At A Glance

Luke Smith discovered his passion for customer experience after leaving a monotonous genetics lab job, drawn by "the unpredictable nature of talking to customers every day." With retail experience from helping Tecovas expand to 20+ locations, Luke joined Zero Foxtrot's three-person customer service team where he champions "radical hospitality" and solution-focused service. His philosophy of "finding ways to say yes to the customer" guides his approach to building lasting relationships while maintaining consistent messaging across multiple communication channels.

Who is Luke Smith?

Meet Luke Smith, the Customer Experience Manager at Zero Foxtrot!

About Zero Foxtrot

Zero Foxtrot is a veteran-owned and operated apparel business. Their product line reflects both classic and newer aspects of the military lifestyle. The company’s goal is to connect people with unique items that honor the warrior lifestyle. 

Luke’s CX Journey

Luke found his way to customer experience through an unexpected journey that began with inspiration from Chick-fil-A's renowned service philosophy. "It all goes back to Chick-fil-A and the whole raving customer thing that they did," he explains of his early motivation to pursue customer-focused work.

His practical experience began at Tecovas, a startup boot company where he joined during the early growth phase. "I ended up getting hired by Tecovas when they were very small," Luke recalls. "Went over there, helped them start retail stores, and ended up going 20-plus locations." Despite this success in retail expansion, he chose to pursue his degree and briefly worked in microbiology and regulatory fields after graduation.

However, the appeal of customer interaction proved irresistible. "I was just sitting in my office one day. I was like, I just missed the unpredictable nature of talking to customers every day in a dynamic environment," Luke explains. When his former boss reached out about an opportunity at Zero Foxtrot, a veteran-focused, veteran-founded brand, Luke made the transition. "He's like, 'I think you'd be a good fit for this.' So I jumped over there and just been hanging out since."

What Luke Loves About CX

Luke's passion for customer experience stems from his love of human connection and problem-solving. "Something in me about meeting new people. Even if it's online, you really get to know new people," he explains. "Nothing is really the same every day."

The CX Team at Zero Foxtrot

Luke operates within a lean customer experience structure at Zero Foxtrot. With such a small team, consistency becomes crucial during challenging periods. 

"Right now we've been having delays getting a product in for a subscription package. Things can get very hectic and everybody's not there at the same time," Luke notes. In these situations, clear communication is essential: "Rumors can start to fly. Getting a clear, consistent message out and getting ahead of the problem, I think, is the most important thing." His focus remains on maintaining reliability across all customer interactions: "Just trying to be as consistent as possible, not create inconsistencies."

Hiring Process

Luke prioritizes teamwork and resilience when evaluating potential customer service hires at Zero Foxtrot. "You certainly don't have to be a veteran. I'm not a veteran," he clarifies, despite the company's veteran-focused mission. "I think the most important quality is somebody that can easily work with everybody else. Are they going to fit in?"

His hiring philosophy emphasizes character traits over specific backgrounds. "If I was hiring somebody that was totally up to me, I'd look for somebody I can easily work with and somebody who responds well to adversity," Luke explains. While acknowledging that "veterans happen to be somebody that does that well," he recognizes these qualities can be found elsewhere: "It could be anybody, somebody that's worked at retail."

CX Team Success Factors

Zero Foxtrot operates customer service through multiple channels with a focus on consistency. "Usually email. But we also have a chat function and then we got a guy in marketing who runs our socials," Luke explains. "So occasionally we'll get some Instagram stuff."

Managing cross-channel communication requires coordination to avoid mixed messages. "Sometimes we'll get somebody who emails us about a question and then maybe we'll send an Instagram DM to see what's up," he notes, emphasizing the importance of "consistent messaging."

 Luke trusts his team's judgment for most situations: "I really believe that each of our CX agents have the ability to resolve it how it should." For more complex issues, they leverage their small team structure: "If we get something huge or somebody's really upset, we'll talk about it as a team and we'll just come to a conclusion there together."

Philosophy

Luke's customer service philosophy centers on flexibility and finding solutions rather than enforcing rigid policies. "I think the best advice I've ever heard is find ways to say yes to the customer," he explains. "You don't want to ever tell somebody, that sucks. Sorry. See you later. You kind of find a way to make it work."

This approach requires practical judgment in real situations. "Today I had somebody who's like, 'hey, I'm allergic to Spandex. I need to return this,'" Luke recalls of a recent interaction involving their restocking fee policy. Rather than strictly enforcing the charge, he chose empathy: "It's not fair to do a $5 fee. That's a fine policy, but we need to find a way to make this work. It really isn't fair." His solution was simple: "Bend the rules a little bit and get this guy a prepaid shipping label."

Revenue Generation/AI/topics of interest 

Luke approaches AI implementation in customer service with cautious optimism, recognizing both its potential and limitations. "From what I've read and the general public is very resistant to incorporate AI into everything," he observes. "But my view on this is that it's a tool where it can be necessary."

However, he emphasizes the continued need for human oversight. "AI isn't going to cover everything. Sometimes responses need a solid human intervention here because the AI is only going to do what you tell it to do," Luke explains. While acknowledging AI's capabilities—"sometimes it has a great message and sometimes it's almost indistinguishable from what a regular agent would say"—he maintains reservations about full automation: "It's not quite to where I feel acceptable just leaving it to take the reins. I still think it needs to be monitored and make sure it's going in right direction."

Advice for CX Leaders

Luke emphasizes measured responses and collaborative decision-making as essential leadership qualities in customer experience. "A really big one is responding to adversity, whether that's on the individual level, if you have a customer who's really pissed at you," he explains. "Sometimes in the moment we tend to send emotional replies back. That's not good for anybody."

His approach focuses on taking time to process challenges rather than reacting immediately. "Take a step back, maybe take a walk around the warehouse," Luke advises, noting that this principle applies to broader operational issues too: "The shipment for our subscription pack is late and everybody's really upset. What do we do here? Don't make decisions in the heat of the moment." Effective leadership requires humility and collaboration: "I'm never the smartest person in the room. It's on a leader to take charge of the situation, take everybody's feedback, and hopefully submit a great solution."