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1. Encourage Cross-Departmental Training: Angela reminds leaders that CX shouldn’t function as a silo. Understanding other team’s work leads to better communication, benefiting the company at every level.
2. Endorse Strategic AI in CX: Angela believes that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human interaction in CX. By incorporating AI strategically, CX teams can automate simple tasks freeing up members to handle more complex issues.
3. Be an Open-Minded Leader: Today's workforce is multigenerational. For this reason, Angela stresses the importance for leaders to keep an open mind, understanding that younger and older team members bring value and knowledge to the table, equally.
4. Prioritize Cultural: For Angela, cannabis use isn’t necessary to be a strong candidate for the CS team at Doobie. Rather, she prioritizes ‘cultural-fit,’ looking for individuals who display a positive personality and genuine passion for helping others.
5. Value Methodology in Training: While learning SOPs is important, Angela stresses methodology during training and onboarding at Doobie, believing that strong CS team members should have a deep understanding of why processes – not just how.
A natural disposition to help people made Angela Lopez a good fit for customer service when she entered the cannabis industry over 10 years ago. Since joining Doobie in 2020 as CX Operations Supervisor, she's witnessed the cannabis delivery company's growth firsthand, as it expanded its door-to-door and dispensary operations nationwide. With a focus on cross-departmental training, methodology, and empathy, Angela motivates her team to meet Doobie customers where they are, throughout the entire CX journey.
Meet Angela Lopez, Manager of CX Operations Supervisor at Doobie!
Doobie makes nationwide cannabis delivery easy and worry-free. We carefully source high-quality, lab-tested products and deliver them straight to your door. Operating via our own dispensaries, direct delivery, or local partnerships, our goal remains consistent from California to New York. We handle the hard work so you can skip the dispensary and focus on your wellness. Our motto is simple: we bring a little bit of happiness to your doorstep while keeping a human element in customer service.
With over 10 years leading customer experience teams in regulated cannabis markets, Angela Lopez joined Doobie in 2020 as CX Operations Supervisor.
Working as a hairstylist for over 20 years, Angela developed a debilitating allergy that affected her breathing and ultimately ended her career. One of her clients worked for Weedmaps and suggested Angela pursue an opening in the customer service department. "My attention to detail, my thoroughness, and the drive to understand why I am doing things, and interacting with all of the other departments, led me to CX instead of customer service," she recalls, adding, "I naturally like to help people."
As a CX leader, Angela takes a holistic view of business, believing her job extends to working effectively with other teams. "If you fully understand this team that you work with on a daily basis – what they do and why they do it – you are going to be much more communicative with them." In the past year, her CX team has been shadowing other departments to better understand how each function fits within the whole. This new approach has improved understanding of terminology and differences related to location. "It has been nothing but positive," Angela notes.
From Las Vegas, Nevada, Angela leads a fully remote CX team of 30-plus members, which includes a dedicated 4-person CS team. In addition to handling a running list of customer needs, team members are responsible for learning state-by-state regulations. "I call them the busiest customer service team, even on slow days, because they have to know everything at the drop of a dime," Angela says.
"I only look for the 'unicorn' when I hire," Angela says, adding, "We are the front face, or voice, with the customer. We have to build our bonds, our relationships, and our trust with them." Empathy, a team-player mindset, and adept troubleshooting skills and a deep understanding of methodology – why processes work – are necessary for anyone joining a CS team that serves as the front line of a nationwide cannabis company.
While a candidate doesn't have to be a cannabis user, they do have to have a personality that makes them a cultural fit for Doobie. "I'll ask what seem to be silly questions to find this out. What DIY projects do you have going on around the house? What is your latest favorite TV show? They need to vibe," Angela says, underscoring that they must be passionate about helping others.
Today's workforce ranges from Gen Z to boomers, and each generation has a different preferred way of communicating. "This can be challenging at times when training. People have a channel that they are most comfortable with," Angela shares. For this reason, she makes sure her CS members are proficient across channels – live chat, email, and phone. Being open to another generation's ideas is also important, especially in the cannabis industry.
Slack – “Communication is huge. We utilize Slack for our main communication between teams, and that’s worked out for us.”
System Management Software or “Magic Tool” – “The company founder, Joseph Rubin, is an extremely zealous person. Frustrated with the available tools that wouldn’t allow us to work with multiple partners across states, he created his own. It’s a project management type software that is integrated with all the different POS systems that our partners use. We can also tap into our customers' profiles and track inventory. It’s an everything tool that we cannot live without now.”
Asked what her top CX goals are, Angela emphasizes the importance of understanding the dynamic makeup of today's workforce. "Being open to learning from each other is key. I could have a 21-year-old working on my team. They're going to teach me something just as I am going to teach them something." And she'll continue to wait for 'unicorns,' rather than rushing the hiring process. "It's going to save you down the line — the turnover for my team so far is null."
Cross-training across the company will be a key initiative moving forward. Angela is focused on stressing the importance of CS to other teams at Doobie. Encouraged by the success gained from this approach, Angela shares, "I've been able to get a dispatcher to help us out and work on a customer service job. And you would think anyone could dispatch, but they've never worked with a customer. It’s been that effective."
Strategic incorporation of AI in CX is a priority at Doobie. Emphasizing that AI is not a replacement for human interaction, Angela sees it as a tool that, when applied intentionally, can automate simple CS tasks to enhance speed and efficiency. "I'm excited to see what AI can fully do, because it's changing and getting better every day. I'm not afraid of it taking my job because it's not going to replace a human being," she says, adding, "For the most part, people like people. We like to be around each other – it's just our nature."
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