At A Glance

Juliana’s journey into customer experience began in high school while working at Best Buy. Her talent was quickly recognized, leading her to join a startup—and since then, she has helped launch ten brands, including Honest Paws, a CBD pet care company. Discover how Juliana and her team connect with customers to help their pets live calm, healthy lives.

‍Who is Juliana?‍

Meet Juliana Suarez, VP of Customer Experience at Honest Paws!

‍About Honest Paws‍

Honest Paws sets the standard for premium CBD, offering products with unmatched quality. Our organic, non-GMO, and soy-free CBD undergo rigorous third-party lab testing to ensure excellence. Choose from our selection of CBD products tailored to meet your pet's specific needs. Experience the genuine impact of Honest Paws – where quality care meets simplicity.

‍Julia’s CX Journey‍

Juliana’s journey in customer experience began in high school while working at Best Buy. “I’ve always been interested in tech,” she shares. Through mutual friends, she connected with her current boss, who, impressed by her customer service background, invited her to join his startup. Over the past twelve years, Julia has played a key role in launching around ten brands from the ground up. One of these is Honest Paws, founded in 2018, where she now serves as the Vice President of Customer Experience for the pet-focused E-Commerce Health and Wellness company.

‍The CX Team at Honest Paws

Juliana was the sole employee in the beginning – now she leads a fully remote CX Team of 17 agents spread across global locations who support the pet-focused brands working under the parent company. “I primarily work for honestpaws.com,” Juliana explains. “We’re a pet and wellness brand. We started out in CBD but branched out into other pet and wellness products. She goes on to mention certapet.com (a teletherapy service connecting pet parents who are seeking letters for their emotional support animals and psychiatric service animals), Vets Preferred (an Amazon shop selling pet health & wellness products), and Total Vet (a pet allergy test kit).

The Challenges of Managing an International Team‍

The biggest challenge of leading an international team, Juliana says, is coordinating the agents across time zones and locations. “Getting them on the same page has been the hardest thing,” she adds, noting that to better connect “we use tools like screen sharing, Loom videos, and ClickUP organization.”

Key Qualities Juliana Looks for in a New Agent‍

Juliana believes that anyone looking to enter customer experience (CX) should possess a positive personality and a genuine interest in helping others. “Some of the questions I like to ask candidates are: Do you enjoy working with people? Do you like helping others?” she explains. She also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a friendly demeanor, regardless of the CX situation or any personal challenges.

Juliana’s Training Process‍

Customer experience (CX) training is a two-week process in which new agents are introduced to the company’s core tech stack and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Hands-on training includes role-playing, partnering with a training buddy, and shadowing experienced agents. “The first task we start them on is answering emails, which lasts about one to two weeks,” Juliana explains. “And if they are a phone agent or chat agent, we’ll ease them into those support channels.

Support Channels (Meeting Customers Where They’re At)‍

Honest Paws provides multiple communication channels for customers, including email, phone, online chat, and Apple Business Chat. “As a CBD company, we’re unable to use SMS,” Juliana explains, noting that CBD is classified as a restricted category for text message communications.

Honest Paws’ Tech Stack + Key KPIs‍

The company uses Gorgias as its helpdesk solution, selected for its compatibility with Shopify – Honest Paws’ e-commerce platform – and its cost-effectiveness. “It works really well for us,” Juliana says. “Our agents can see everything they need within Gorgias, without leaving the platform.”

Juliana monitors key KPIs such as time to first response, the number of open and closed tickets, and resolution time. “What is especially important to us is customer feedback – we use ticket fields and tags to capture it,” she explains. “And revenue – the great thing about Gorgias is that it allows us to track revenue by agent.”

Handling Escalations

Customer complaints are managed by a dedicated team member and are only escalated to Juliana in rare cases. Most order issues involve products arriving in unsatisfactory condition, such as CBD bites arriving crumbled due to shipping. “We’ll rectify the problem right away and send a replacement,” Juliana says.

Retention and Keeping Customers Happy

Honest Paws operates as a subscription-based business, so ensuring customer satisfaction with its CBD pet products is a top priority. However, managing shipping expectations has been a challenge, especially while working with a third-party logistics provider (3PL). “Everyone is comparing shipping times to Amazon. If they don’t get it in two to three days, they’re upset about it,” Juliana says. “I’m sure other e-commerce brands experience this – it’s hard to keep up.”

Juliana’s Thoughts on AI in CX‍

Honest Paws is preparing to launch its first AI agent through Gorgias, marking a major step forward in its customer experience operations. Juliana is excited about the integration, though she notes the rollout has taken longer due to the strict regulations the CBD company must follow from the FDA and NASC. “Our Team has an AI channel where we share tips and tricks on how to use AI and how to build customers,” she says. Current AI strategies also include reviewing and editing video testimonials to better understand customer sentiment—insights that are then used for marketing and updates to the Honest Paws website.

Juliana’s Predictions for CX in 10 years‍

Juliana believes AI will play an increasingly important role in customer experience, continually improving over time – but she emphasizes that the human touch will always hold value. “People monitoring AI, building out certain workflows is where it’s going to shift. We’re going to be able to do more with less people on the team,” she says and then points out, “I think there’s always going to be a human element no matter what, we just may not need to hire as quickly in the future.”

Juliana’s Advice for CX Leaders‍

“Leadership is actually caring about the people that you work with,” Juliana says. To ensure her team feels supported, she meets with team members once a week for informal one-on-one check-ins. “It’s just 15 minutes to ask how they’re doing and check in on their work-life balance,” she explains. Juliana also acknowledges that working in customer experience can be emotionally taxing – agents sometimes take complaints personally – which is why she believes it’s essential for leaders to foster empathy and understanding within the team.