At A Glance

When Nicole Abugattas joined Paragon Fitwear in 2023, the women’s activewear brand was experiencing rapid, exponential growth, creating the need to quickly scale its CX team. Building on an already strong foundation of clear SOPs and structure, Nicole focused on growing the team and evolving its systems to keep pace. Drawing on her life coach training, she helped refine the brand’s CX approach around empathy and clear communication, enabling her agents to create meaningful customer connections and make shoppers feel truly seen and heard throughout their journey.

Who is Nicole?‍

Meet Nicole Abugattas, Customer Experience Manager at Paragon Fitwear!

About Paragon Fitwear‍

Paragon Fitwear makes premium women’s activewear that supports you on your strength-building journey. Known for the signature Sculptseam® technology, the E-Commerce brand creates sets that make you look incredible and feel unstoppable—so comfortable they move like a second skin, so effective you never want to wear anything else.

Nicole’s CX Journey‍

Nicole is a certified life coach specializing in emotional intelligence and somatics. “When I decided to go back to corporate, I was looking for a role where I could fully apply my skills. I love helping others and being of service,” she shares. She quickly realized the CX space was a strong fit and joined Paragon Fitwear in 2023.

“When I was hired, I was the only person in the department,” she explains. “Not only did I have a job to do, but I also had to build the team, establish SOPs, and develop the entire CX framework from the ground up.” Nicole views her founding role as an opportunity to put her strengths in empathy, connection, and communication into practice as a leader.

What Excites Nicole about CX‍

Nicole believes that CX offers the opportunity for people to feel “seen and heard.” She emphasizes that “closing that gap and making that connection is my passion.” Drawing from this perspective in her training, she encourages her team members to ensure customers feel supported at every communication touchpoint throughout the CX journey.

The CX Team at Paragon Fitwear‍

Paragon Fitwear is a fully remote company. Nicole is based in Peru and her team of 3 members work from Japan, Philippines, and South America. “It’s exciting to have people from different cultures,” she adds.

Working across time zones gives the team a distinct advantage, enabling customer service coverage for up to 20 hours a day. Nicole’s primary challenge in managing a fully remote team is ensuring that agents ask the right questions and confidently balance root-cause problem-solving with empathy. She also emphasizes situational leadership, recognizing the importance of supporting each agent’s professional development. Nicole aims to “see each person for who they are – understanding their strengths and opportunities – and guide them along their own growth path.”

Key Hiring Traits Nicole Looks for in a CX Agent‍

Nicole highlights five key traits that define an exceptional CX agent. Strong communication skills are essential for understanding and engaging with customers across email and chat. Equally important are problem-solving ability, a willingness to follow processes, and genuine empathy. “Having a growth mindset is really important to me,” Nicole adds.

CX Team Success Factors

Proactive Planning for Peak Season‍

Nicole takes a proactive approach to planning for the company’s peak season. “I always put myself in the customer’s shoes. As I go through the experience, I think about potential issues and the information they might need,” she says. During busy periods, she prioritizes clear, direct communication for both agents and customers. She credits her “think-ahead” strategies—along with well-structured, standardized documentation—for helping prevent escalations and reducing follow-up questions.

Looking Ahead: Nicole’s CX Goals for Paragon Fitwear‍

Nicole envisions a future where agents are even more connected to Paragon Fitwear’s customers. She sees AI as a critical tool for freeing her team from routine, mechanical tasks. “We’ve already started implementing AI,” she notes. “I’d love to leverage automation for simple yes/no questions so we can create more space for conversations that require more empathy and time.”

Nicole’s Predictions for the Future of CX‍

While some view AI as a threat to personalized customer service, Nicole believes that, when applied thoughtfully, automation can actually help brands show a more human side. “By taking care of the mechanical tasks we don’t particularly enjoy, AI can create more space in CX for humanity, empathy, and genuine connection,” she explains.

Nicole’s Advice for CX Leaders‍

Drawing from her life coach training, Nicole takes a holistic approach to leadership, recognizing that she is responsible not only for her team but also for the customers they serve. She emphasizes the importance of ensuring everyone feels valued within the CX space, noting, “Feeling seen and heard isn’t just for customers – it applies to agents and everyone who works with you as well.”