[Un]Churned – The No. 1 Podcast for Customer Retention

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business Brett Queener, Managing Director at Bonfire Ventures joins Kristi Faltorusso & Josh Schachter to shed light on the challenges faced by startups, the significance of customer success, and the transformative impact of AI in the industry. Brett shares insights from his extensive experience being on 15 boards, highlighting the critical role of board meetings and the need for a dedicated customer person in the early stages of a company. As the discussion unfolds, Brett emphasizes the significance of understanding product fit, customer needs, and the economic sustainability of customer success resources. From the impact of AI on customer success roles to the future of SaaS, tune into uncover the true worth of CS. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview & Intro 4:50 - The first CS hire 7:25 - The product is a vision 10:25 - The founders don't know 13:15 - CSMs & leaders - LISTEN!!! 17:46 - Should CSMs be responsible for upsells, cross-sells & renewals? 26:06 - We shouldn't give revenue to CS 29:20 - AI & SaaS helps you do your job 37:37 - The need for onboarding 41:16 - Solve the pains of the customer ___________________________ 👉 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 Brett Queener: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettqueener/ 👉 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 Brent Grimes, Founder and CEO at Reef.ai joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. Brent shares insights on outcome-based scoring for customer health and the power of leveraging data for predictive modeling in customer success. They also discussed the potential future convergence of structured and unstructured data and the impact of AI agents on future work. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview, BS & Intros 7:09 - Reef's origin story 13:50 - Importance of outcome-based scoring 20:35 - Smart targeting & smart recommendations 26:26 - CSMs need to do high-value work 30:30 - ReefAI versus Gainsight 34:47 - Data privacy & security 37:07 - Convergence of structured and unstructured data ___________________________ 👉 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 Brent Grimes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentgrimes/ 👉 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 Hosts Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter are joined by Julio Franco, Chief Customer Officer of Zappi. They discuss the hurdles of educating customers on best customer success practices, the struggle to invest in customer education and consulting services, and the need for systematizing and reboarding customers. Join us as we uncover the complexities of balancing efficiency and maintaining a human touch in customer interactions while driving operational efficiency and growth in customer success. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview, BS & Intros 8:00 - Simplified market research for quick, inexpensive feedback 11:55 - Improving efficiency & re-onboarding customers 17:45 - Working with customers that "Get It" & those that don't get it 28:05 - CSMs need to do better with what they have 31:54 - The challenge of maintaining a human touch while being efficient 37:42 - Incentivising overstretched CSMs 41:50 - Digital CS is a program, not a segment 45:20 - Reboarding & educating long-time customers ___________________________ 👉 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 Julio Franco: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliocfranco/⁠ 👉 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 Ben Winn, Director of Community at FirstMark, joins Kristi Faltorusso & Josh Schachter to explore the dynamic landscape of venture capital, AI in customer success, and the challenges faced by early-stage companies. They also banter about their grades, dating apps, and much more. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview, BS & Intros - Biggest challenges faced by companies 12:36 - Ben's contribution to CS 22:30 - Navigating a career shift 23:45 - Josh & Kristi discuss grades 26:05 - What's up with CS & SaaS? 28:00 - Dating stories & apps 36:15 - The AI buzz in CS 40:56 - Closing ___________________________ 👉 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 Ben Winn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwinn/ 👉 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/ ____________________________ 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.

Alex Turkovic joins Jon Johnson, and Kristi Faltorusso to delve into the intricacies of customer success management (CSM), the disconnect between customer experience strategies and practical implementation, the role of emotional intelligence in business decisions, tackling data quality and management & much more. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview, BS & Intros 4:57 - Practically implementing concepts and frameworks 8:50 - Put the customer first 10:00 - We need emotional intelligence in CS 13:03 - Tracking actions vs real outcomes 16:18 - Tracking metrics that matter 19:27 - Trust, Journey Map, & Clean Data 31:40 - The correlation of CS, Product & Marketing 34:10 - Central CSM 35:35 - Consolidation and management of SaaS applications 39:10 - Validating project success 46:00 - Closing ___________________________ 👉 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 Alex Turkovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexturkovic/ 👉 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/

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business Customer success leader, Paulina Staszuk joins hosts Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter to delve into the critical importance of a structured onboarding process for new employees and its impact on successful customer relationships. They also share humorous banter and insights about creating a positive employee experience, the value of customer success in the tech industry, and the significance of taking a break to recalibrate. Timestamp: 0:00 - Preview, Intros & BS 5:50 - Reflect, Recalibrate & Refuel 13:00 - Perfection isn't a reality 17:08 - People. Process. Product 18:20 - Employee onboarding is broken 23:03 - Happy CSMs Happy Customers 25:00 - What should employee onboarding look like? 30:20 - Tools for onboarding employees 39:20 - BS & Closing ___________________________ 👉 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 Paulina Staszuk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulinastaszuk 👉 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/⁠ 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. ⁠Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter ________________ Keywords: new employees, customer success, CS motion, onboarding, structured onboarding, customer relationships, employee experience, Slack, Notion, Loom, GIF creators, Clockwise app, work relationship, support tickets, remote work, AI-based support, NPS scores, 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 Customer success roles fall short of true value creation. The industry has inadvertently boxed itself into creating safe, activity-based roles rather than ones driven by tangible outcomes and accountability. It's time to rethink and reinvent the essence of customer success. Aaron Thompson, CRO, SuccessHACKER, joins our hosts, Josh Schachter, Kristi Faltorusso & Jon Johnson to discuss the need for a crucial shift in the customer success model from being a cost center to a revenue driver. Aaron brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective, discussing the impact of tracking post-sale activities, aligning team incentives, and the challenges of transitioning from a "sales-led" to a "revenue-led" organization and the essential role of renewals, expansions, and customer retention in driving revenue growth. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview, BS & Intro 6:12 - Revenue Acquisition Cost 14:39 - Tracking & calculating costs 18:00 - Revenue is cheap to lose, expensive to maintain 26:55 - Focus on being revenue-led 30:04 - Rewiring to become customer-centric 35:50 - The starting point to being customer-centric as an individual contributor 43:05 - CSMs need to have a revenue-focused mindset ___________________________ 👉 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 Aaron Thompson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/athomps/ 👉 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/⁠ 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. ⁠Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter ________________ Keywords: Customer success, Revenue-led growth, Success criteria, Renewals, Customer retention, Revenue growth, customer centricity, Revenue acquisition cost, Cross-sell, Upsell, Customer-centric approaches, Recurring revenue approaches, Customer success managers, Revenue-based accountability, Customer-driven revenue, Predictable renewals, Additional revenue opportunities, Success planning, Onboarding process, Client success tools, Business growth strategy, Customer expectations ______________________ 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 Sam Loveland, Chief Customer Officer at SalesLoft, joins Jon Johnson, User Testing and Michael Forney, VP of CS at Responsive to delve into the intersection of AI and customer success. From leveraging generative AI to the challenges of managing multiple AI tools, the conversation unravels key insights and practical strategies for achieving customer success metrics. Timestamp 0:00 - Preview & Intro 7:50 - Human touch in the AI world 13:10 - Using AI for CS insights 22:30 - Challenges for integrating tools & systems 25:53 - How does leadership evaluate CSMs 29:47 - Automating customer onboarding 33:40 - Enhancing productivity & generating value using AI 39:44 - Closing ___________________________ 👉 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 Michael Forney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-forney/ Sam Loveland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-loveland-b19775/ 👉 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 Alok Sharma, CEO of Funnel Story AI, joins Josh Schachter, Founder & CEO of UpdateAI, and Jon Johnson, Principal CSM of UserTesting, to discuss the strategic role of CSMs in using technology to drive business outcomes. With a blend of humor, insightful discussions, and practical takeaways, Alok shares his insights on the shortcomings of traditional customer success platforms, the generational shift in technology adoption, and the evolving role of customer success teams in leveraging data insights for strategic decision-making. Timestamps: 0:00 - Preview 1:56 - BS & Intros 7:20 - Overlap of Cybersecurity & CS 11:54 - 80% of AI is Getting Data in the Right Format 18:52 - Business Intelligence for CS Teams 20:30 - Do CSMs Need a Data Mindset? 22:45 - Pendo Isn't Designed for CSMs 26:40 - Importance of Understanding Personas 28:40 - Good Food. Good Business. Good Life. 34:34 - Do Traditional CS Platforms Solve Real Problems? 46:46 - Closing ___________________________ 👉 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 Alok Shukla: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshukla/ 👉 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, Pendo, FunnelStory, Data mindset, Customer success platforms, Alok Sharma, customer progression, technology adoption, cybersecurity, big data analysis, human interactions, behavioral insights, business intelligence, data mindset, customer relationships, in-person meetings, post-COVID era ______________________ 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.

In this unchurned conversation, Nikola Mijic, the Founder of Matik joins Josh Schachter. Both of them dive into how Nikola got into the world of CS, and his experience working at LinkedIn and also discuss: 0:00 - Meet Nick & how health scores help predict customer churn risk 7:00 - Working at LinkedIn inspired Nick's startup journey 13:03 - Nick's experience as an immigrant 17:45 - The role of core values in guiding operations and solving conflicts 23:10 - Finding early customers who understand the startup mentality 26:00 - Using data-driven content can enable scaling #updateai #customersuccess #saas #business 👉 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 Nikola Mijic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikola-mijic-9012201b/ 👉 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/⁠ 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. ⁠Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter ______________________ 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.