This week is all about how we interact with customers – and we have a great guest who knows a whole lot about it.In fact, he literally wrote the book on it. Author Rob Fitzpatrick has been helping small businesses and entrepreneurs reach their goals for years. He’s written several books, including “The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers & Learn If Your Business Is a Good Idea When Everyone Is Lying to You.” This is something he knows and cares about – and he was kind enough to spend nearly an hour breaking it all down with UpdateAI’s Josh Schachter! Topics covered in their Unchurned conversation include:Creating the “perfect customers” for software productsWhy how you frame a conversation is criticalWhy talking to customers should be like “surgery”How to find “overlap” between CS and learning about the customer The value in being “sneaky” in meetings Living the remote life in EuropeThere’s plenty more they discussed, too, so be sure to listen to the full episode! 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

It’s a tough time in the business world right now – but that doesn’t mean progress goes right out the window.In fact, Judd Borkaove, the chief growth and community officer at GTM Partners, looks at it completely differently; Judd, on the latest episode of “[Un]churned,” hosted by UpdateAI CEO Josh Schachter, said he believes it’s a “good time” for businesses right now, whether it’s setting the right foundation for a new company or reimagining how an older firm does business. That optimism serves him well at his day job at GTM Partners, a data-driven analyst firm focused on making GTM easy for companies via research, workshops, analyst work sessions, and studies. (Judd is also a partner at Red Monkey Consulting.) Judd went in-depth with Josh in this episode on go-to-market strategies and how businesses can thrive in the current environment.Topics covered in this episode include: – Why retention and expansion are essential, especially in a down economy – Why it’s “good time” to build solid businesses – Determining the best go-to-market strategy– The “8 Pillars” of Judd’s GTM framework – The importance of getting value to the customer ASAP – How to “incentivize” more sales while in a CS role – Using data to remove bias and make sound decisions – Ranking the best JuddsThis episode covers plenty of ground, so be sure to have your “Notes” app ready, because you’ll probably want to jot down a point or two from Judd. You can find “[Un]churned,” as always, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Taking a company from 50 customers to 3,500 customers is easier said than done; the same goes for growing ARR from $2 million to $250 million in a year. And it certainly goes for helping lead a startup to a $2.6 billion acquisition from Google. Thankfully, Brian LaFaille has hands-on experience with all of that – and he’s here to tell us how he did it. Brian – who now oversees global CS programs at Google after his last company, Looker, was acquired by the tech giant in 2020 – is the latest guest on Unchurned with UpdateAI CEO Josh Schachter. Brian shared a number of great insights during his 30 minute conversation with Josh. Some of the topics they touched on include:– Why treating customers “like gold” is imperative, especially for startups – Why scalability should not be a major concern for young companies– The importance of fostering your first 100 customer “champions”– Brian’s journey from the Bay Area to living in Joshua Tree This is another jam-packed episode, so be sure to check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube! 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

 Dickey Singh, founder, and CEO of Cast app, the leading automation platform for companies to drive growth, sales, and referrals from existing customers. You need to lean on the data to find out what does and doesn’t resonate with customers in his conversation with the UpdateAI CEO, Josh Schachter,  Dickey sharesHow Cast helps companies foster and expand their customer relationships Why you can’t underestimate the customerWhy email is the king when it comes to reaching customers 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

When it comes to customer success, Totango is one of the first companies you think about.That’s due in large part to it being one of the first companies to prioritize CS – with its software helping companies “design, run, measure, and scale [their] SaaS customer journey to retain and grow customers,” as Totango’s website explains. It’s been a move that has certainly worked out well for the company, which has become a staple of Silicon Valley and raised more than $150 million since being founded in 2010. Totango’s success is due in no small part to the contributions of Karen Budell, the company’s chief marketing officer, and Robyn Fernandez, its senior director of CS. And fortunately, both women were nice enough to join UpdateAI CEO Josh Schachter on the latest episode of [Un]churned, Robyn, Karen and Josh touch on a number of topics in this episode, including: KYA: Know Your AudienceWhy customer experience is a top priority for CS teams Who is in the best position to own the customer relationship? How Totango’s CS team operatesResource: CS Salary & Industry Report 2022This was a jam-packed episode, so be sure to catch it wherever you listen to your podcasts! 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

You know how they say someone “wrote the book” on a topic? When it comes to Product-Led Growth, they’re talking about Blake Bartlett. Blake is a partner at OpenView, where he’s led investments in major companies like Highspot, Expensify, Calendly, Postscript and Cypress, among others. He also notably coined the term PLG in 2016 – and it’s only gained significant traction in the years since.  Blake’s granular understanding of PLG and what it takes for startups to be successful are what made him a great guest on the latest “Unchurned” podcast with UpdateAI CEO Josh Schachter.  Josh and Blake cover a lot of ground in this episode, including, of course, what Blake’s quick definition of PLG is: “A go-to-market strategy that relies primarily on the product itself as the driver of customer acquisition, conversion and expansion.” They touched on a number of other PLG-related topics, too, like: OpenView’s SaaS focus Great examples of PLGWhy Sales shouldn’t be worried about PLG How PLG leads to less “friction”Potential downsides of PLG  If you’ve been interested in learning more about PLG – and why it is or isn’t ideal for your company – this podcast was tailor-made for you. 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Welcome to #OTW!#OTW - OpenToWork, is a new series on [Un]churned, featuring amazing SaaS leaders and practitioners who are open and ready for their next role.This episode features, Leslie Chamberlain, a strategic customer success leader offering 15+ years of international management, professional growth, and development experience. She is known as an expert in delivering reliable, cost-saving business solutions and strategies to streamline processes, drive business growth, and enhance customer satisfaction in a fast-paced environment such as software as a service (SaaS). Connect with Leslie Chamberlain on LinkedinEmail Josh at josh@update.ai to be a featured guest on the #OTW series👉 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 www.update.ai/podcast👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Jeremy Evans has spent about as much time leading customer success teams as anyone you’ll find.Jeremy is the SVP of Customer Success at Zuora, a SaaS company focused on helping subscription services manage their businesses. Prior to Zuora, he also led CS teams at Entelo, New Relic Inc., and Marin Software. In short: he knows CS like the back of his hand. And that’s what made him such a great guest on the latest episode of Unchurned. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics Jeremy spoke to UpdateAI CEO Josh Schachter about on this episode: Fixing a negative NPS Developing a more “holistic approach” to the customer journey Instilling a “people first” mindset How to evaluate and calculate potential churn Bonus: Why Jeremy’s bachelor party was national news in Canada Don’t miss this episode, because it’s packed with 30 minutes of great insights. You can listen to the full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch it on YouTube. 👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

In this episode of [Un]churned we feature UpdateAI’s very own Chenay Gladstone. Chenay leads the data annotation and analysis practice at UpdateAI. She is our longest-serving employee and has been a bedrock of our effort to revolutionize natural language programming. We are blessed to have Chenay as a core member of the UpdateAI team.In this episode, Chenay shares with [Un]churned Host and UpdateAI CEO Josh Schachter about the process behind the team’s approach to creating a best-in-class action item detection model. She shares her background in linguistics and how she’s been able to leverage her education.Chenay also describes what keeps her hungry to help grow UpdateAI, her love for volleyball, and other fun facts about working at a startup. You can follow Chenay on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chenay-gladstone/. Here’s more about how Chenay and the team at UpdateAI have developed its proprietary artificial intelligence technology: https://update.ai/blog/how-updateai-detects-action-items-to-help-customer-relationship-builders/.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Welcome to #OTW!#OTW - OpenToWork, is a new series on [Un]churned, featuring amazing SaaS leaders and practitioners who are open and ready for their next role.This episode features, David Kirkdorffer, who has been into marketing B2B and B2Dev technology all his career, targeting IT and Line of Business Buyers in SMB and Enterprise markets. Connect with David Kirkdorffer on LinkedinEmail Josh at josh@update.ai to be a featured guest on the #OTW series👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter👉 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/ 👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter