At A Glance

Ethan Morlote, the driving force behind Yogasleep's first-rate customer service! His path from setbacks and achievements to becoming a CX leader is full of illuminating revelations. Join him as he shares tips on leveraging technology, building a cohesive team, and finding a balance between the contemporary demands of E-Commerce and face-to-face communication.

Who is Ethan?

Meet Ethan Morlote, Customer Service Supervisor at Yogasleep!

About Yogasleep

Since 1962, Yogasleep has combined ingenuity and craftsmanship to create high-quality sound conditioners known for exceptional sound, ease of use, and durability. Yogasleep is proud to manufacture its products in the USA, to maintain its small-company values, and to be dedicated to serving its customers. In addition to pioneering sound conditioners, Yogasleep offers mattresses, bedding, and accessories, all developed to help people live happier, healthier lives.

Ethan’s CX Journey

Ethan’s introduction to CX began in his early 20s when he ran his own import/export business, which required him to manage client relationships. After returning to school to finish his degree, Ethan started working for West Virginia’s unemployment department as a contractor. “It was at the beginning of the pandemic and very trial by error,” he says. “I was working with people who were very desperate and had to talk them down. As my first ‘true’ job in CX, it prepared me for just about anything.” Looking for a change, Ethan joined Yogasleep as a CX agent in June of 2021 and made CX Supervisor in October of 2022.

The CX Team at Yogasleep

Ethan leads a fully remote team of 3 members who are all located in Wilmington, North Carolina where Yogasleep is based. He credits the company’s exceptional sleep machines as the reason that he has been able to keep his team small. “Fortunately, because our products are that good, we don’t get too many tickets,” he reveals. “This lets us focus on the individual customer while providing that white glove treatment.” 

Top Challenges as a CX Leader 

Ethan’s top challenges are making sure that all his members are on the same page and keeping team morale high. To avoid any major internal issues, Ethan follows a ‘golden rule’ and asks himself, “how would I like to be treated.” Communication and openness are important – he holds one-on-one meetings every Wednesday. “These sessions are for anything they want to talk about, professional or personal. It comes down to their well-being for me. They know that I’m honest, fair, and ready to jump in to support if someone needs a break.”

Key Hiring Traits

In addition to good language skills and empathy, Ethan is looking for people with mental preparedness. He explains, “You will deal with people who are unpleasant in customer service. You can’t let it get to you and ruin your day. Having the ability to let stuff roll off your back is necessary.” He’s quick to point out that it’s not an entirely thankless job and says, “Our CSAT scores are fantastic.”

Onboarding & Training New Hires

Shortly after joining Yogasleep, Ethan designed an onboarding process for CX agents. He follows the ‘building blocks’ of training – during the first week, new hires are walked through the main tools (Zendesk, Channel Advisor, NetSuite, Shopify), interface logins, and shown how orders come in. The second week, they shadow Ethan taking tickets and do ‘role-playing’ sessions to prepare for various customer interactions. Generally, by the third week, new hires are taking their own tickets with Ethan on hand for guidance and support if needed.

CX Team Success Factors

Optimizing Communication Channels and Tracking Data

Ready to meet customers where they are at, Ethan’s team can be contacted by phone, email (the most used channel), SMS text, and chat on Yogasleep’s website. Asked about tracking data, Ethan replies, “Zendesk has a great deal of reporting built in. We rely on it heavily for tracking critical data and performance,” Ethan says. The company’s data analysts also use GROW to measure KPIs and metrics.

Handling Escalations

Any escalating problems go straight to Ethan. Stemming from his own positive experiences as a customer, he uses a combined approach of empathy and policy when handling an issue. “It’s important to be straightforward, pleasant, and kind with people,” he says. “And when you can do something for them, you do.”

CX Goals and Priorities

As the landscape of white noise becomes more nuanced and complex, Yogasleep will continue to work on the ‘sound sampler’ feature on its website. Additionally, CX team members will be educated about the most current technology so they can clearly talk about it with customers, answering any questions they may have. “We want people to hear our products before they buy them, so they know it’s what they want. In turn, this reduces returns and refunds and keeps our customers coming back,” Ethan adds.

Driving Revenue and Customer Retention

Drawing from his business background, Ethan encourages his team to upsell/cross-sell products when the opportunity presents itself. Strategy entails listening to customers’ product questions and matching best options while offering a small discount. He’s proud of his team’s success in driving revenue and customer retention and states, “Last year, in a four-person department, we were able to draw in $100k in sales, which is incredible for a CX team that’s not focused on sales.”

Topics of Interest

AI or No AI?

When asked about the topic of AI and CX, Ethan admits he has reservations. “The most important thing in customer service is understanding context. You must be able to pick up on tone to modulate empathy in CX – AI can’t do that.” He believes that in general, customers still want to talk to people when having issues with a product. AI is inevitable, he goes on to say, but the fallout stemming from its environmental impact and false claims will result in push back. “In 5 to 10 years, there will be big companies who have fully committed to AI,” he finishes. “Then there will be smaller companies like us who keep the human element - personal touch becomes our selling point.”

Advice for CX Leaders

“Listen to your people and listen to the customers.” He advocates one-on-one meetings with members to understand how they are feeling, not only in their job, but in life as well. Open communication fosters a supportive morale across the team. 

While Ethan sees the value in tracking data, he says it falls short when evaluating the human touch. “You have to really listen and talk to people in order to solve problems.”

Tech Desk

Zendesk “Zendesk is a great tool for gathering, reviewing, and understanding data.”

Channel Advisor

NetSuite

Grow “Our data analysts work with GROW – it’s a useful tool for analyzing and gaining insight from data.”

Shopify

Slack “We use Slack to communicate within the company.”