At A Glance

Leo Lafaialii transformed Origin's customer experience by applying team principles from his professional rugby career. After joining during a critical rebuilding period, he restructured their service approach through strategic hiring and improved channels. Under his leadership, the e-commerce apparel company has achieved impressive 95% customer satisfaction scores.

Who is Leo Lafaialii? 

Meet Leo, the Senior Customer Experience Manager at Origin!

About Origin

Origin is an outdoor and athletic clothing business with big ambitions–to bring back the American Dream. They do this in the “simplest” and most effective way possible–by putting their financial future where their mouth is. The company manufactures their products here in the United States, focusing on creating jobs and opportunity with every item they produce. 

Leo’s CX Journey

Leo's journey to customer experience leadership began on the rugby field. "I played and coached professional rugby" he explains, highlighting his understanding of "what makes a successful team."

His transition to customer service came through education administration, where he learned that "your customers are actually your students," before joining T-Mobile's call center. There, he encountered an innovative approach where managers "were driving their own business" and teams were empowered "to actually think about the customer" rather than focusing solely on call metrics.

After gaining B2B experience where "my customers were big supermarket chains," Leo now applies his diverse background to direct-to-consumer e-commerce apparel. His philosophy remains consistent: "We're responding to our customers quickly and making sure that they're not having to work hard for their answer."

What Excites Leo About CX

Leo finds excitement in identifying opportunities to enhance customer experience through streamlined problem-solving. "Figuring out how do we make it easier for our customers to get information? How do we make it easier for customers to do an exchange?" he explains. The validation comes when customer feedback confirms the impact: "When you get their feedback in a verbatim and say, man, this was awesome, you know the way that this worked, you get the validation knowing that you're able to actually add to that experience."

This problem-solving mindset extends beyond individual customer interactions to systemic improvements. "It's solving problems, whether it's a detailed problem at the granular level or a big problem," Leo notes, describing how he collaborates across teams to develop standard operating procedures that "smooth things out, because the winner is going to be the customer at the end of the day." This comprehensive approach—addressing both customer-facing and behind-the-scenes challenges—provides deep professional satisfaction.

The CX Team at Origin

Leo joined a company in the midst of restructuring its customer experience approach after significant challenges. "The customer experience team grew so quick that wasn't able to keep up, and they did a huge revamp," he explains. A particularly difficult Black Friday period exposed operational limitations and became "a real eye-opener" that prompted decisive action.

The organization responded by investing in both personnel and supporting tools. "We brought on board an external remote team called Support Ninjas," Leo notes, explaining how they created a hybrid service model that combined remote specialists with in-house staff. This team structure provided "the capability to service tickets" while simultaneously allowing them to "revamp our whole process."

After successfully navigating the transition period, the operation has now evolved into a more cohesive unit. "Now we've brought everything back in-house," Leo explains, highlighting the team's remarkable performance. "I'm really proud to say that we run a 95% on average for the last six months CSAT scores," he adds, demonstrating how the right team structure has transformed their customer experience delivery.

Approach to Hiring

Leo's approach to building an effective customer service team centers on thoughtful hiring practices that identify innate service qualities. "The interview process itself is the key," he explains. "The saying is you want to be slow in your hiring. You want to make sure you get the right person."

Rather than focusing primarily on technical skills, Leo seeks candidates with natural service instincts and problem-solving abilities. "The big part is your desire to actually help people," he emphasizes. "Do you have that innate ability to be able to relate to people?" This approach recognizes that while many skills can be taught, fundamental qualities like empathy and communication style are often inherent. "We require our team to operate on different channels. You've got to have the persona and personality to field phone calls in a professional manner that is friendly, that's got a great tone, that is able to have empathy. If you have that natural tendency, you don't have to teach that."

CX Team Success Factors

Leo prioritizes a multi-faceted approach to customer communication that balances self-service options with personalized support channels. "I think before you say 'reach them,' you need to ask how do we help them service themselves," he explains, recognizing their customer base's independent nature. "Our type of customer is a person that is quite self-sustaining. They actually like to do things on their own."

This understanding drives investment in accessible information resources. "How do we create knowledge articles? How do we make sure all the information is there that they can make a decision?" Leo asks, emphasizing the importance of "focusing on the pre-work so they don't have to reach out to us." When customers do need direct assistance, they primarily connect through "contact form and email," with phone and chat serving as important secondary channels. "Understanding how they reach out to us is key" to delivering successful outcomes across these diverse touchpoints.

Revenue Generation/AI/topics of interest 

Leo acknowledges AI's potential in customer service while emphasizing the importance of maintaining their brand's personal touch. "The brand is built on personal touch," he explains. "When you introduce it, it's going to be done in a manner that is sensitive to that, respectful of that."

His practical approach focuses on implementing AI for straightforward transactions first. "There are certain tasks that, 'hey, I would like to cancel an order'—you'll certainly be able to do that," Leo notes. However, he recognizes the significant investment required for more complex applications: "With AI, it takes time. It's the invested time that you need to help give it its knowledge base, its guidance." This measured strategy reflects his understanding that while AI is "a reality and it's coming around the corner," successful implementation requires careful testing and continuous knowledge management to truly enhance rather than diminish the customer experience.

Biggest Advice

Leo advocates for direct, personal communication as the most effective approach to resolving challenging customer situations. "Let's talk it out, and then let's just have a conversation," he advises. "Having a conversation is actually easier, and there's that real connection, especially on tough ones."

His straightforward philosophy emphasizes the power of phone calls for de-escalating difficult interactions. "If the customer's really upset, it's like, 'hey, let me give you a call,'" Leo explains. This principle applies universally across industries: "No matter what industry you're involved in, if you just pick up the phone and think, 'it's me, we've been exchanging. This is where we're at. How can I make this right?'" This direct approach cuts through complexity and demonstrates genuine commitment to finding solutions rather than prolonging frustration through impersonal channels.