The Prompt Room

THE PROMPT ROOM

What does it really take to move customer experience from a reporting function to a seat at the strategy table?

In this episode of The Prompt Room, Aditya Santhanam, Founder & CTPO of Thunai, sits down with Andrew Carothers, Global Head of Digital Customer Success at Proofpoint, for an honest conversation about what truly matures a CX program, from digital-touch customer success to AI-native operations.

Drawing on more than 15 years at Cisco, where he was a founding member of the CX organization, Andrew shares what it takes to build a CX function from the ground up, scale programs globally, and choose the metrics that reflect real business outcomes instead of just the usual scores.

The conversation also explores the realities of bringing AI into customer success: why AI agents are only as good as the data and processes beneath them, how cautious security customers respond to AI in their experience, and where “good enough” works versus where human judgment must stay firmly in place.

Andrew also looks ahead at how AI agents, predictive customer success, and a new generation of leaders could reshape CX teams, making them more strategic, more outcome-driven, and more closely tied to retention.

Whether you’re a CX leader, customer success professional, founder, or someone building AI-powered post-sales operations, this episode offers practical lessons on building a CX program that earns its strategic seat and scales without losing the quality customers feel.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Andrew’s journey from marketing and communications to founding Cisco’s CX organization
• What separates a mature CX program from a reporting function
• Scaling digital customer success while keeping trust human
• Retention metrics that matter beyond NPS and CSAT
• Where AI helps, where it breaks, and where the human handoff belongs
• The future of predictive, AI-native customer success and advice for new CX leaders.

🌐 Explore more:

Thunai: https://www.thunai.ai/

Proofpoint: https://www.proofpoint.com/us

Andrew Carothers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-carothers

Aditya Santhanam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditya-santhanam/

The Prompt Room is a podcast by Thunai featuring unscripted conversations with the people leading customer experience, support operations, and evolving technology stacks. Each episode explores the real-world challenges, lessons, and ideas shaping the future of customer support.

THE PROMPT ROOM

What does it really take to reduce customer pain at the source, rather than simply resolve tickets faster?

In this episode of The Prompt Room, Aditya Santhanam, Co-Founder & CTO of Thunai, sits down with Assaf Barnir, Head of Global Support at Sentry, for an honest conversation about building AI-native support teams and rethinking how customer experience, product feedback, and engineering work together.

From debugging complex issues for developer customers to turning support signals into meaningful product improvements, he explains how organizations can move beyond ticket resolution to eliminate the root causes of customer pain.

The conversation also explores the realities of implementing AI in support, the risks of confident but incorrect answers, and how to determine what AI should handle versus where human judgment remains essential.

Assaf offers a forward-looking perspective on how AI debugging agents and proactive resolution could reshape support teams, making them more technical, strategic, and deeply connected to the customer.

Whether you're a CX leader, support professional, founder, or someone building AI-powered customer operations, this episode offers practical lessons on creating a support model that doesn't just solve problems, but helps prevent them.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Assaf's journey from engineering to CX leadership
• Building technical, AI-native support teams
• Turning customer issues into product improvements
• Where AI helps and where human judgment matters
• The future of proactive, AI-powered support
• Practical advice for CX and post-sales leaders

🎙️ Host: Aditya Santhanam, Co-Founder & CTO, Thunai
🎤 Guest: Assaf Barnir, Head of Global Support, Sentry
🌐 Explore more: Thunai: https://www.thunai.ai/
Sentry: https://sentry.io/
Assaf Barnir: https://barnir.co/
The Prompt Room is a podcast by Thunai featuring unscripted conversations with the people leading customer experience, support operations, and evolving technology stacks. Each episode explores the real-world challenges, lessons, and ideas shaping the future of customer support.

What does two decades of running customer support teach you about where CX is headed?

In Episode 3 of The Prompt Room, Kapil, Co-Founder & CMSO of Thunai, sits down with Vernon Clemons, Jr., VP of Global Customer Support at Model N, for an honest conversation about scaling support, incident management, and the evolution of customer experience.

With 20+ years of experience leading global support organizations, Vernon shares his perspective on what really breaks at scale, why consistency and predictability matter, and how support teams can adapt to an increasingly AI-driven world.

The conversation explores fragmented support systems, the shift from human-led to AI-assisted and agentic support, and where AI can genuinely help teams without replacing the human element of great CX.

In this episode:

• Scaling global customer support
• Incident management and predictability
• Building consistent support operations
• Tech stack fragmentation
• Human-led to AI-assisted to agentic support
• The future of enterprise CX

Learn more:

🔗 Thunai — Agentic AI for Customer Experience & Support: ⁠www.thunai.ai

The Prompt Room is a podcast by Thunai featuring genuine conversations with the people shaping CX, support operations, AI, and modern technology.

What does it really take to build customer loyalty when your business is growing fast?

In Episode 2 of The Prompt Room, Aditya Santhanam, Co-Founder & CTPO of Thunai, sits down with Mona K, Head of Customer Support at Dose, for an honest conversation about customer experience, support operations, and the realities of scaling a modern DTC brand.

Mona shares her journey of building and scaling a customer support function, what happens behind the scenes when customer expectations meet operational challenges, and how support teams can turn difficult customer interactions into opportunities to build trust and loyalty.

The conversation also explores the realities of managing a growing tech stack, the friction caused by disconnected systems, and where AI can genuinely help support teams without taking away the human element that great customer experiences depend on.

From everyday support challenges to the future of proactive, retention-first CX, this episode is packed with practical insights for CX leaders, founders, support teams, and anyone interested in the evolving world of customer experience.

In this episode:

• Building and scaling customer support
• Turning support interactions into customer loyalty
• The realities of DTC and subscription-based CX
• Tech stack fragmentation and its impact on support teams
• Where AI can genuinely make a difference
• Balancing automation with the human touch
• The future of proactive and retention-first customer experience

Learn more:

🔗 Thunai — Agentic AI for Customer Experience & Support: www.thunai.ai

🔗 Dose — Daily wellness shots and science-backed formulas: Dose Daily

The Prompt Room is a podcast by Thunai featuring genuine, unscripted conversations with the people shaping CX, support operations, AI, and modern technology. The goal is simple: real conversations, practical insights, and ideas you can take back to your own team.

What does it really take to deliver a consistent customer experience in a luxury marketplace?

In the debut episode of The Prompt Room, Aditya Santhanam, Co-Founder & CTPO of Thunai https://www.thunai.ai/, sits down with Shane Summers, Director of Client Services at 1stDibs https://www.1stdibs.com/, for an honest conversation about the realities of leading customer experience at scale.

From handling high-value customer interactions to navigating fragmented tech stacks, Shane shares how his team balances operational excellence with the human touch that luxury customers expect. The discussion also explores where AI can genuinely support agents, the future of customer support, and the leadership lessons that come from years of building exceptional service organizations.

Whether you're a CX leader, support professional, or someone curious about the future of AI in customer experience, this episode offers practical insights grounded in real-world experience.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Shane's journey from broadcast journalism to CX leadership
• How 1stDibs delivers consistent customer experiences at scale
• The operational challenges behind luxury customer support
• Why disconnected systems create friction for agents
• Where AI can enhance not replace the human experience
• Shane's advice for the next generation of CX leaders

🎙️ Host: Aditya Santhanam, Co-Founder & CTPO, Thunai
🎤 Guest: Shane Summers, Director of Client Services, 1stDibs

Real conversations with the people shaping the future of customer experience. Join CX leaders, founders, and AI innovators as they share practical insights, lessons, and stories from the frontlines of modern customer support. Follow now-Episode 1 is coming soon.