Customer Service Lead

The Customer Service Lead manages Awe Inspired’s CX function, overseeing daily operations and a small remote team while working US hours. This role owns Kustomer, including workflows, automations, and reporting, and handles escalations, complex cases, and VIP customers.

They collaborate closely with Operations to resolve returns, shipping issues, and refunds efficiently, while identifying recurring problems to improve processes. The focus is on improving response times, CSAT, and overall CX performance, leveraging AI and automation. Over time, the role evolves to drive retention and revenue through proactive customer engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the CX Platform:

Administer Kustomer end-to-end — workflows, queues, tagging,

macros, SLAs, routing rules, integrations, and reporting. Continuously tune the system as ticket

volume and product mix evolve.

• Optimize AI Agents & Automate Customer Journeys:

Continuously tune Kustomer's AI

agents — coverage, accuracy, escalation logic, and resolution rate — and automate CX flows

end-to-end across pre-purchase, post-purchase, returns, exchanges, and VIP journeys. Treat AI

as a core service channel and lift its performance steadily, without sacrificing quality on the

cases that genuinely need a human.

• Apply AI to Daily Work:

Use AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, or equivalent) day-to-day to draft

responses, build workflows, generate reports, and reduce manual work. We expect a 'lean in'

mindset — AI is still new, and the bar is curiosity, fluency, and momentum, not deep AI

engineering background.

• Manage and Coach the CX Agents:

Lead two remote CX Agents on the same time zone. Set

clear KPIs, monitor performance, run regular 1:1s, provide feedback, and own staffing decisions

including coverage planning, scheduling, and capacity.

• Handle Escalations:

Personally manage escalated tickets, sensitive customer situations, VIP

cases, and any inquiry requiring judgment beyond agent scope. Set the bar for response quality

and tone.

• Partner with Operations:

Serve as the primary CX point of contact for the Inventory Operations

Manager (returns, exchanges, restocks) and the Fulfillment Manager (shipping delays, lost

packages, expedites). Use ParcelLab data to support post-purchase tracking and resolve

delivery issues.

• Report Core Customer Issues:

Identify and document recurring customer issues — product

defects, fulfillment errors, site/UX friction, policy gaps — and surface them to the relevant

internal owners with the data and context needed to drive resolution.

• Track and Improve Key Metrics: Own and report on CX KPIs including CSAT, first response

time, resolution time, ticket volume, automation rate, and contacts-per-order. Lead structured

reviews to diagnose trends and drive improvement.

• Build Toward Revenue Engagement (Future State):

Once core operations are stable, expand

the role's scope to include proactive engagement with high-value customers — concierge

support, repeat-purchase outreach, and service-led retention initiatives that contribute to

revenue.

• Act as the Voice of the Customer:

Ensure customer feedback, frustrations, and patterns are

represented internally and that the CX experience aligns with Awe's brand promise.

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of customer service or customer operations experience, ideally in DTC or

e-commerce. Jewelry or luxury experience is a plus.

• Hands-on experience with Kustomer is strongly preferred. Equivalent experience with Gorgias,

Zendesk, or similar modern CX platforms will be considered, with willingness to ramp on

Kustomer quickly.

• Demonstrated experience configuring CX platform automations, AI agents, workflows, macros,

and reporting — not just using them as an end user.

• Comfortable using AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, or equivalent) day-to-day, with a clear willingness

to lean in and learn. Experience using AI to draft, automate, or improve CX operations is a

strong plus — we don't expect a deep AI engineering background, but we do expect curiosity,

momentum, and a bias toward applying these tools in real work.

• Experience managing or leading small remote teams, including setting KPIs, coaching, and

scheduling.

• Strong written English and interpersonal communication skills; able to match brand tone and

convey empathy, clarity, and trust in every interaction.

• Comfortable working US business hours from an offshore location on a consistent, full-time

schedule.

• Systems-oriented thinker with strong attention to detail and a bias toward eliminating manual

work.

• Comfortable navigating operational edge cases — incorrect returns, expedited shipping issues,

damaged items — and partnering with operations counterparts to resolve them.

• Familiarity with Shopify, ParcelLab, or similar e-commerce/post-purchase tooling is a plus