Customer Experience Lead

About the role

You will own the end-to-end customer experience for Halter's growing base of farmers across New Zealand, Australia, and the USA, ensuring every interaction reflects the brand's commitment to effortless herd management. This hands-on role requires you to shift between direct customer conversations and active team leadership, intervening in real time to resolve complex issues and de-escalate high-pressure situations. You will manage live support shifts on our critical communication channels, responding to urgent queries while maintaining calm, clear communication that reassures both farmers and colleagues. A core part of this position involves coaching and mentoring team members, translating your experience into practical guidance that strengthens the entire Customer Experience team. You will leverage data and interaction trends to identify recurring problems, driving proactive improvements that raise service standards before issues escalate. This role demands resilience and adaptability, as you support customers during emotionally charged moments, from difficult herd health challenges to rewarding milestones in farm productivity. By balancing operational ticket resolution with strategic leadership, you will help build long-term customer trust and reinforce Halter's reputation for exceptional support.

Key facts

What you'll do

Coordinate real-time support across multiple communication channels, triaging inquiries to ensure farmers receive accurate and timely assistance.

Analyze support data to uncover recurring issues, then collaborate with product and operations teams to refine workflows and reduce future ticket volume.

Lead live shift coverage by managing the queue, setting priorities, and ensuring response time targets are met without compromising solution quality.

Coach and mentor junior team members, providing constructive feedback that improves their problem-solving and customer communication skills.

Own complex escalations, guiding less experienced staff through difficult cases while maintaining a consistent, high-standard approach.

Develop and maintain clear documentation of common issues and resolutions, creating resources that empower the team to handle queries independently.

Monitor customer sentiment in conversations, adjusting tone and approach to remain calm, empathetic, and solution-focused at all times.

Use performance metrics to identify coaching opportunities, recognizing strengths within the team and addressing gaps through structured feedback.

Implement process tweaks within your tools, such as optimizing macros in Intercom or Zendesk to speed up responses while preserving personalization.

Champion a quality-first mindset, auditing interactions periodically to ensure standards are upheld and customers feel heard and respected.

Identify patterns in farmer behavior, translating insights into recommendations that influence product improvements and onboarding materials.

Support the development of shift schedules that balance coverage needs with team well-being, ensuring adequate rest and focus during peak periods.

Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to align customer feedback with product roadmaps, ensuring frontline insights inform strategic decisions.

Act as the voice of the customer internally, highlighting urgent issues and advocating for changes that enhance the overall experience.

Requirements

You must have significant experience in a customer support or service role, with a proven ability to handle high-volume, real-time inquiries.

You must demonstrate a proven track record in coaching, mentoring, or leading teams, whether through formal management responsibilities or informal peer influence.

You maintain high standards for quality and customer experience, refusing to accept inconsistent or subpar interactions.

You show strong ability in managing complex issues, guiding both customers and colleagues through difficult problems with patience and clarity.

You are proficient in using tools like Intercom or Zendesk, with a history of improving workflow processes to increase efficiency.

You skillfully utilize data to identify trends, prioritize tasks, and enhance outcomes, making decisions grounded in evidence rather than intuition.

You communicate clearly and calmly, quickly building trust with customers and teammates even in stressful situations.

You balance ticket resolution with coaching and leadership duties, ensuring that team development does not take a back seat to short-term metrics.

You are deeply curious and focused on continuous improvement, consistently seeking ways to elevate standards for customers and colleagues.

You are comfortable working full-time in a primary Auckland location, with flexibility to accommodate occasional overnight work when required.

Nice to have

Experience working in an office-first environment where in-person collaboration drives performance and innovation.

Exposure to livestock, agriculture, or rural industries, providing context that helps you relate more deeply to farmer customers.

A background in fast-paced, mission-critical operations where resilience and quick thinking are essential.

Practical notes

This role requires availability for one of two shifts: the early shift from 5:00 AM to 1:30 PM or the afternoon shift from 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Both shifts are full-time, primarily Monday to Friday, with approximately one weekend day each month. Occasional overnight work may be required to support global customers and critical system events. The position is based in Auckland, and candidates should be prepared to work from Halter's office location.