Who is Max Wallace?

Meet Max Wallace, the CX Director at Tommy John!

About Tommy John

Crafted for those who refuse to settle for less, Tommy John believes great days begin with great underwear. Each product is made from proprietary fabrics which aren’t just premium; they're a cut above—silky, soft, and so luxurious. In addition to tommyjohn.com, the brand is sold in retail locations across the country including Nordstrom and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and in Tommy John stores. Their product line has been endorsed everywhere from the Kelce brother’s podcast, to Wirecutter. 

Max’s CX Journey

Max admits that he never expected to make the leap into CX. "I think many of us sort of fall into CX and come to realize it's actually where we belong - that was definitely the case for me" he admits. Originally planning to become a lawyer, Max attended law school but quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit and decided to leave. “It was a major decision,” he recalls. “I felt a bit lost… I’d prepared for so long to be a lawyer.”

After a friend suggested a role in customer service at Fab.com, Max figured he’d give it a try for a few months. “I wound up loving it,” he says. When Fab later faced challenges, Max's former Fab colleague who had started working at Tommy John as COO reached out to him with an opportunity to join the rapidly growing company. The opportunity at this lesser-known brand seemed intriguing, and after a conversation, Max joined. That was in 2014 and "the rest is history," he says. Starting as a direct report to the director, he now leads Tommy John's CX team, helping the brand grow and uphold its commitment to premium service.

People Driven Passion

Max has now been with Tommy John for a decade, watching it grow from a premium men’s underwear brand to a full line for both men and women. "It’s a really wonderful place to work," he says. "I know it may sound corny, but truly what’s kept me here is the people within the company, especially on my team.” Max emphasizes that the brand’s commitment to quality drives every customer interaction, ensuring that their premium products come with an equally high standard of customer experience.

The CX Team at Tommy John

Max heads a lean in-house Customer Experience team in New York, consisting of himself and three others, supported by a U.S.-based and nearshore BPO team with around 20 agents. The team is gearing up for the holiday season, as Tommy John’s business is highly seasonal.

Operating in a hybrid model, the New York team works in-office a few days a week, while agents remain primarily remote. “It worked at the start of COVID, and we haven’t seen any reason to pull back on that,” Max explains. However, he emphasizes that all training remains in-person due to its interactive nature, a format the team believes is key to effective onboarding.

Max describes Tommy John’s training process as streamlined and highly efficient. “The actual classroom training is seven days,” he explains. Following that, agents enter a “nesting period” lasting roughly a week and a half to two weeks, depending on progress. In total, onboarding spans about three weeks, allowing new team members to become fully operational quickly while maintaining a high standard of support.

CX Team Success Factors

At Tommy John, the CX team, AKA “Comfort Concierge” assist their customers via phone, email, and live chat and there are specific metrics that Max considers key to the team’s success. He explains, “responsiveness metrics and efficiency metrics are paramount to us.” Monitoring these KPIs ensures the CX team is meeting the high standards they hold themselves to, and that the team is using their time wisely. Additionally, Max stresses the importance of high quality interactions and that they strive for “an online experience which mimics that of an in-store experience as much as possible.” He explains this means a customer will “quickly connect with a helpful and knowledgable agent who is truly a brand ambassador." This is the type of service Max believes will leave a lasting impression regarding the type of brand Tommy John is and their devotion to their customers.

In terms of customer satisfaction, the focus shifts to CSAT and company-wide NPS responses, as well as product reviews. Max notes that while NPS isn’t “directly tied to us,” it’s valuable feedback that they action on. He adds, “we actually follow up with every detractor to ensure that we’re trying to turn around the situation and retain them as customers.”

Revenue Generation/AI/topics of interest 

Max shares that while Tommy John isn’t currently utilizing AI, it’s a topic of ongoing exploration. He states, "We have not moved forward with anything, but it's top of mind for sure." The team is considering various applications of AI, including voice and email chat support, to enhance both team efficiency and customer experiences. Max emphasizes the goal of “increasing self-service abilities for our customers in general,” reflecting a commitment to improving customer autonomy and satisfaction.

Max explains the team's cautious approach to integrating AI into their operations: “We want to start slow with it and sprinkle it in to get a sense of how it's working for us specifically and translating to our brand and our customer.” This strategy underscores their commitment to ensuring that any new technology aligns well with Tommy John's unique identity and customer needs.