

Stripe

WooCommerce

Hootsuite

Slack

MD Integration

‍To AI or to Not AI?

‍Rene embraces a balanced approach to AI, and leverages its capabilities for consistent informational queries and policy-related questions. This includes tasks where AI excels in providing consistent information, like explaining product ingredients or detailing payment processes.

His team has gradually integrated AI into their chat and web form systems while ensuring that the AI won't provide medical advice. Rene adds, “Giving the customer their information via AI is really more about letting the AI explain what we do.”

However, he emphasizes the irreplaceable significance of human interaction, particularly in an industry where emotional connection holds immense importance. For Rene, AI serves as a valuable tool for efficiency in specific domains, but the unique emotional understanding and connection provided by human interactions remain indispensable, contributing to a well-balanced and effective customer experience strategy.

Advice For Other CX Leaders

Rene's counsel to CX leaders emphasizes the importance of maintaining two-way communication. He encourages leaders to actively follow up on surveys and feedback, urging them to "reach back" and pose questions.

Additionally, he underscores the significance of attentive listening, not only to customers but also to team members. Recognizing the emotional context of both staff members and customers is crucial, and he advises a continuous feedback loop as a means of driving ongoing improvement. 

Ultimately, Rene advocates for a culture of interactive communication, where engagement is sustained through active dialogue and a commitment to understanding and incorporating diverse perspectives.

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