Best Ben Franco Podcasts (2024)

1
Why Do We Question the Value of Customer Success? ft. Brett Queener (Bonfire Ventures) 46:02

12h ago46:02

46:02

#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,…

1
How to Maximize ROI with Outcome-Based Scoring ft. Brent Grimes (Reef.ai) 44:53

13d ago44:53

44:53

#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 con…

1
Balancing efficiency and human touch in customer interactions ft. Julio Franco (Zappi) 55:09

20d ago55:09

55:09

#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 r…

1
Puerto Rico & Hawai'i: Building Power with Energy Democracy With Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Ruth Santiago, Todd Yamashita, & Niki Franco 54:56

29d ago54:56

54:56

Today on the show: a special panel discussion addressing the questions: How can communities build power in the face of colonization, natural disasters, and corporate profiteering? In Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian island of Molokai, residents have been grappling with some of the highest energy costs in the nation, while for-profit utilities amass rec…

1
Dating, CS & Banter ft. Ben Winn (FirstMark) 42:05

1M ago42:05

42:05

#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, …

1
Demystifying Customer Needs ft. Alex Turkovic (The Digital Customer Success Podcast) 51:22

1M ago51:22

51:22

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 & Int…

1
Is Prioritizing CSM Health the Key to Customer Happiness? ft. Paulina Staszuk 44:19

2M ago44:19

44:19

#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…

1
Can Revenue-Driven Practices Lead to Customer-Centric Growth? Ft. Aaron Thompson (SuccessHACKER) 50:53

2M ago50:53

50:53

#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, SuccessHACK…

1
Changing the World Through Abolition: Manju Rajendran of Durham Beyond Policing 38:39

2M ago38:39

38:39

Host Max Rameau talks with Manju Rajendran of Durham Beyond Policing. Together, they discuss the landscape of organizing in North Carolina, abolition, healing justice, and the work of building and maintaining community. Manju Rajendran is a facilitator, trainer, conflict transformation practitioner, and organizer with 27 years of local, state, regi…

1
Can AI Insights Transform Tech Touch Customer Success? ft. Sam Loveland (Salesloft) 47:47

2M ago47:47

47:47

#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 …

1
Bosses Don’t Understand the Role of CSMs Ft. Alok Shukla (FunnelStory) 47:19

2M ago47:19

47:19

#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 …

1
Using Data-Driven Content to Serve Customers ft. Nikola Mijic (Founder, Matik) 29:25

3M ago29:25

29:25

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 …

1
CS Meetups, Post-sales Success and Future of Work Ft. John Gleeson (Success Venture Partners) 47:57

3M ago47:57

47:57

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business John Gleeson, the founder of Success Venture Partners joins Josh Schachter, founder of UpdateAI to share his startup investment thesis, the need to deeply understand customers and the potential for software to enter underserved spaces. The conversation also delves into the future of technology, job prospec…

1
How to Gain Control of Your Customers and Win Trust ft. Damien Howley 23:45

3M ago23:45

23:45

Josh Schachter sits down with Damien Howley, author of "Control Your Customer: A Guidebook for Customer Success Managers". Damien explains the concept of "controlling your customer", the STO framework for segmenting customer contacts, the importance of celebrating every win, and the value of quantifying the customer's gain from a product. Timestamp…

1
Ground Control: Lunar with Eyal Solomon 27:17

3M ago27:17

27:17

Eyal Solomon (@EyalSolomo44643) is the CEO and co-founder of Lunar, an open-source platform which bills itself as the “first reverse API gateway.” Lunar allows engineering teams to monitor, manage, and optimize API consumption. According to Eyal, it’s very easy to integrate with APIs, but difficult to keep them maintained, and there was a clear nee…

1
Stop Cop City! Kamau Franklin of Community Movement Builders 50:24

3M ago50:24

50:24

Host Max Rameau talks with Kamau Franklin of Community Movement Builders, Inc and Black Power Media. Together, they discuss the movement to Stop Cop City, its national relevance, and the strategy behind the movement. They also discuss creating accessible political media, and what Kamau's learned from his time in Palestine. Kamau Franklin is the fou…

1
Industry Realities and Frontline Insights on Pulse 2024 from Gainsight's Nick Mehta 28:53

3M ago28:53

28:53

Customer success icon Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, joins our hosts Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson, & Josh Schachter for a candid conversation packed with insights on the evolving CS landscape. From a sneak peek at Pulse 2024 to the future of AI in CS, Nick brings his trademark wit along with wisdom on key trends like:- The changing job market and …

1
Intersecting Customer Success and Account Management for Value Delivery ft. Emily Lockhart (Percona) 35:48

3M ago35:48

35:48

Emily Lockhart, VP of Customer Success at Percona, joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss the importance of value delivery in partnerships, building proactive customer relationships, utilizing AI and technology to enhance efficiency, and automating playbooks, hiring for CS roles. Kristi also explains the differenc…

1
Are Customer-Centric Strategies a Solution to Customer Crisis? ft. Seth Terbeek (DrFirst) 51:22

4M ago51:22

51:22

Seth Terbeek, VP of Customer Transformation at DrFirst joins Josh Schachter & Jon Johnson to emphasize the- Importance of journey mapping and scaling - Challenges around value creation and management - Necessity of proving the value of your CS department - Importance of open-ended questions when interacting with customersSeth emphasizes failing for…

1
Metadata Management: DataHub with Shirshanka Das 36:56

4M ago36:56

36:56

Shirshanka Das (@shirshanka) is the CTO of Acryl Data and founder of DataHub, which bills itself as the #1 open-source metadata platform. It enables data discovery, data observability and federated governance to help tame complex data ecosystems. Shirshanka first developed DataHub while at LinkedIn, but has grown it into an independent project with…

1
Can We Set up Fair Expectations for Customer Success? Ft. Mike Sasaki 50:45

4M ago50:45

50:45

Mike Sasaki, a seasoned CCO joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠ and⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson to discuss the complexities of engaging with executives, the importance of domain expertise, leadership's role in fostering an authentic workplace, and the significance of understanding a company's culture and core values. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview & Intros 2:25 - …

1
Should Sales and Customer Success Teams Align on Customer Success Plans? ft. Alex Farmer (Nezasa) & Michael Forney (Responsive) 52:12

4M ago52:12

52:12

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business Alex Farmer, CCO at Nezasa, & Michael Forney, VP CS at Responsive join the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss:- Challenges of constant employee turnover- Aligning Sales & CS on Success Plans- Strategies for successful cross-functional collaboration- Role of AI i…

1
Take Your Own Advice: vlcn with Matt Wonlaw 31:58

4M ago31:58

31:58

After his first child was born, Matt Wonlaw (@tantaman) imagined giving his son life advice. What kind of life did he want his kid to lead? At the time, he was working for Facebook, and he decided that his own life needed a change in direction. So Matt started vlcn, aka Vulcan Labs, a research company that develops open-source projects like CR-SQLi…

1
Customer-Centric Operations at the Heart of Customer Delight ft. Jonathan Corbin (former Global VP of CS & Strategy HubSpot) 31:10

4M ago31:10

31:10

Building customer relationships is a foundational pillar of ensuring business success. Over time, as the company's business grows, maintaining this initial touchpoint with each of the customers from a widespread pool of customers serves as a challenge. Dealing with such an issue needs the backing and support of people who form a close-knit team. Jo…

1
Increase Retention by Turning Ex-Employees into Empowered Partners ft. Kris Sundberg (Restaurant365) 43:12

5M ago43:12

43:12

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business Kris Sundberg, the Senior VP of Customer Success at Restaurant365 joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss how they leverage AI for predictive analysis, the potential benefits of benchmarking and data insights for competitors in the market, and the impact of…

1
Secret Sauce: Amplication with Yuval Hazaz 31:22

5M ago31:22

31:22

Amplication is an open-source development platform for scalable and secure Node.js applications. It allows engineers to skip writing boilerplate code and offers the flexibility to customize and add components. Amplification was created by Yuval Hazaz (@Yuvalhazaz1), a veteran developer who determined that low-code platforms save time but restrict f…

1
Driving Customer Success with $1 Billion in Verified Customer Value and Insights ft. Elisabeth Zornes (Autodesk) 47:31

5M ago47:31

47:31

Elisabeth Zornes, Chief Customer Officer at Autodesk joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠ to explore the challenges and strategies in articulating and delivering value to customers. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview 0:58 - BS & Intros 3:30 - How does a CCO work with customers? 4:40 - Where is Kate Middleton? 7:00 - Ma…

1
Exploring Diverse Customer Views Using Cross-Functional Expertise ft. Jill Sawatzky (CCO, Thought Industries) 46:13

5M ago46:13

46:13

Jill Sawatzky, the Chief Customer Officer at Thought Industries joins Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter, as they discuss the impact of rotating leaders within an organization aiming to gain empathy and cross-functional skills. They also explore the importance of in-person customer interactions and continuously enhancing the customer experience to meet…

1
To the Moon: OpenBB with Didier Lopes 39:41

5M ago39:41

39:41

OpenBB is an open-source investment research platform created by Didier Lopes (@didier_lopes). OpenBB grew out of a project called Gamestonk Terminal that Didier began working on shortly before the Gamestop short squeeze in January 2021. Today, OpenBB has evolved into an infrastructure platform that allows users to build extensions and access finan…

1
Should we ease the workload of superhero customer success managers? ft. Sarah Parker (BetterUp) 37:25

5M ago37:25

37:25

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #businessSarah Parker, SVP, Global Customer Success at BetterUp joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss the need for a transition from high-touch to low-touch customer interactions and the mindset shift required for CSMs for a self-service approach.Timestamps0:00 - P…

1
Identifying Overwhelm in the Catch-All Role of CSMs ft. Carie Buchanan (Popmenu) 48:23

6M ago48:23

48:23

Unchurned is presented by UpdateAICarie Buchanan, the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at Popmenu, participates in CS & BS conversations with the hosts Kristi Faltorusso and Josh Schachter. They discussed the technology landscape in Atlanta and Carie's experiences while working at big companies like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and ERPs. The conver…

1
Robust Observability: OpenTelemetry with Austin Parker 35:01

6M ago35:01

35:01

OpenTelemetry is an open-source observability framework for collecting and managing telemetry data. OpenTelemetry has been more successful than expected, becoming the second fastest growing project in the CNCF. It allows for flexibility and avoids vendor lock-in, making it attractive to startups and large enterprises alike. On today’s show, Eric (@…

1
Dissecting the Synergy Between Customer Success & Account Management ft. Zoe Marshall (Arbor) 43:22

6M ago43:22

43:22

Jon, Josh, and our guest Zoe Marshall, Head of Account Management at Arbor dissect the challenges of scale, the art of customer success in the account management landscape, and the promise of EdTech while sharing some light-hearted moments discussing British royalty trivia. Timestamps0:00 - Preview0:58 - Intros & BS4:40 - Arbor Education 8:45 - Zoe…

1
Never Build Permissions Again: OPAL with Or Weis 37:15

6M ago37:15

37:15

OPAL is an open-source administration layer for Policy Engines such as Open Policy Agent (OPA). OPAL provides the necessary infrastructure to load policy and data into multiple policy engines, ensuring they have the information they need to make decisions. Today, we’re talking to Or Weis (@OrWeis), co-creator of OPAL and co-founder of Permit, the e…

1
Influencing Customers and Organizational Dynamics ft. Jess Cohen (UpdateAI) 46:40

6M ago46:40

46:40

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #businessJess Cohen, Head of CS and Community at UpdateAI, joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. The conversation touches on topics ranging from the complexities of working in customer success and the importance of guiding clients without giving them answers, to using emojis in…

1
Ben DeVries of Impact Europe - Sound Funding Ep. 25 33:35

6M ago33:35

33:35

Welcome to episode 25 of Sound Funding! This is a very special episode, it's the very last one and it's a crossover episode with our other podcast Impact People, so host Ryan Grant Little is our guest on this episode. He talks to our Ben DeVries about the many hats he wears (founder, investor, consultant, podcast host) and plans for the future.…

1
Is Consistent Segmentation the Key To Customer Success? ft. Ryan Seams (Assembly AI) 50:47

6M ago50:47

50:47

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business Ryan Seams, Head of Customer Success at Assembly AI joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠ to discuss why you need to meet customers where they are at, the importance of having a consistent customer segmentation across teams and much more. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview 1:01…

1
Are CSMs with Experience Not as Good as Those with Expertise? ft. Szuyin Leow (Transcend) 46:28

7M ago46:28

46:28

#updateai #customersuccess #saas #business Szuyin Leow, VP of Customer Experience at Transcend joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss the importance of hiring subject matter experts in customer success and the impact of personal experiences on professional development. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview 0:3…

1
Oxygen Deprivation: FerretDB with Peter Farkas 33:55

7M ago33:55

33:55

FerretDB enables users to run MongoDB applications on existing Postgres infrastructure. Peter Farkas (@FarkasP), co-founder and CEO of FerretDB, explains the need for an open source interface for document databases. Peter also discusses the licensing change of MongoDB and the uncertainty it created for users. He emphasizes the importance of open st…

1
The Non-Chaotic Way of Onboarding Customers for Success ft. Paul Holder (OnRamp) 36:58

7M ago36:58

36:58

Paul Holder, CEO of OnRamp, joins the hosts ⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠, ⁠Mickey Powell, Jon Johnson⁠ & ⁠Josh Schachter⁠. They discuss how OnRamp is designed to streamline the onboarding process for customers. The conversation covers the shift from viewing customer success as a cost center to recognizing its role in driving growth and revenue. From Paul's …

1
The Duke of SQLite: Litestream with Ben Johnson 34:14

7M ago34:14

34:14

Ben Johnson (@benbjohnson) is the creator of Litestream and LiteFS, two open-source disaster recovery solution for SQLite. Litestream is designed to provide continuous backups for SQLite databases by streaming incremental changes, allowing for easy data recovery in the event of a server crash. LiteFS, on the other hand, is built on LiteStream but u…

1
AI Automation for Scaled Customer Success ft. Bethany Stachenfeld (Sendspark) 52:12

7M ago52:12

52:12

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Y8B6do0iado Tired of answering the same customer queries over and over again? How about cloning yourself? Let's hear from our guest, Bethany Stachenfeld, Co-founder & CEO of Sendspark, about scaling personal touch wi…

1
The Reality of Career Growth: Everyone Does CS ft. Ejieme Eromosele (Success In Black, Quiq) 50:40

7M ago50:40

50:40

As the GM, of EMEA at Quiq, Ejieme, our guest on this episode leads the growth and expansion, while also serving as the executive sponsor of the culture committee. She is also the founder of Success in Black, an award-winning platform to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in customer success. She is also an active angel investor and advisor t…

1
Rust Never Sleeps: Tonic with Lucio Franco 36:24

7M ago36:24

36:24

Tonic is a native gRPC implementation in Rust that allows users to easily build gRPC servers and clients without extensive async experience. Tonic is part of the Tokio stack, which is a library that provides an asynchronous runtime for Rust and more tools to write async applications. Today, Lucio Franco (@lucio_d_franco) of Turso joins the podcast …

1
Will 2024 Mark the End of Generalist CSM Roles? 48:48

8M ago48:48

48:48

We are heading in 2024! In this episode, our hosts Josh Schachter, Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson & Mickey Powell debate whether there will be a decline in the role of the generalist Customer Success Manager (CSM) in 2024. 00:00 - Preview & Intro 01:08 - Jon is sensitive about his music 08:16 - Everyone shares their lows and highs of 2023 20:50 - K…

1
The Social Miracle: rqlite with Philip O’Toole 43:02

8M ago43:02

43:02

rqlite is a lightweight, distributed relational database built on Raft and SQLite. Founder Philip O’Toole (@general_order24) decided to combine these technologies while working at a startup years ago. The startup no longer exists, but rqlite is going strong. Today, Philip is an engineering manager at Google, while he continues to be the driving for…

1
Supercharge Revenue Growth By Automating Renewals ft. Mathew Cagney (Renewtrak) 45:52

8M ago45:52

45:52

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/f21ShT6YZA0?feature=shared Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork Wouldn't life become a breeze if renewals could be automated? Well, Rene…

1
Embracing Customer Success Enablement ft. Eric Kingsbury (Founder, Retain Solutions) 46:21

9M ago46:21

46:21

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/N22Id931Tb4 Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork The role of the customer success team evolves at each stage of the startup. Eric Kingsb…

1
A World Without Police: Geo Maher, Andrew Hairston, & Tafari Melisizwe 1:22:14

9M ago1:22:14

1:22:14

DSC Communications Coordinator Tafari Melisizwe and Coordinating Committee Member Andrew Hairston of Texas Appleseed join organizer, writer, and radical political theorist Geo Maher for a robust conversation on policing and social justice movements. The episode begins with Geo laying out the ideas of his book A World Without Police, and then contin…

1
How All Roads Led a Gainsight AE to UpdateAI ft. Kristie Gaunt (UpdateAI) 44:45

9M ago44:45

44:45

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/N22Id931Tb4 Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork Mickey is back! & Let's welcome Kristie Gaunt to the UpdateAI Squad! Kristie had been a…

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