VP, CX Insights & Community at PartnerHero | Talking about creating your customer experience from scratch. I build and scale customer-facing teams that give a shit and can help you do the same.

I transitioned from being a barista to working in customer experience 20 years ago, and life hasn't been the same since.

I've been fortunate enough to work at companies like Wistia, Atlassian, Trello and Appcues. I've worked with amazing customer-facing folks to create scalable strategies and delight customers. 

Now, I spend my time helping to elevate leaders of teams and empower them to create the best customer experience. Employee-centered teams with simple, beautiful processes are where I find my joy.

Outside of my work with Boldr, I also consult and write for businesses such as Help Scout, HubSpot, and others. Let's work together!

Mercer Smith

Some of you have never spent 3 hours wrestling with a Zapier webhook payload, crying, googling “why won’t this JSON work,” and then discovering you missed ONE curly brace…and it shows.

I just thought I'd give Zapier's copilot a little spin to create a custom Slack bot and it just...works? What?

Send help, I'm about to automate everything.

CX Strategy & Solutions at Boldr; Author of CXOXO | Talking about creating your customer experience from scratch. I build and scale customer-facing teams that care and can help you do the same.

If you're feeling the ripple effects today… you’re not alone. Lots of DTC/ecomm teams are feeling the Shopify wobble, and EVERYONE is quietly doing the same 3–4 moves to keep things sane. If you're stressed, here are the things that actually help (and you can do all of them in the next 15 minutes):

1) Set expectations everywhere customers look.
Homepage banner, help center note, updated auto-replies, one pinned social post. Nothing fancy, just “We’re experiencing platform issues; replies may be delayed; your order is safe.” This alone cuts inbound fast.

2) Switch support into triage mode.
Not everything needs to be answered right now. Focus on:
 • cancellations
 • address changes
 • fraud/chargebacks
 • time-sensitive shipping issues
 For everything else, acknowledge the limitation and promise a follow-up once visibility returns.

3) Use any source of truth that isn’t affected.
If your 3PL, WMS, ShipStation, AfterShip, or carriers are still giving clean data, respond from that. If you can’t confirm something, don’t guess! It’s okay to say “we’ll follow up when system access is back.”

4) Don’t add pressure while things are wobbly.
Lots of teams are temporarily slowing promos or pausing paid spend until checkout/admin visibility stabilizes. 

Does anyone have a great reply that they've used or ARE using in this case that could help the class? If so, drop it below.

But genuinely: you’re doing great. You’re not powerless. There are moves you can make TODAY that lower chaos immediately. You’ve got this. Happy Cyber Monday!

Some of you are out here using AI for PrOdUcTiViTy while I am creating a GPT to DM and manage 4 other AI-generated player characters through Curse of Strahd because I can’t maintain a regular game night and I miss tabletop. 

We are not the same.

Average Handle Time is the MLM of CX metrics. It really is out here “Hey Girl”-ing your entire org.

It's all fun and games until you realize the whole thing is propped up by bad incentives, magical thinking, and a promise that “if you just do MORE, you’ll be successful.”

It rewards hustle over outcomes (“Just answer faster! Grind harder! Crank those numbers!”). It turns your team into performers instead of problem-solvers. It punishes anyone dealing with real complexity, and the only people who benefit are the ones SELLING THE NARRATIVE (hi, CFO dashboards).

Fast doesn’t equal good. Short conversations don’t equal resolution. And also, spoiler alert, if your human AHT isn’t going up, it means your bot isn’t doing nearly enough/the right things.

One time I accidentally reopened 40k closed tickets, and when I reached out to Desk support to try to get help they said that I was SOL. So instead, I had to operationalize a dream team of my colleagues to help tackle the backlog and get back to a good place with the queue.

Nightmares like these can be learned from. Let my (and our other speakers') mistakes be your advantage.

Come hang out on the 20th to get more! and bring your own stories!!

Open article: Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: “When SaaS teams learn the hard way”. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. by zoom.us

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: “When SaaS teams learn the hard way”. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Everyone in CX has a horror story, the kind where you think it can’t get worse… until it does.

We are 3 days away from our Masterclass for SaaS leaders who’ve lived through the burn-it-all-down kind of CX chaos: angry customers, team burnout, and “we’ll fix it later” moments that came too late.

In 45 minutes, we’ll show you where to actually invest in CX to improve retention, which tools are worth your time (👀 CSAT, we’re looking at you), and how to turn CX from a cost center into a growth advantage.

📅 November 20th
🕛 12:00 PM CT
Come for the lessons. Stay for the laughs. 

🔗 Register now: https://hubs.ly/Q03TB00g0

Content & Comms Strategist | Knowledge Manager | Experience Architect

Hi, friends! As my temporary contract as a Senior Support Content Strategist at Coinbase comes to a close, I’m looking for my next step.

I don’t just write communications and content - I build the systems behind them. Mature operations, smoother reviews, and faster launches. That’s the impact that I bring.

Over the last few years, I’ve focused on:

 🔨 Building scalable knowledge base & help center content
 🔁 Designing and maturing the systems that power content intake, production, and review
 🤖 Structuring content for both AI-forward and human-first support experiences
 📣 Strengthening change management and team culture through thoughtful internal and executive communications

I’m open to opportunities in:

 🧠 Knowledge management
 📖 Content operations & marketing operations
 💬 Internal communications
 🌐 Web content production & maintenance
 🎯 Program and project management
 ❓ More? My skills flex into all sorts of roles!

And while I’m flexible on industry, I have deep experience in:

 💰 Fintech & financial education
 🎨 Artist tools & the creator economy
 📺 Entertainment, media, & events

I’m largely looking for a full-time role, but I’m also open to contract and freelance opportunities. If something crosses your feed that feels “very Alex,” please send it my way!

I’m lucky to have built meaningful relationships with so many talented teammates and collaborators, and I’m grateful for the support as I figure out what’s next. ✨

Customer Experience Maven, Events & Community Enthusiast, and Believer in the Best in People.

🐍 2025 was a 9 year, an ending year, the year of the snake. A year to slither out of that old skin that doesn't fit or leave room for growth and cast it behind, drying to dust. 2026 is a 1-year, the new beginning year, the year of the horse. We gallop into our future, trodding over the broken dreams of this horrible, tension-filled year, and we propel ourselves into the next, great things waiting for us with ferocity. To wrap up the 2025 year in CX, Erica Clayton, Mercer Smith, and I are going live on Dec 10! What a year it's been, and what a future we're stepping into.  🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

Never heard of the phrase shadow support, but Ben is wicked smart so I’m curious!!

Regional Director for North America at Helpfeel

Shadow support is huge and growing fast. It's when customers go to reddit, a group chat, or their favorite personal AI instead of getting support from an official channel 👻  

Help me get a pulse on this:

You may have heard of shadow IT. Have you heard of shadow support?

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

My nine year old just asked me “mama, how did bowser raise his funding?”

Happy Saturday.

I love seeing others sharing the stuff that I see about our company. Feels good to be seen. Thank you Neal Travis 🌱 for sharing this and your kind words.

Helping professionals be better at what they do - Head of CX @ AIHR - Host of Growth Support

Came across this interesting piece of news yesterday. 

It's a move from Boldr showcasing how classic BPOs are evolving in the new landscape of CX. 

Boldr is launching services that go beyond staffing, and is now supporting the work that leads to it. (https://www.boldr.cx/)

There is a huge opportunity here. 

You might think that you need a BPO or more people because of the way that you have your operations in place. 

But you might be missing some key pieces ahead of that. 
Are they set up in the best way possible in the first place?

I think it's a pretty great move by Boldr 
Ensuring that customers are set up to scale smarter, not harder

Especially in an age of CX that is dominated by smarter technology, where just needing to fill seats is no longer something that works.

What do you think? Are more 'Operations Partners' becoming needed?

P.S. See the full release here from CEOTimes: https://lnkd.in/e9uuErim

Yo have you ever seen a better lineup? I'm not on the picture, but I will ALSO be leading this conversation with the ever amazing Chrissy and Jessica-Rose. 

If you are looking at 2026 and shakin' in your boots, feel that fear no more.

Your 2026 CX plan isn’t going to magically appear in your stocking, unfortunately.

We’re bringing in a trio of CX minds who know how to turn year-end chaos into clarity: Jessica-Rose Garcia, Chrissy Sebald, and our host Mercer Smith. Together, they’ll share their tips on how to step back, rethink what actually matters, and build a 2026 plan that doesn’t immediately ⚠️self-destruct⚠️.

📅 December 17th 
⏰ 12:00 PM CT

Because if you wait until January to get strategic, 2026 is going to roll in like “Hey bestie, remember that pile of unresolved CX problems?”

Jen is amazing, and any role working with her would likely be sooooo much fun. If you are in the NYC area, have a look at what she's got cooking!

GM, US Operations & Head of Global Customer Support at Tapstitch | Sweetgreen CX Scale ($50M→$600M) | ex-Warby Parker | Building Customer Experience, Operations & Service Design Systems That Scale

I’m excited to share that I’ve stepped into a new role as GM of U.S. Operations & Head of Global Customer Support at Tapstitch.

We’re building the U.S. team from the ground up: owning the customer journey, GTM and lifecycle strategy, and the systems, culture, and operating model that will carry Tapstitch through our next phase of growth. I feel incredibly grateful for our 120+ cross-border teammates in Guangzhou whose garment sourcing, production, logistics, product, and development work is the backbone of everything we do.

Tapstitch is a fast-growing Series A company with a simple mission: to make it easy for creators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to bring their fashion & brand ideas to life.

Our platform connects U.S. customers (and beyond) directly to a flexible fashion supply chain in China. We offer an on-trend catalog, powerful design tools, and seamless dropshipping so  creators can focus on what they do best: building their brand. We integrate with Shopify, Etsy, Wix, etc., making scale frictionless.
Our U.S. team in DUMBO is small but mighty: high-EQ, analytical, creative, and driven. Every day we get to partner with inspiring customers across industries and creator communities.

And now… we’re hiring.
I’m looking for creative, analytical builders who want to shape something from day one. Open roles:
Customer Success Manager
CX Strategy & Standards Manager
CX Vendor & Workforce Optimization Manager
If you love building systems, improving experiences, and working closely with creators and entrepreneurs, there’s so much opportunity here.

We’re NYC-based, working out of a sunny loft in DUMBO, and moving fast.
If this sparks something for you (or someone you know), drop me a note!

PS: This also doubles as my ‘I’m officially back in NYC’ announcement. If you have any great gluten-free or dairy-free spots, farmers markets, or epic coffee shops, the Californian in me would love your recs.

The power of AI AND HUMANS TOGETHER cannot be understated.

As customer expectations rise, evolving from a scripted chatbot to a generative AI agent isn’t just smart; it’s essential. At IPSY, making that shift helped us achieve a 943% ROI in just four months.

I recently connected with the ada CX team to discuss IPSY’s AI transformation journey and the progress we’ve made in a short amount of time. Since launching our ACX program earlier this year, the results have been exceptionally strong. The momentum has given us the confidence to continue investing and to pursue even more ambitious opportunities.

This work has meaningfully elevated the role of Customer Care across IPSY. Our advancements in AI have unlocked new investments, strengthened cross-functional partnerships, and set a new standard for how we approach automation across the organization.

While AI is central to this progress, the driving force has been the people leading it. I want to recognize Anna Prince (Ricci), our AI & Automation Strategy Manager, whose early leadership played a pivotal role in our success.

For the full story, you can read the case study here:

Open article: IPSY | Ada | Case Study | Ada by ada.cx

Stripe

- Part of Stripe's Developer Advisory Board
- Providing early feedback on features
- Advising on developer experience

Developer Experience Advisor

Postman

- Consulting with enterprise organizations on API strategy: lifecycle, platform, governance.
- Building relationships within the API industry: product vendors, customers, and community members.
- Publishing research both internally and to the broader API community.

API Strategy Lead, Open Technologies

- Working to help enterprises take full advantage of Postman's Collaboration Platform for API Development.

Lead Solutions Engineer

Kevin Swiber Consulting

- Strategy consulting for SaaS-based startups.
- Custom Kubernetes and Knative development and integration.
- Work with Knative Open Source project on autoscaling opportunities.

Owner

OpenAPI Initiative

Outreach Chair

NodeSource, LLC

- Successfully led the company through an acquisition, spinning down infrastructure under
the old company (NodeSource, Inc.) and spinning it back up under the new company
(NodeSource, LLC).
- Interacted with key customers to retain their business and closed over $1MM in revenue
in the company's first quarter.
- Influenced new product direction.
- Built Chef cookbook to help win a customer deployment.

Principal Software Engineer

NodeSource

- Led design, reliability, and observability of a new SaaS product.
- Jumped in to fill a need for an SRE. Managed resources on AWS using EC2, Lambda,
ECS, IAM, CodeBuild, CodePipeline, S3, RDS, SQS, CloudFormation, CloudWatch,
Elasticsearch Service, Route 53, CloudFront, and other services.
- Managed repositories of CloudFormation templates driven by Troposphere and other
resources driven by Terraform.
- Implemented and taught Prometheus best practices for metrics and alerting.
- Provided architecture and software development mentorship to team members.

Product Architect / Senior Software Engineer / Site Reliability Engineer

LunchBadger

- Developed, released, and maintained Express Gateway, an open source, policy-driven
API Gateway built on Express.js and Passport.js.
- Worked directly with Marketing, Sales, and Product to build the product roadmap,
develop features, create product announcements, and support pre-sales engagements.
- Led the Engineering team to create a Kubernetes-native platform for running API
Gateways on top of managed services.

Head Of Engineering

Apigee

Responsible for designing and developing research projects, released as Open Source Software, and providing community thought leadership around API design.  Built and launched Zetta IoT connectivity platform and Apigee Link IoT product.

Engineering Manager - IoT, Microgateway, Edge X

Quicken Loans

Responsible for cloud integrations and process improvement.

Enterprise Architect

Developed an industry-leading data-driven system for serving leads and managing appointments.

Software Engineer

EHIM

Outlined architecture standards and process improvement measures.

API Strategy Lead at Postman

I've worked with API-focused startups for the past decade. I teach and learn about software development, distributed systems, leadership, mental health, and developer tools.

With a strong focus on opening information channels via Web APIs, I work to help organizations improve their API Lifecycle.

Kevin Swiber

I made an MCP server and IDE extension that connects debuggers to AI coding agents. Wanna try it out? Keep reading. It's called Pointbreak.

Debugging code was always difficult for developers, but do you know what made it harder? (No, it wasn't AI. Not this time!)

The pace of development got much faster. The pace of *deployment* got much faster. And how could we keep up, really? Someone recently told me, "I haven't used a debugger since college." I hear that a lot! 

Did you know debugger technology has gotten *a lot* better over the last 10 years? No, why would you? Who has time to learn that? Print debugging still dominates. And there's nothing wrong with that! Until it's no longer the best tool for the job. You get caught in an endless print-build-run-review loop.

What if your AI coding assistant could use your debugger and look at live execution data to determine what might be going wrong? What if it could step through the code, look at all the variables, and evaluate new code along the way? What if it could do more complex things like set log points, conditional breakpoints, or hit counts and then analyze the complex debug console output without breaking a sweat?

You shouldn't have to make decisions about whether to use print-debugging or not. Your AI assistant should already be able to figure that out! At least, that's my assertion. So I put some work into it.

Some people say to release *embarrassingly* early. Let's see if they're right! If you try it out, feel free to reach out to me for support if you need it! My DMs are open. I was going to do a waitlist... but why? Just try it out if it interests you. I hope you help me make it better! Thanks in advance! (See link below. 👇)

API & MCP Strategy | Ex-Postman, Ex-Apigee

taplio

The Battle

Mercer Smith

Kevin Swiber

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreMercer Smith's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKevin Swiber's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Mercer Smith

Kevin Swiber

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Mercer Smith's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKevin Swiber's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreMercer Smith's LinkedIn Performance