Backstage Access: A Peek Into Cardtonic’s Customer Experience Team

On our Customer Experience floor, mornings start with a sound everyone is familiar with. 

And no, not the usual office buzz, not here. But the soft ping of the first chat of the day.

According to CX Lead Aleru, some days, it’s a customer who’s a bit anxious about an unusual transaction delay. Nothing dramatic, but important enough to her and the rest of the team. 

This is never just another open ticket in need of a resolution for them. It’s trust, and ensuring the human sitting on the other side of a chat box doesn’t lose it. 

“People might think customer experience is just fast replies and moving on to the next,” she says. “But it’s really about listening. About ensuring someone feels heard and valued, even through a screen.”

By mid-morning, her team had handled dozens of messages. Most of them are routine questions; others need deeper digging, a little empathy, and some follow-ups. In between chats, someone’s shift ends, another customer experience agent immediately takes over, and the notifications continue to roll in.

It’s (almost always) busy, but it’s a good kind of busy. 

The Human Behind the Helpdesk

Every chat, email, or call that reaches Cardtonic passes through certain layers. A trained bot takes the first response, giving users instant attention. But once someone requests human help, it’s routed to an agent that’s already on standby because this department works 24/7. 

“We take every message personally,” Aleru explains. “Even when the system is automated, there are actual people behind all of it. Every single second of every day, literally.”

Customer experience agents step in to assess, clarify, and resolve. Simple issues are handled right away; complex ones are escalated to the right department — tracked, followed up, and never left hanging. Proper handovers mean that even when shifts change, care doesn’t. Customers are updated through chat, email, or calls until everything is closed neatly.

This rhythm didn’t happen by accident. It was built through systems, tools, and a shared sense of responsibility that Cardtonic upholds. 

The Tools That Keep It Human

Technology is a huge part of how the CS team works, but we don’t intend to use it to replace the human touch, ever. 

Intercom, Fin AI, and Macros help streamline communication and save time, while bots handle repetitive tasks so agents can focus on people. Message templates make responses consistent, but personalization makes them Cardtonic.

“We always adjust our words,” says Blessing, the Assistant Lead. “Even with saved replies, we rewrite to sound human. The goal isn’t to sound perfect; we prioritize for real and empathetic.”

The team also trains regularly (externally, but internally too), swapping tips on tone, speed, and empathy within the group. Everyone understands that while swift typing and smart automations may keep the process efficient, human abilities like emotional intelligence matter a lot.

How Feedback Travels

The CS team doesn’t just handle messages; they listen for patterns too.

Through suggestion emails and Slack channels, recurring issues are shared with Product, Tech, and Marketing. And this feedback isn’t stored in a folder; it translates into fixes, updates, and new ideas.

“We love seeing when something we flagged leads to a product change,” Blessing says. “It reminds us that our work doesn’t end at support. We’re part of how Cardtonic grows.”

It’s a real-time loop: from customer to agent to company, and back to customer again. Every insight makes the next experience smoother, as it should be.

The Challenge They Don’t Talk About

From the outside, handling chats might look easy. But in fintech, it’s more than answering questions. It’s managing emotions around money, a subject that’s both personal and sensitive.

“The hardest part,” Blessing admits, “is balancing speed with care. You want to reply fast, but you also want to be gentle. You can’t rush reassurance.”

And the balance, between empathy and efficiency, is a fine skill that they’ve mastered.

Moments That Stick

There was one customer who sent a long message about a delayed Sell Gift Card trade; they were starting to sound upset. 

It was the end of the day, but Aleru recollects her decision to stay on the chat until it was sorted. She followed up with Tech, kept the customer informed at every step, and only logged off after the issue was resolved.

The next morning, she found a feedback message from that user that simply said, “You’re the best.”

“That one line made my whole week,” she says. “This is why we do what we do. It felt like a virtual high-five!”

And that’s the unspoken goal of every interaction: to make sure users leave a conversation fully satisfied. 

Learning, Adapting, Evolving

The team has learned that the secret to great service isn’t having all the answers, but staying curious long enough to find them.

Every week brings new lessons; sometimes from a challenging customer, other times from a teammate’s observation. 

And through it all, one phrase sums this team best: Effective Extra Millers. 

A phrase that, according to Aleru, started as an inside joke has now stuck, because that’s who they are: the team that goes one extra step (and often two) to keep our Toniks very happy.