Who is Annie?

Meet Annie, the CX Director at Revival!

What is Revival?

Revival provides handmade, ethically sourced luxury rugs at prices that “don’t cost a month’s rent.” They leverage their knowledge and reputation to provide customers with high-quality products that can be hard to find in online spaces.

Annie’s CX Journey

Though new at Revival, Annie is experienced in the CX space, having started more than seven years ago as an agent. She’s spent five of those years as a CX leader.

“I started as a CX rep many moons ago, and I was instantly fascinated by how powerful customer support is.”

Annie recently concluded an impactful tenure at Eko—a health tech startup--where she played an important role in developing their CX team.

Joining Revival in December, Annie brings a wealth of experience and a passion for enhancing customer experiences.

There, she finds herself amidst a dynamic environment, where the CX team plays a crucial role in delivering a seamless customer journey.

Annie’s CX Philosophy

Annie sees customer support as more than just a brief interaction. She envisions it as a pivotal opportunity to establish a positive and lasting connection.

"Create trust in a brand and customers will build loyalty because of a strong customer support interaction and team.”

For Annie, every customer interaction establishes valuable feedback that can shape brand direction and larger CX initiatives. "It's really the customer experience team's role to be at the center of the business and feed out information to all of their respective teams," she explains.

This holistic approach involves integrating feedback about various aspects of the customer journey into the business's fabric.

Whether it's addressing issues like order status, product preferences, or delays, Annie sees the customer experience team as the linchpin, ensuring that information is channeled to the relevant departments.

Annie acknowledges that the effectiveness of this approach hinges on the entire company being aligned with the customer-centric philosophy. So far, however, she’s found that most brands understand the importance of cross-departmental collaboration.

To Annie, it’s through this collaboration that CX becomes about more than fixing isolated incidents. Through cross-departmental interactions, CX can be leveraged to create a comprehensive experience that leaves a lasting impression on customers.

Annie’s Team at Revival

Annie’s core team in the United States consists of seven remote members, including herself. However, the company extends a global reach with a large international presence. They have a substantial team in Turkey, as well as members in India, and Morocco.

Having experienced the struggles of scaling at her previous jobs, Annie understands the importance of utilizing a robust CX core team—particularly when facing rapid expansion and other brand changes.

"I have found at all three of my roles that starting with a really strong, slightly more senior in-house team is really helpful when you're scaling quickly," she reflected.

Annie has recently brought on two new hires to enhance her team’s reach. She has also considered the potential for offshore partnerships—particularly during peak holiday seasons.

Regardless of how the team is comprised, quality remains key. She ensures that her agents provide excellent support through comprehensive training and a keen focus on efficiency.

KPIs Annie is Tracking

Annie tracks a standard slate of key performance indicators, including CSAT, NPS, and CES. Her primary purpose is always to use numbers to determine what sort of experience customers are having when they make contact.

In addition to CSAT, she also reviews ticket handling time, response time, and how many tickets each agent is solving.

AI or No AI?

Currently, Annie’s team is not utilizing any AI. However, she is actively exploring the potential integration of Sidekick, a component of Gladly, in the coming months.

She emphasizes the importance of careful consideration of the structure behind AI implementation. For tier-one tickets that are generally single-touch and low-risk, Annie expresses openness to leveraging AI.

However, she underlines the necessity of a swift transition to human agents for more complex issues or situations that extend beyond AI’s scope.

Like many CX leaders, her ultimate attitude is to approach AI with cautious optimism. “I think if we can use it in a way where it gets things done, maybe during off hours or with tier one tickets, fantastic. I think relying on AI is a slippery slope because customers, myself included, we've all been trapped there. And I think it's unfair to the customer to resolve all issues with AI.”

Advice to CX Leaders

Annie believes that CX success starts with a great team. “Invest in every agent's career path, because that's how you're going to get and retain really great people.”

She recognizes the value of experience and thinks that agents who are given the chance to grow and develop their skills may extend their reach beyond customer service.

“If we can get CX people on sales, that's a win, right? I think if we can relax as leaders and not try to grip and keep people where they are, like invest in their growth and hire people that want to grow….That to me has been the best part of my job, the most rewarding part.”