Rothy’s Creates Blueprint for Scalable Customer Service

The Challenge

Rothy’s isn’t your average ecommerce shoe brand. As an ethical retailer, they are committed to putting the planet and people first. Their innovative products, made from recycled plastic, are washable, comfortable, and sustainable.

When Rothy’s experienced explosive growth after its 2016 launch, their lean customer service team faced a common challenge: how to maintain personalized and top-tier customer support while scaling efficiently.

“We were a tiny team, we remain a tiny team, and we don’t have in-house engineering resources,” notes Lauren Inman-Semerau, Head of Customer Experience at Rothy’s. “We have a lot of product managers. So, having something the CX staff could maintain was critical for us.”

They needed a solution that could improve efficiency, reduce agent burnout, and maintain the tailored experience their customers had come to expect. To combat these challenges, Rothy’s partnered with Gladly, whose data-driven and people-centered customer service offered exactly what Rothy’s needed —a way to balance thoughtful customer interactions with rapid brand growth.

The Solution

Instead of managing multiple disconnected tools, Rothy’s turned to Gladly, a single source of truth. Unlike other platforms, Rothy’s agents could now view comprehensive customer information — including Shopify and Loop data — from customer profiles right in Gladly. This centralized approach enables agents to resolve problems efficiently and build customer trust.

Building on this foundation, Gladly’s self-service features have helped transform customer interactions. Gladly’s conversational AI powers Sandi, Rothy’s bot, delivering quick, contextual answers to customer queries via SMS and chat. This allows agents to focus on more high-impact, high-touch support needs.

“We leverage AI to take the burden off our agents and their workloads,” says Lauren. “Sandi allows our agents to focus on more complex, nuanced conversations or those that have more selling opportunities such as fit, sizing, and style and really connect with customers.”

When more personalized attention is needed, Gladly’s intelligent routing ensures they connect with the right expert. Customers have the freedom to start a conversation through any channel — chat, email, phone, or SMS — and seamlessly switch between them as needed, always connecting with their dedicated agent. This creates a truly seamless experience across all communication channels.

These integrated features have transformed agents’ workdays, while the platform’s intuitive design has made adoption and training a breeze.

“What we have found is that it’s a relatively quick ramp-up to train on Gladly’s actual tool and system. Within a short timeframe, they are fully functioning. By the time agents complete the first week of training, Gladly’s the tool they’re the most comfortable with.” -Lauren Inman-Semerau, Head of Customer Experience at Rothy’s.

Outcome

Gladly’s unified platform transformed Rothy’s customer service efficiency. Rather than scrambling to gather information from various tabs, agents now have all customer data at their fingertips in Gladly, enabling them to spend more time building customer loyalty. The impact was immediate, with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) improving from 68% to 83%.

That’s not all. The omnichannel capabilities and AI features have only simplified the team’s workflow. Gladly’s easy-to-use, AI-driven platform has accelerated their ability to respond quickly to customer inquiries and concerns.

“It’s like Apple — you can pick up your iPhone, turn it on, and figure it out,” says Lauren. “There’s an ease level that Gladly has built in that allows me to do my job and pivot very quickly and efficiently.”

The impact on customer communication proved revolutionary, particularly in chat. Before Gladly, only 2% of interactions were chat-based; today, that number has soared to 41%. Sandi, Rothy’s AI chatbot, now resolves 31% of all interactions while maintaining a 93% CSAT, helping reduce average conversation times from 9.6 to 6.38 minutes across all channels.

An unexpected benefit emerged: by handling routine inquiries, AI freed agents to focus on high-value conversations about style and fit recommendations. These personalized interactions drive significant revenue, with over 20% of customers making a purchase after connecting with an agent. This shift transformed customer service from a cost center into a revenue-driving opportunity.

Beyond operational improvements, Gladly’s impact extended to workforce management. The platform’s intuitive interface and streamlined workflows have contributed significantly to agent satisfaction, helping Rothy’s achieve an 80% decrease in agent turnover and eliminating the need for seasonal hiring. This improved agent experience, powered by intuitive design and centralized customer data, has empowered Rothy’s small team to scale while maintaining their commitment to personalized service.

For Rothy’s, exceptional customer service isn’t just about solving problems — it’s about creating opportunities. Gladly’s platform gave their lean team the tools to handle increasing volume while maintaining their high-touch approach. The combination of AI efficiency and human expertise has transformed their customer service into a strategic advantage that supports sustainable growth.