How embedded nearshore teams and quality assurance support consistent customer outcomes.
“For us, having more than one call center isn’t optional it’s how we build operational resilience while meeting growing customer and business need.”
Martin Cuellar, Sr. Director of Operations, New Leaf
About New Leaf:
New Leaf Service Contracts Inc. provides extended service plans for critical home systems. When products fail, customers reach out with urgent needs and high expectations. Every interaction directly impacts customer satisfaction. As demand for digital-first customer experiences has grown, New Leaf has expanded service volume while maintaining strict service standards.
Fast Facts:
- Client: New Leaf Service Contracts Inc.
- Industry: Extended service plans and customer care
- Scope: Customer operations + back-office support
- Delivery model: US based plus embedded nearshore
Operational Context:
Post-COVID labor shifts made in-office hiring challenging in key markets. New Leaf operates a multi-location customer operations model that requires operational resiliency, nearshore in-office staffing, and consistent quality assurance across sites. The partnership works because Functionary teams are embedded into daily operations through an integrated leadership cadence and structured performance standards, strengthening service consistency while maintaining cost discipline.
Challenge
New Leaf operates in a high-pressure environment. “Customers call us when something has gone wrong and need our help,” says Martin Cuellar, Sr. Director of Operations.
To protect customer experience, New Leaf made deliberate operating choices:
- Multi-location operations for resiliency
- In-office teams to protect culture and accountability
- Nearshore staffing to manage cost without lowering standards
As hiring conditions shifted, scaling in-office teams became harder at the same time demand was increasing. Maintaining consistent service across locations required a more resilient operating model.
New Leaf needed:
- In-office talent at scale
- Operational redundancy
- A quality center of excellence (COE) across locations
- Cost discipline without service degradation
Solution
New Leaf partnered with The Functionary as an embedded operating extension. Rather than running isolated call centers, The Functionary helped build a multi-location customer operations center of excellence across multiple sites.
Key components:
Embedded Integration
- Supervisors sit inside New Leaf’s management structure
- Shared weekly operating cadence
- Same recognition and performance standards as internal staff
In-Office Nearshore Talent
- Recruiting and management owned by The Functionary
- Stable pipeline of high-quality staff
- Local leadership aligned to New Leaf culture
Structured Quality Assurance
- Dedicated QA function
- Scores improved from 10–15 points below internal teams to full parity
- Standardized oversight across locations
Today, The Functionary supports New Leaf across customer service and back-office functions.
Critical KPIs
Key performance metrics from the New Leaf customer operations partnership.
- Quality: ~92% and trending upward
- Utilization: Increased from ~80% to 85% in three months
- Staff Stability: Clear internal promotion paths
- Cost Efficiency: High-quality nearshore staffing at lower cost per interaction
Summary
New Leaf built a resilient, multi-location customer operations model without sacrificing service culture or quality.
By embedding disciplined teams and structured QA inside the operation, The Functionary helped New Leaf scale while maintaining control, consistency, and cost discipline.
FAQ
What problem did New Leaf need to solve?
Scaling in-office teams across locations while maintaining consistent service quality and cost discipline.
Why in-office?
New Leaf believes culture, coaching, and accountability are built in the office, especially when customers are frustrated.
What makes the Functionary model different?
Embedded integration, in-office nearshore staffing, and quality assurance delivered as part of the operating system.