There’s a difference between customer service and customer support. The former implies executing tasks; the latter is about being there when people need you. ShipMonk’s customer experience team takes on both mantles with detail-oriented experts trained in the inner workings of fulfillment, logistics, and shipping, as well as every brand they work with.

This past month, we honored one of our exceptional Customer Experience team members with the Merchant of the Quarter Award. This team member was Anne Melendez, Senior Customer Experience Manager.

We sat down with Anne to gain insight into what makes our CX team members tick. Continue reading to learn:

• How ShipMonk’s Customer Experience team is able to provide the best service and support of any logistics partner
• How those qualities set ecommerce brands up for success
• And how your brand can get the most out of working with your CX manager

Q: Anne, what made you decide to dedicate your life to a career in Customer Experience?

A: I’ve been interested in the customer service industry since I was a kid. I grew up in the south and was raised embracing the importance of “southern hospitality”, but in my travels I learned that not every place and industry treats people with the respect they deserve. I wanted to step into a customer service career because I knew that would allow me to contribute to the world by acting as that first domino—influencing positive action in a way that would trickle down and help others. There is so much opportunity to provide good customer service out there. I love having a job that lets me fulfill this passion and contribute to people who are trying to build something good in society with their businesses. The career also plays to my strengths with talking to people and building relationships. 

Q: What was your experience prior to your SCXM position at ShipMonk?

A: Before coming to ShipMonk, I worked in customer service for a luxury retail brand specializing in high-end home decor. Prior to that, I spent five years on Wayfair’s B2B and ecommerce operations. 

Q: Why did you want to work at ShipMonk?

A: To start with, I was drawn to the company’s dedication to supporting clients at every step in the journey in customized ways. Plus, I already knew members of the Customer Experience leadership team. I’d previously worked with Rod Kendrick (Regional Director, Customer Experience) and Wendy Kurtic (VP Customer Service) at Wayfair, so I knew I was going to be set up for success here because I trust them as leaders and human beings. Between the company’s general approach to Customer Experience, and the people at the helm, it was a no-brainer to make the transition.

Q: What makes the Customer Experience Team at ShipMonk so unique?

A: It all starts with leadership; that creates a trickle-down effect that allows the rest of our team to succeed and grow. Wendy as VP Customer Service is a people-first leader who focuses on identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities with all team members to personalize how to coach them to achieve what they’re capable of.  

She understands how to build a team to play off one another’s skill sets so specialties and abilities complement one another. And she gives us the autonomy to lead. This is very important because it is the opposite of a dictatorship. Wendy, as part of ShipMonk’s company culture, does not operate in a my-way-or-the-highway manner; she sets goals for us and OKRs after laying the foundation for success, but it’s up to us to get there. What also sets ShipMonk leaders like Wendy apart is that even though this is a large corporate company, she still makes that one-on-one time with us so we continue to grow and enhance how we support our clients.

Q: What was the biggest adjustment in your transition to ShipMonk?

A: Coming from a high-end retail background, I wasn’t an expert in logistics and transportation when I first started. However, the training is so thorough at ShipMonk, and experts in different departments are so willing to teach you, that you’re able to delve in right away and build your knowledge base. I now know the full cycle of an order down to the nitty-gritty details, and that makes me confident in assisting clients at all stages of their journey. I consider it a blessing that I have been able to work with people of different strengths at ShipMonk so I can continue leveling up my expertise in transportation, fulfillment, and more.

Q: Why is ShipMonk support different from traditional customer service?

A: Our customer outreach is not scripted; it’s personalized. When you’ve spent enough time in the ecommerce industry, you realize personalization and communication are vital elements brands want and need. But, unfortunately, a lot of corporations tightly control what their support teams say and do, taking away from customization that would make customers feel heard and get faster results. 

Our policies at ShipMonk are unique because how we handle merchant issues is not black and white. Our Customer Experience team members have the autonomy to take charge of every account we manage, get to know the brands and the people behind them, and craft responses and resolutions for their needs. 

Q: What are the cornerstones of a ShipMonk Customer Experience team member?

A: First, always be professional. Second, set an expectation and deliver on that expectation. Third, take complete ownership of the account you’re looking after—treating it with the care you would if it were your own business. By doing this, with the support of our leadership, we can make decisions to benefit a merchant while aligning with ShipMonk policy. 

I, for example, make it a point to join meetings, speak at meetings, jump into emails so the merchant I’m working with knows I’m there. I familiarize myself with every level of their account so if the Happiness Engineer in charge is not available, I can step in right away, providing consistency with the day-to-day support, not just showing up if something is wrong.

Q: What is issue resolution like for a ShipMonk client that contacts CX?

A: If you’re a ShipMonk client, we aim to respond to all inquiries within four business hours. Naturally the type of question or issue being raised influences how long a resolution or accurate response can take, but our team aims for a 24 business hour turnaround time for resolution.

Escalations and working with support partners can delay this, but in general for small, tier 1 cases (questions like: here’s my inventory, can I have tracking updates, will you expedite receiving, etc.) our team should be able to close out requests with a first-contact resolution.

Q: How much time do ShipMonk CX team members spend with their clients?

A: That’s actually not a set number of hours. It depends on how many accounts each CX team member has. Some of us have upward of 20 accounts we manage if they are smaller brands that do not require as much consistent interaction. Other members of the team may only have 2 accounts if those are large brands that require a lot of high-touch support. Our CX team is strategically divided to ensure every ecommerce company we work with gets the attention it needs without overwhelming the Customer Experience teams by requiring them to split their focus too much.

Q: One of the accounts you proudly work with is Dr. Squatch, which is the client that earned you the Merchant of the Quarter award. What has been your approach to helping this amazing brand succeed?

A: Working with Dr. Squatch has been a wonderful experience. An important part of my approach with this brand, and any brand I work with, is that great support isn’t just about being ready for their needs operationally, but being involved enough that you, as the ShipMonk account manager, build a genuine relationship and share in the excitement, actively help with forecasting, and adapt to and anticipate their needs by familiarizing yourself with every aspect of the business.

The ShipMonk CX way is being present for your clients. In that sense, I make sure to show up for Dr. Squatch and do what I’ve promised to do, but also do things that I haven’t specifically been asked to do but show that I am there when and where they need me. That’s what all our CX team members aim to do. Our clients are buying a service from us, so the expectation is that you’re going to be there when they have a problem. But you’re also going to be there during the good times too, fostering growth and celebrating success as it comes.

Q: In this day of chatbots, AI-generated answers, and outsourced or overseas customer “support”, customer service reps can get a bad rap. 

At ShipMonk, we’re not about automated or scripted support, but humanized support that treats people like people. We’re proud of the diverse and uniquely fabulous team members who make up all levels of our organization. Tell us a bit about Anne the person who also happens to be Anne the fantastic CX manager.

A: Most of my free time outside of work is spent with my beautiful daughter. She is 10 years old and her hobbies are my hobbies. We both love fishing,  but aren’t good at it lol. We’ve learned from YouTube, and enjoy figuring things out together. We also love cooking shows and spending time in the kitchen cooking meals together whenever we can. We’re also super big on holidays and decorate for a lot of them, even St. Patrick’s Day. Right now our house is in full-blown fall mode with Halloween being added too. In fact, the day September 1 hit we started swapping out the porch lights with purple and orange light bulbs for the holiday. On my own time, I like to read nonfiction, enjoy keeping up with fashion trends, and a good reality TV show with a glass of wine.

Q: As we wrap up, we want to provide current and prospective ecommerce brands with insight as to the best way to achieve an effective relationship with their CX managers. Anne, as a Senior Customer Experience Manager at ShipMonk, what should ecommerce clients know about the best ways to work with our CX team and optimize how they get answers and resolutions to their inquiries?

A: First and foremost, set expectations. We want to learn how to communicate with you in a way that’s effective, efficient, and meets your needs. For example, if your business is in a country outside the US and you have a CX team member within the US, set up an expectation for acceptable business hour communication be it via email or phone. You, as the business owner, could even request a CX team member on EST or midwest time if that is more suitable to you than someone on PST time. You could also let your CX manager know certain data points, QBRs, etc. that are important to you so we can deliver what you need when you need it. Overall, the idea is we want you to teach us how to treat you as it pertains to your business.

Second, be direct. We encourage clients to be fully transparent with us and get right to the underlying issue whenever they communicate. We are not a company that outsources customer service or relies on some played out playbook, treating every client and issue the same way with automatic responses. We are extremely open to finding customizable solutions that suit your company, and ours, and helping merchants with their unique needs. But for that to happen in the smoothest way possible, it’s important to get to the core of any issue vs. the grand general topic. If you’re direct with us, we can cut to the chase and help as soon as possible. Also, know that because we are always trying to help you, if you come from an honest, solution-oriented place in communication with us, we’ll be able to get to the heart of any matter faster.

In the same sense, we like to be direct too. There is a misconception in the customer service industry that when engaging with people the best way to provide customer service is to add all this extra fluff. Being nice is always important—I always try to be a positive influence—but if you are buying a service (in this case if you have a brand you’re paying us to take care of) we know what you value is effective action and meaningful answers. Our CX team members want to deliver that to you, and will always try to do it in a timely manner without beating around the bush so you can get back to running your business.

Q: Finally, Anne, tell us what have you learned from working at ShipMonk?

A: ShipMonk is a unique company; I celebrate where I am today in terms of my knowledge and skills in the ecommerce, fulfillment, and shipping industries, but there is always an opportunity to keep learning. ShipMonk encourages its CX team members to continue their knowledge journeys so they continue to increase expertise in their roles and be even greater contributors to the support team. It’s part of that “one team, one dream” approach that makes ShipMonk work as such an effective and efficient 3PL. 

Summing that up, the most important thing I’ve learned since starting at ShipMonk is that we cannot be successful if we’re not working together. The people taking CX calls with clients are just as important as the people packing orders or supporting our IT or handling our shipping services, and so on. We’re all equal parts of the operation, integral to making our company succeed and all the brands we look after do the same.

.