Who is Ashley?

Ashley Dong is CX Manager at Ten Thousand!

About Ten Thousand

Ten Thousand is a leading brand of premium men’s activewear. They offer purpose-built training gear designed to help individuals become better than yesterday. Ten Thousand’s product range includes interval shorts, versatile shorts, durable shirts, and more.

Ashley’s CX Journey

Ashley traces her CX journey back to high school when worked at Starbucks. She continued to work for the coffeehouse company through college and post-graduation when she relocated to Las Vegas. She looks back, ‘It was a lot of customer-facing and trying to make people happy. Eventually, I moved into virtual assisting for start-ups.”

Ten Thousand was one of these start-ups. When Ashley started working for the men’s activewear brand, they sold only three styles of shorts (shirts, jackets, socks, and accessories have since been added to the line). As Ten Thousand grew, so did the need to accommodate their customers quickly and efficiently. “They needed help establishing a customer service department,” Ashley says. “I was able to transition into the role – it was just me during this time. Growing with CX at Ten Thousand and seeing it become something has been amazing.”

Structure of the CX Team at Ten Thousand

During the 7 years that she has led the CX Team at Ten Thousand, Ashley has watched it go through various phases. “Initially, we began as an in-house team. Overtime, we decided that it would be better to diversify and had up to 18 members at one point. We’ve since scaled back, and now the team consists of 3 in-house members and 2 offshore members – we all work remotely.”

When asked about outsourcing, Ashley acknowledges that it’s been trial and error getting to the secure place where they are today. “Working with various outsourcing companies, you soon realize they are structured differently – there may not be a set group of people to train. That’s very difficult to manage.” Communication and management problems were solved once Ten Thousand connected with a BPO Agency located in the Philippines. “Their agents have been phenomenal,” Ashley remarks. “We’ve been able to train and hone their skills and integrate them with our US team.”

Various duties and responsibilities are delegated across the CX team to address a customers’ needs timely and effectively. Ashley explains, “Our in-house members handle the higher touch tickets and complex issues that require a more in-depth response while off-shore members focus on the one-touch tickets.” She believes this hybrid approach to customer service, which breaks up tasks clearly and with consistency, is crucial to solving issues before they escalate.

Managing A Remote Team

A major obstacle of managing a remote team is making sure everyone feels valued and included. Ashley maintains that an ‘open-door policy’ and open communication has been the key to creating a virtual space where members can interact and express themselves. “Even though we are spread out, I want my team to always feel like they can come to me with any questions or issues. I strive to promote a work culture of collaboration and encouragement.” There is also an added layer of complexity given that her team is international, with different language and cultural backgrounds. Being mindful and courteous is stressed amongst the group.

CX Metrics and KPIs Ashley Is Tracking

In E-Commerce, Ashley understands that every second counts. If a customer waits too long for an answer, they may go elsewhere. “We focus on response and resolution time and CSAT. We’ve noticed that the longer the response and resolution times take, CSAT goes down. Even if we are giving the customer the answer and handled the situation, survey feedback shows they were not happy with wait time,” she says. “We aim for our first response to be under 15 hours followed by a resolution time set at 18 hours.” Ten Thousand’s CSAT target is 4.5 or higher. “If we aren’t hitting these numbers, we start looking at reasons why and do an internal review with the team to identify the areas where we can improve.”

CX and Driving Revenue at Ten Thousand

Ashley says that the relationship between CX and driving revenue is dependent on thinking through the lifetime value of a customer. Like every company, Ten Thousand has policies in place, but they are willing to go above and beyond to ensure a “VIP” experience for both repeat and single-purchase buyers. “I encourage my team to anticipate the needs of the customer. Read between the lines of their ticket order to get a complete understanding of the issue and how to best address it,” Ashley explains. “By being proactive instead of reactive, we are creating a better CX. Our goal is that they become loyal fans of our products.”

Ashley notes that transparency is fundamental to the CX philosophy at Ten Thousand. “It’s so important to be open and upfront with customers in order to eliminate any points of friction through the whole CX journey,” she says. “If the product you want is on pre-order, we are going to let you know. And we’ve even received customer feedback saying, ‘thank you, I really appreciate your honesty and taking the time to let me know.”

AI or No AI?

Ashley believes that AI can be useful to brands like Ten Thousand that sell apparel, but do not have a brick-and-mortar store where people can shop in person. She explains, “Because we don’t have an actual salesperson, the chatbot, we use ADA, is like a ‘virtual salesperson’ who helps guide customers, answering questions and specific information while they check out our products. Customers are then able to make a decision, especially if they are shopping after hours without having to wait around.” 

Training and Onboarding

While hiring additional CX Team members for support was necessary, Ashley admits that it was difficult handing over responsibility at first. “Bringing in new people, there’s a growing period that’s stressful, especially if you are a manager who has been there since day one.” Far removed from the early days when training consisted of talking through her members’ questions about order tickets as they came up, Ashley now refers to a CX team manual, which breaks down Ten Thousand’s tech stack, response approaches, and products. New hires without a strong foundation in CX are asked to take base training courses offered through Gorgias.

Shadowing has been critical for CX training at the company. Ashley elaborates, “Shadowing not only ensures us that the new member is ready, but it also assures the member that they are comfortable in their role. Without preparedness and confidence, they are not going to address a matter in the best way.”

Advice for CX Leaders

Ashley feels strongly that to be a good leader, you must also be a good listener. “Listen to your team members. Don’t assume. This is especially important when working in an international remote situation with people from different cultural backgrounds, because tone and intention can be mistranslated in communication.” Additionally, she reminds leaders to approach team interactions with integrity, empathy, and compassion.

Tech Stack

Gogias

Loop Return

Shopify

Klaviyo

Slack