From legacy to leading edge — Condé Nast's CX evolution

The challenge: Transforming legacy operations for digital growth

In 2019, Condé Nast recognized a critical reality: to secure another century of success, they needed to pivot from their traditional print-focused model to embrace digital subscriptions, events, and memberships. This transformation brought new opportunities and new complexities.

"In our previous setup, customer care was a bit of a black hole,” says Mike Beaubrun, Director and Global Head of Customer Experience at Condé Nast. “We knew people were answering phones and emails, but what happened after that? How was customer satisfaction? First contact resolution? We didn't have much visibility."

The challenges were multifaceted. Each of Condé Nast's 24 brands operated with different tools and processes that didn't communicate with each other. An agent supporting a New Yorker magazine subscriber couldn't assist with a GQ Box subscription, forcing customers to repeat their stories across multiple touchpoints.

The existing customer care infrastructure provided minimal insight into customer satisfaction, resolution rates, or operational efficiency. With disparate systems and brand-specific processes, new agent training extended to 21 weeks total: 8 weeks of initial training followed by 13 weeks to reach proficiency.

As digital subscriptions grew, the siloed approach became increasingly unsustainable. Agents couldn't cross-sell, upsell, or provide holistic support across Condé Nast's diverse portfolio.

The solution: Gladly's customer-centric platform

When evaluating solutions, Condé Nast’s requirements were clear: they needed a platform that could unify their complex ecosystem while supporting the distinct, premium service standards each brand was known for.

"We started an RFP with about 15 different vendors, and quickly we realized that Gladly was the cream of the crop."

Mike Beaubrun
Director and Global Head of Customer Experience, Condé Nast

Several key factors made Gladly stand out. The omnichannel experience meant that instead of tickets, a unified thread showed all conversations regardless of channel, unfolding like a text conversation on an iPhone. When customers switched from email to phone, Gladly combined those touchpoints into one seamless experience rather than requiring separate agents.

Before finalizing their decision, Condé Nast conducted an exhaustive technical review, examining APIs and integration capabilities. Gladly's robust integration framework promised to connect their diverse tech stack without requiring extensive professional services.

Most importantly, the platform's customer-centric approach meant agents could see complete conversation histories, purchase data, and preferences across all brands in one place—exactly what Condé Nast needed to deliver personalized experiences at scale.

The implementation: Starting small, scaling smart

Condé Nast began their Gladly journey with a strategic test approach, starting with just five agents supporting Vogue.

"Implementation was extremely easy. It was seamless. They really gave us everything we needed to get off the ground as quickly as possible."

Mike Beaubrun
Director and Global Head of Customer Experience, Condé Nast

The implementation exceeded expectations. Integrations that typically take 18 months elsewhere were completed in three months or less with Gladly. If Condé Nast identified a need at the start of a quarter, it was up and running by the end—a rare feat in the enterprise software world.

Starting with five agents supporting Vogue, Condé Nast built their workflows, processes, and standard operating procedures around Gladly’s platform. The results were immediate and compelling, creating internal demand across the organization.

"Once we proved the concept with Vogue and saw the associated savings, it was hard to keep other brands away,” quotes Mike. “Even today, I sometimes have to say we don't have enough bandwidth. But once word got around about what we could deliver, brand after brand started coming on board."

Today, Condé Nast has grown from that initial five-agent test to supporting 175 agents across 18 of their 24 brands, demonstrating both Gladly's scalability and the value Condé Nast derived from the platform.

The outcome: Accelerating time to value while enhancing experience

The transformation Condé Nast achieved with Gladly delivered measurable improvements across every key metric while maintaining the premium service quality their brands demand.

Dramatic training and onboarding improvements

One of the most significant early wins came in agent training and time to productivity. Initially, training time reduced by 60%, dropping from eight weeks to just three weeks. New agents now reach full productivity in just 4 weeks compared to the previous 13 weeks.

The complete training and proficiency process dropped to a third, from 21 weeks to just 7 weeks—an overall 67% reduction.

"The tool was just extremely easy,” says Mike. “Everything was in a single UI, and it made it incredibly easy to train the agents right from there."

This efficiency came from having everything at agents' fingertips. Rather than learning multiple systems, agents could focus on serving customers effectively within Gladly's unified interface.

Operational efficiency and cost reduction

The unified platform delivered substantial efficiency gains that translated directly to cost savings. Condé Nast achieved a 45% reduction in cost per contact, not by cutting corners on service quality, but by enabling agents to work more efficiently while delivering better experiences.

Handle time improved by 58% while simultaneously improving first contact resolution and customer satisfaction. Agents now spend less time navigating systems and more time providing value through meaningful conversations that build subscriber loyalty.

Enhanced customer experience through personalization

Gladly's customer-centric approach enabled Condé Nast to deliver the personalized service their premium brands require. The unified conversation thread meant agents never had to piece together customer histories—they could simply scroll up to see previous interactions across channels or use AI to quickly summarize the conversation.

This seamless experience extends across all customer touchpoints and Condé Nast's diverse brand portfolio. An agent can now efficiently support customers across multiple subscriptions, updating payment information once instead of requiring separate touchpoints for each brand.

Strategic business impact

Beyond operational metrics, Gladly transformed how customer experience fits within Condé Nast's broader strategy. The platform's robust reporting and analytics capabilities provided unprecedented visibility into customer needs and behaviors, enabling data-driven improvements across the organization.

"Customer experience at Condé Nast now has a seat at the table, which is exciting and meaningful."

Mike Beaubrun
Director and Global Head of Customer Experience, Condé Nast

This visibility allows Condé Nast to continuously improve their products and services based on real customer feedback, supporting their ongoing digital transformation goals while maintaining their reputation for editorial excellence.

Scaling smart with AI: Continuous innovation in action proven by data

What sets Gladly apart for Condé Nast isn't just the initial implementation success—it's the platform's continued evolution. Regular feature updates keep Condé Nast at the forefront of customer experience innovation, with new capabilities enhancing their operations every week.

This evolution is exemplified by their Gladly Sidekick implementation. In just the first 90 days after going live across The New Yorker, Bon Appétit, and Epicurious, Sidekick is already resolving 33% of the conversations it's trained to handle.

The strategic shift to move subscriber inquiries toward chat as a preferred channel is delivering measurable results: Chat CSAT has increased by 7% compared to Email CSAT, while First Contact Resolution has improved by 28.4%. Chat is proving to be a faster, more effective channel for subscribers, with Sidekick playing a crucial role in optimizing efficiency.

These results validate Condé Nast's comprehensive AI strategy: "Our vision is to ensure subscribers get to the right person quickly and efficiently, address tier-one interactions through self-service and AI, and have our agents focus on value-driven conversations that increase engagement and loyalty over time."

The Gladly advantage: Built for scale, designed for success

Condé Nast's success with Gladly demonstrates what happens when a customer-centric platform meets a brand committed to excellence. The combination has enabled Condé Nast to scale efficiently while maintaining brand excellence, drive digital transformation while enhancing customer relationships, and future-proof operations through continuous innovation.

For organizations facing similar transformation challenges, Condé Nast's journey with Gladly provides a proven roadmap: start with a customer-centric platform, focus on agent experience, and scale thoughtfully based on measurable results.

The result is what Gladly enables best—radically efficient service that's also radically personal, proving that companies don't have to choose between operational excellence and exceptional customer experience.

Ready to transform your customer experience like Condé Nast? Learn more about Gladly's customer experience platform and discover how we can help you deliver radically efficient and radically personal experiences.