At a Glance

After earning a degree in Animal Science, Ashlee D’Alessandro built her career at the intersection of pet care and customer experience. Now Head of Customer Experience at Antelope Pets, she leads a fully remote, global team supporting four distinct brands. Known for her empathetic leadership style, Ashlee focuses on creating meaningful human connections that help pet parents better care for the animals they love.

Who is Ashlee?‍

Meet Ashlee D’Alessandro, Head of Customer Experience at Antelope Pets!

About Antelope Pets

‍Antelope Pets is a family of brands that brings comprehensive and dependable pet care to all pet parents and their pets. Its mission is to elevate the standards of pet care by creating a place for pet parents to easily access high-quality, effective, and trusted products so our pets can live long and vibrant lives.

Ashlee’s CX Journey

After graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in Animal Science, Ashlee D’Alessandro began her career in customer service at BarkBox. While she initially considered veterinary school, she quickly discovered a different path.

“I realized I could combine my background in animal science with business in a way that still made an impact,” she says. “I wasn’t just helping pets. I was helping scale a company that serves them.”

At BarkBox, she trained team members on product ingredients, customer needs, and what makes products resonate with dogs and their owners. As the company grew, so did her role, eventually expanding into e-commerce and customer acquisition.

Following a company restructuring, Ashlee leaned fully into customer experience leadership, driven by her passion for people.

“CX sits at the intersection of empathy and problem-solving,” she explains. “You’re not just resolving issues. You’re showing people they’re heard, especially when it matters most.”

She later joined Fi, a GPS dog collar company, where her work took on a deeper emotional dimension by helping customers locate lost pets.

“That role was incredibly meaningful, but also emotionally intense,” she says. “When someone’s pet is missing, you are not just support. You are part of a very personal, high-stakes moment.”

After taking time to recharge, Ashlee joined Bocce’s Bakery. When the company was acquired by Antelope Pets in 2021, she stepped into her current role as Head of Customer Experience.

“What excites me most is helping smaller brands grow within a larger ecosystem,” she says. “You get to preserve what makes them special while giving them the resources to scale.”

What Excites Ashlee Most About CX

For Ashlee, customer experience is ultimately about human connection.

“Some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had started with something as simple as a shipping issue,” she says. “Five minutes later, we are talking about a new baby, a move, or a life transition.”

These moments define great CX for her.

“Customers remember how you made them feel far longer than how quickly you solved their problem,” she explains. “That emotional connection is what builds loyalty.”

Over time, those interactions add up.

“We’ve built real relationships with our customers. Some have been with us for years. They even know about my kids and my dog. That doesn’t happen if you treat CX as purely transactional.”

Leading a Lean, Global CX Team

At Antelope Pets, Ashlee leads a lean, fully remote team supporting four brands across multiple product categories.

“We’re a small team managing a high volume of work, so trust and ownership are critical,” she says. “I’m incredibly proud of how much our agents take on.”

With team members across different regions, communication is both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity.

“Remote work doesn’t fail because of distance. It fails because of a lack of intentional communication,” she explains.

To address this, she has built a structured system of daily stand-ups, weekly deep dives, and ongoing async updates.

“Structure creates clarity, but connection creates resilience,” she adds. “You have to make space for both.”

That balance is key to preventing burnout.

“If your team is overwhelmed or emotionally drained, they cannot show up with empathy for customers. Protecting their energy is part of delivering great CX.”

Designing CX Around Customer Behavior

Ashlee emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to customer support.

“Different brands, and even different products, attract different types of customers,” she says. “Your support strategy has to reflect that.”

For example, customers of My Perfect Pet often prefer phone support, especially when asking detailed questions about nutrition. Meanwhile, Bocce’s Bakery customers tend to engage via chat, often sharing photos and stories about their dogs.

“Our job is to meet customers where they are, not force them into a single channel that works for us.”

AI as a CX Enabler, Not a Replacement

Ashlee sees AI as a powerful tool when used thoughtfully.

“AI should remove friction, not humanity,” she says. “It is there to handle repetitive tasks so your team can focus on moments that require empathy and judgment.”

Her team uses AI for chatbots, automated updates, and product information. This allows agents to spend more time on complex or emotionally nuanced interactions.

“The goal is not to replace human connection. It is to protect and prioritize it.”

Building for the Future of CX

Looking ahead, Ashlee is focused on creating more personalized, data-driven customer experiences.

One key initiative is developing detailed pet profiles to better understand each customer’s needs.

“If we can truly understand a customer’s pet, including age, diet, and preferences, we can provide much more relevant recommendations,” she explains.

She is also exploring how AI can reduce decision fatigue for customers navigating multiple brands and products.

“There is a huge opportunity to simplify the experience,” she says. “When customers feel confident in their choices, everything improves, from satisfaction to conversion.”

A “Beige Flag” for CX

Ashlee does not see a lack of customer inquiries as purely positive.

“If we go a full day without hearing from customers, that is a bit of a ‘beige flag,’” she says. “It might mean everything is running smoothly, but it also means we have lost a touchpoint.”

Instead, her team uses quieter periods to deepen product knowledge, particularly in areas like pet nutrition and supplements.

“The best agents are not just communicators. They are educators,” she explains. “They need to translate complex information into something customers can trust and act on.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of CX

As AI adoption accelerates, Ashlee believes the industry is entering a critical learning phase.

“We are going to see a push toward automation, but also a pushback,” she says. “If companies go too far, they risk losing the human element that makes CX effective.”

Her perspective is clear:

“Efficiency matters, but empathy is what customers remember.”

Advice for Aspiring CX Leaders

Ashlee’s advice is simple but often overlooked.

“Take care of your team first,” she says. “Burnout is one of the biggest risks in CX, and it directly impacts the customer experience.”

She emphasizes that emotional well-being is not optional. It is a business priority.

“When your team feels supported, valued, and energized, that shows up in every customer interaction,” she explains. “People can feel the difference.”