#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter sit down with Brett Queener, Managing Director at Bonfire Ventures, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of software companies in the age of AI. Brett shares his thoughts on the future of SaaS, the importance of speed and innovation, and the critical role of product marketing.

They dive into founders' challenges and anxieties in today’s "change economy," where software evolves at warp speed, and discuss what it takes to build a defensible business amidst ever-growing competition.

Join us as Brett provides insights on how startups can thrive by truly solving customer problems and staying ahead in the AI-driven tech landscape.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Preview, Intros & BS

2:22 – Bonfire & Brett’s Blog: Tales from The Bonfire

6:55 – Predictions & Observations: AI’s Influence on SaaS

13:07 – Running a Software Company Amid Rapid Change

16:33 – Applying Jobs-to-be-Done Framework

17:50 – Innovation Pace vs. Continual Adaptation

24:45 – Product Innovation, Value, and Market Differentiation

28:45 – Investor Perspective and Guidance for Startups

36:38 – Evaluating Startups

___________________________

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@updateai9697

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Brett Queener : https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettqueener/

Brett's blog : https://queener.substack.com/p/the-change-economy

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

In this episode of the Unchurned podcast, we are joined by our dynamic duo of experts, James Sanders (AI Implementation Strategist) and Michelle Carter (Customer Success Innovation Lead). From automated call summaries and sentiment analysis to predictive analytics and personalized customer experiences, James and Michelle will guide us through the current trends and future possibilities of AI.

They discuss the burgeoning interest in specialized AI tools for customer success and delve into various applications—such as conversation intelligence, chatbots, and predictive health scoring—that are reshaping the industry. By leveraging AI, CSMs can focus on building relationships and delivering value with their new AI copilots.

Timestamps

0:00 - Preview & Intros

2:17 - AI and Customer Success

3:11 - Call summaries and follow-up generation

4:05 - Voice of the Customer (Sentiment Analysis)

5:11 - Predictive Analytics for Churn and Upsell

6:03 - Customer Health Scoring

6:40 - Task Automation and Workflow Orchestration

7:42 - Chatbots and Self-Service AI

8:37 - Personalized Content and Recommendations

10:52 - Sophisticated proactive retention alerts

12:02 - Embedded copilots for AI assistance

13:03 - Multichannel customer orchestration

15:45 - Solution Categories in AI for Customer Success

19:39 - Glossary of Terms Related to AI

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@updateai9697

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

________________

Keywords:

How to keep your customers happy, customer success manager, customer support, customer success management, Customer Success Manager role, customer success metrics, AI implementation strategist, Customer success innovation, Generative AI, Customer success roles,

Software companies, Conversation intelligence tools, Call summaries, Predictive analytics for churn, Customer health scoring, Task automation,

Risk analytics, Customer feedback, Sentiment AI, Generative AI for content,

Large language models, Embeddings, Vector search, Fine tuning, Retrieval augmented generation, Proactive retention alerts, Multi-signal AI, Embedded co-pilots, Digital customer success

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

Caitlin Wood, Chief Customer Officer at ZeroFox, joins hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss the intricacies of customer success in the cybersecurity industry, along with her unique insights into the challenges and triumphs of leading a customer success organization—especially in the realm of cybersecurity, where the ROI often means that nothing happens.

Tune in as Caitlin uncovers how she approaches customer experience, the evolution of customer engagement models, and the balance between AI integration and the indispensable human element in achieving customer success.

Timestamps

0:00 - Preview, BS & Intros

4:08 - Learn about ZeroFOX

5:10 - Challenges in Proving ROI in Cybersecurity

7:45 - Customer Engagement and Service Model

10:57 - Lead Pass Process and CSQLs

15:10 - Complexity and Simplicity in Incentives

18:10 - Efforts to Mature Models and Remove Friction

22:35 - Adaptation of Playbooks

25:51 - Attitude, Aptitude, and Experience in Hiring

30:56 - Integrating AI for Internal Teams & Tasks

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@updateai9697

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Caitlin Wood : https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinewood/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

________________

Keywords:

How to keep your customers happy, customer success manager, customer support, customer success management, Customer Success Manager role, hiring tips for customer success, customer success metrics, Chief customer officer, Customer engagement, Account manager, Technical account managers, Customer experience, Playbooks, Onboarding, customer outcomes, Health scoring, Productivity tools, Work with customers

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Kelly McGuire, Vice President of Customer Success at Everstage, joins hosts Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter (Co-Founder & CEO of UpdateAI). They dive into how Everstage is disrupting the market, driving outcomes for its clients, and empowering a range of roles—from sales operations to account managers. Kelly shares her "comfort zone philosophy," emphasizing the importance of stepping beyond our comfort zones to foster growth and achieve success.

She also talks about Everstage’s vibrant, no-ego culture, the crucial role leadership plays in scaling customer success, and her vision for expanding Everstage’s impact in the years ahead.

Timestamps

0:00 – Preview

0:48 – Meet Kelly McGuire, VP of Customer Success at Everstage

4:00 – The role of customer success in sales

6:10 – Kelly’s "comfort zone philosophy"

12:10 – Transition from Sisense to Everstage

15:42 – No-ego culture and collaborative work environment

20:20 – Leadership alignment and transparency initiative

25:55 – Kelly’s vision for scalable growth at Everstage

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@updateai9697

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Kelly McGuire : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellymcguire22/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

________________

Keywords:

How to keep your customers happy, customer success manager, customer support, customer success management, Customer Success Manager role, hiring tips for customer success, customer success metrics, sales compensation, EverStage, customer journey, sales ops, rev ops, revenue goals, customer outcomes

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Rimple Patel, Chief Customer Officer at Eightfold.ai, joins host Josh Schachter, Co-Founder & CEO of UpdateAI, as she walks us through her strategic approach to leadership, including evaluating teams, aligning missions, and fostering a customer-first culture.

Josh and Rimple also explore the role of AI in scaling business processes, covering innovations like agentic AI and AI recruiters while emphasizing the irreplaceable human element in the workplace.

Finally, Rimple shares her insights on driving GRR and NRR growth at Eightfold and her strategy for scaling the company.

Timestamps

00:00 - Preview & Intros

01:35- Overview of Eightfold.ai

04:30 - AI in Talent Management

08:00 - Rimple’s Journey, Career Path & Industry Experience

17:43 - Challenges & Insights from Her Role as CCO

20:03 - Evaluating Leadership, Talent, and Cultural Shifts

21:05 - Building a Customer-First Value System

22:09 - Team Principles & Leadership Accountability

28:50 - Customer Segmentation & Health Assessment Strategies

31:13 - Revamping Customer Health Assessment

33:05 - Yearly Growth Strategy: Stabilize, Scale, Soar

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube: https://youtu.be/JprAz-o-dWk

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Rimple Patel https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimpledpatel/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Lawrence Waldman, who recently stepped into a new role as Global Head of Client Experience at GLMX, shares insights from his initial hundred days at the company. He opens up about navigating change and scaling operations in a rapidly growing space while also spotlighting his team's strong customer relationships and innovative approaches.

Timestamps

0:00 - Preview, Music Nerds Unite, LinkedIn & Intro

8:30 - GLMx, its services

12:28 - Lawrence's new role at GLMx, team dynamics and culture

15:08 - Lawrence's experience hunting a job

19:00 - The first 100 days

23:10 - Building trust and buy-in

31:45 - Pleasant surprises and operational challenges

38:23 - Transitioning from learning to executing

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube:https://youtu.be/JprAz-o-dWk

Apple Podcast:https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Lawrence Waldman:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencejwaldman/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Andrei Negrau, CEO of Siena AI, and Chad Horenfeldt, VP of CS at Siena AI, join Jenny Calvert and Josh Schachter to discuss the intricacies of maintaining brand voice integrity in AI-driven interactions, the company's strategic focus on net dollar retention, and the unique challenges and opportunities of AI’s transformative role in e-commerce. Plus, learn how companies can leverage tools like UpdateAI to capture real-time customer insights and drive strategic growth.

Timestamps

0:00 - Preview & Introductions

7:01 - The Concept of Empathic AI

11:20 - Working at Startups vs. Larger Companies

14:30 - Aligning Company and Team Goals for Customer Success

17:18 - Siena’s Customer Experience Strategy for 2025

24:14 - Using UpdateAI’s Frameworks to Score Customer Experience

28:03 - Facilitating Better Cross-Functional Alignment

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube:https://youtu.be/JprAz-o-dWk

Apple Podcast:https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify:https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Andrei Negrau :https://www.linkedin.com/in/negrau/

Chad Horenfeldt :https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadhorenfeldt/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

_______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Join Josh Schachter (Founder & CEO, UpdateAI), Kristi Faltorusso (CCO, ClientSuccess), and Jon Johnson (Principal CSM Enterprise, UserTesting) as they discuss the recent merger between Opexus and Casepoint with Bonnye Hart, Chief Customer Officer.

Discover how these twin powers under the Thoma Bravo banner are navigating change, professional growth, and customer success. From strategic partnerships to expanding adoption, this episode is packed with engaging conversations and expert insights.

Timestamps

0:00 - Preview, BS & Intros

2:49 - Thoma Bravo and merger discussion

6:04 - Team dynamics post-merger

8:00 - Introduction to Opexus and Casepoint

11:53 - The curiosity post-merger and job security

14:43 - Engagement models and customer-centricity

22:17 - Bonnye's strategy & approach to CS

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube:https://youtu.be/JprAz-o-dWk

Apple Podcast:https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify:https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Bonnye Hart:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnye/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

________________

Keywords:

How to keep your customers happy, customer success manager, customer support, customer success management, Customer Success Manager role, Opexus and Casepoint merger, Thoma Bravo, merger, customer success, Vista private equity, GovDelivery, private equity investment, product adoption, customer engagement, customer services qualified leads, customer journey, customer satisfaction, sales interlock, , customer centricity, change management, organizational merger, customer experience

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Lauren Kennedy (Head of CS, Glean) joins Josh Schachter (CEO & Co-Founder, UpdateAI) and Jon Johnson (Principal CSM, UserTesting) to share her insights on how Agentic AI is transforming customer success management by automating low-value tasks and enhancing productivity. She also discusses how they're leveraging their own technology to optimize internal operations and improve client engagements.

**Timestamps:**

0:00 - Preview, BS & Intros

4:20 - Glean's X-factor

8:20 - What is Agentic AI?

12:00 - Goals for 2025

14:30 - Company Culture and Hiring Needs

18:04 - Collaboration between Sales & CS

20:55 - Glean for post-sales

24:00 - Lauren's career path and insights

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube:https://youtu.be/JprAz-o-dWk

Apple Podcast:https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify:https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Lauren Kennedy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ldcakennedy/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business

Amy Oilman, SVP of Customer Success at Conversica, joins hosts Jon Johnson, Principal CSM, Key Accounts at UserTesting, and Josh Schachter, Co-Founder & CEO at UpdateAI, to share insights from her experience building and leading customer success teams at industry giants like Google and Salesforce. Drawing from her time at these powerhouse companies, she reveals how to create the most effective customer success teams, emphasizing the importance of a well-defined team vision, the core values guiding her teams, and innovative approaches to battling churn and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Timestamps

0:00 – Preview & Intros

4:10 – Priorities for 2025

7:07 – Rules of the Road

8:40 – The #1 Rule of the Road

11:23 – Collaboration with Internal Teams

13:00 – Showing Up with a Point of View & Being Engaged

15:37 – Identifying and Hiring Potential Candidates

17:20 – "The Best in the Universe"

21:37 – Amy's Experience at the CS100 Conference

23:40 – Personal Branding and Growth

___________________________

👉 Follow the podcast

Youtube: https://youtu.be/JprAz-o-dWk

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3dfWXmD

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KD3Ehl

👉 Connect with the guest

Amy O.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-oilman/

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

________________

Keywords:

How to keep your customers happy, customer success manager, customer support, customer success management, Customer Success Manager role, customer success metrics, customer success, customer success team, customer empathy, conversational AI, rules of the road, customer satisfaction, customer retention, customer expansion, Salesforce, Google, customer relationships, CS leader, Conversica, CS priorities, customer experience, retention strategies, customer advocacy, customer insights, collaboration, internal teams, customer empathy, customer journey, customer feedback

______________________

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAI

About UpdateAI

At UpdateAI our mission is to empower CS teams to build great customer relationships. We work with early & growth-stage B2B SaaS companies to help them scale CS outcomes. Everything we do is devoted to removing the overwhelm of back-to-back customer meetings so that CSMs can focus on the bigger picture: building relationships.