At A Glance

Juan Hernandez rose from customer service representative to customer director at Soul of Adventure (SA Company) by prioritizing exceptional service delivery. After joining in 2016, he transformed their support operation from a small on-site team to a hybrid model combining in-house and outsourced agents in response to pandemic challenges. Juan maintains a service-first philosophy, hiring for cultural alignment rather than just technical skills, while strategically implementing AI automation to handle common inquiries without sacrificing the personalized experience that builds customer loyalty.

Who is Juan Hernandez?

Meet Juan, the Director of Customer Service at SA!

About SA

SA stands for “Soul of adventure.” The company specializes in outdoor accessories. Most of their inventory consists of apparel, with a special emphasis on hats. However, they also sell eclectic merchandise including silicone rings. 

Juan’s CX Journey

Juan Hernandez has explored the customer experience operation at SA Company (Soul of Adventure) from the ground up.  "I started from just being a customer service representative and then I made my way up, basically providing customer support to all of our customers."

When Juan joined, the company lacked established customer service infrastructure. "We started from nothing,” he recalls. Over time, he has developed a more sophisticated operation that now includes "different outsourcing agencies that we handle." Despite this growth, Juan emphasizes the personal connections at the company's core: "SA Company is a company that was built upon friendship."

What excites Juan about CX

What excites Juan about customer experience is the opportunity to fulfill his natural desire to serve others. "I consider myself somebody who likes to help people," he explains. "Being in the customer service industry. It's just an opportunity for me to help others."

His passion for excellence in service became his pathway to leadership at SA Company. "I always tried to be the best at it.”  Finding alignment between personal and company values reinforced his commitment: "I believe in SA, that's the cultural as well. I was able to identify the same mindset that I always had when I was growing up just to serve people." This dedication to exceptional service continues to drive him.

The CX Team at SA

SA Company's customer service operation evolved significantly in response to pandemic challenges. "Our team is hybrid. I have some team working on site because we still need help with managing returns and exchanges,” Juan explains of their current structure. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a major strategic shift in their approach. "Initially, we were a team of around 15 agents on site, but then after COVID hit, it hit us pretty hard." 

This disruption led to innovation in their staffing model: "We were struggling to find a solution. There's where we came up with the strategy of finding an outsource team that can help us with all the customer service needs and all of the back office needs."

Approach to Hiring

When recruiting customer service team members, Juan prioritizes cultural alignment above all else. "When we hire someone in customer service, we make sure that they align with our culture, which is providing an outstanding service," he explains.

 "The main quality is to align with our culture, which is customer first." Juan believes that while technical skills can be developed, core values must be present from the start: "As long as you have the desire to help people and it aligns with our vision, the rest is something that we can train."

CX Team Success Factors

SA Company offers customers multiple contact options, with digital channels leading their communication strategy. "Our customers engage with us through live chat. That's our main channel of communication," Juan explains. 

The company maintains traditional support methods alongside newer technologies. "We also have email support and phone call support," he notes, adding they provide "a toll-free number that they can call from anywhere in the world" for customers who "feel more comfortable speaking to someone." Social media has become another significant customer touchpoint. "A lot of people follow our Instagram page or Facebook, TikTok, and they start just DMing us. And we also serve them through the DMs," Juan shares. Recently, the company has begun implementing automation to enhance efficiency: "We have bots that are going to be the first layer of conversation. And after that, you can also request to speak to a live agent."

Revenue Generation/AI/topics of interest 

SA Company is strategically focusing on enhancing post-purchase interactions to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. "Our priorities for the future are focused on improving our post purchase experience and communication," Juan explains. "We believe it's going to help reduce a lot of tickets and it's going to help us in the resolution time even further." Despite the efficiency benefits of automation, the company remains committed to human connection in an increasingly AI-driven landscape.

 "We're also exploring deeper into personalization in our customer journeys to enhance loyalty and retention," he notes. "Right now we're living in a world where AI is taking control, but we still believe in the personalization of our customer support." 

While prioritizing human connection, Juan and his team are not completely opposed to artificial intelligence in their customer service strategy. "I'll be a fool if I say that I don't use AI," he acknowledges candidly. SA Company is strategically implementing automation to handle common inquiries: "If we knock out the top five questions with AI, that would help us decrease the ticketing." Juan sees AI as an enhancement rather than a replacement: "I don't believe that AI came to replace the customer service agents. I believe that AI came to make them smarter," he emphasizes, reassuring his team that technology will help them "become more efficient" rather than eliminate their roles.

Juan’s Key Advice

Juan believes leadership in customer experience is a skill developed through continuous learning rather than innate talent. "You don't born being a leader, you made yourself a leader," he explains. 

His key advice centers on maintaining humility: "Be willing to be trainable as well. Most leaders in the industry, they don't accept to be trained." Juan emphasizes ongoing education: "Readers are leaders. I try to educate myself in the industry." This approach helps leaders focus on actual customer needs: "I align myself with what the customer needs right now and not what I want."