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A full founder's arc: starting small, building global SaaS companies from Hyderabad, taking one to IPO, another to a billion-dollar exit, and then choosing to begin again (and again).Kiran Darisi began at Zoho, founding team member of Freshworks at 25, and stayed twelve years till the company went public. Today he is building Atomicwork, reinventing service management in the AI era. Sreedhar Peddineni started with Host Analytics back when SaaS was still called application service provider, went on to create the customer success category with Gainsight, and is now on his third venture with GTM Buddy.In this episode, we talk about what it takes to build companies that last for decades. We discuss how startups can find the “Goldilocks zone”,why smaller teams are creating more value than ever, and the mistakes founders often make when moving from SMB to enterprise.Both founders share how AI is reshaping every layer of SaaS, why it's both eating the pie and expanding it and what's left for entrepreneurs when the biggest AI companies are chasing every vertical.This conversation looks back at some of India's iconic SaaS companies, shares lessons from two decades of building, and looks ahead to the future of SaaS from India.0:00 — Atomicwork x GTM Buddy1:17 — Why They Chose to Be Founders Again8:27 — How to generate pipeline predictability at a startup?16:46 — Becoming Freshworks' Co-Founder at 2519:43 — How Atomicwork Co-Founders Connected & Chose Their Problem23:25 — Building Companies That Last for Decades27:18 — Why Smaller, High-Quality Teams Win30:21 — 1st vs 2nd Founders: What They Get Wrong31:56 — Scaling: SMB → Mid-Market → Enterprise33:36 — Category Creation at Gainsight40:03 — Disrupting vs Expanding Large Categories44:08 — How to Choose the Right Market49:08 — Why Atomicwork Chose This Category53:11 — The 'Goldilocks Zone' for a Startup Category57:11 — Can Salesforce Be Replaced?58:26 — Neon Fund x Atomicwork1:01:27 — Neon Fund x GTM Buddy1:03:44 — If Big AI Goes Everywhere, What's Left for B2B SaaS?1:07:36 — What to Build in the AI Era?1:10:35 — Is AI Expanding the Pie While Eating It?1:17:03 — How Useful Are Custom GPTs for Companies?1:20:34 — Workflows vs AI Workforce-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
All links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is Jason Loomis, CISO, Freshworks. In this episode: Making organizations take their security medicine Building CISO support systems Holding the door for humans Underappreciated risks: beyond the headlines Huge thanks to our sponsor, Safe Security SAFE is the category leader in Cyber Risk Quantification (CRQ) and the first vendor to deliver fully autonomous Third-Party Risk Management.We help CISOs, GRC, and TPRM leaders continuously and efficiently quantify, prioritize, and mitigate cyber risks across their entire attack surface — enabling digital growth and resilience. Learn more at tprmdemo.safe.security.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #265, we welcomed Mario Baddour, President & CEO of InteLogix, based in Park City, UT. InteLogix provides customer experience (CX) solutions and accounts receivable management (ARM) operations that enhance customer loyalty and revenue for their clients. They combine human engagement with digital tools and automation to minimize customer effort and boost loyalty by offer long-term value through scalable CX and both first-party and third-party ARM operations.Their mission is to make lives better by engaging, listening, and resolving consumer concerns and obligations with empathy and innovation. And advocate for their clients brands and reputations as their own.In this episode, Mario and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team at InteLogix think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #265 Highlight Reel:**1. Focusing on building an elite Team above all else to drive success & growth 2. Solving problems for your customers & providing constant value 3. Structuring & configuring your data before finding the optimal tech-solutions 4. Building & deploying living playbooks to propel your team forward rapidly 5. Taking customer data & feedback to drive product development Click here to learn more about Mario BaddourClick here to learn more about InteLogixHuge thanks to Mario for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer contact space into the future.For Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks to name a few) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? We launched CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building the pillars upon an AI-powered foundation for the future. Huge thanks for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
In the world of AI-powered marketing, experimentation is just the beginning. But how do you scale it for real business growth? Mika Yamamoto, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks, joins us to share her journey of moving beyond AI experimentation to driving AI-powered growth within a marketing org. From creating AI-driven customer support solutions to scaling AI tools for sales teams, Mika talks about the trials, triumphs, and the critical role of experimentation in shaping Freshworks' AI strategy. In this episode, we talk about how to implement AI tools effectively, gain executive buy-in, and unlock true growth potential with AI.
Today's guest, Dilawar Syed, is a perfect person to kick off this season. I met Dilawar last year while working with the Brookings Institution, focusing on the issue of aging business owners. At the time, Dilawar was Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration. His background is extensive, including his role as President of Freshworks, a company that serves small businesses. This spring, we collaborated on a piece for The Conversation and Fast Company about how tariff uncertainty can paralyze small business operators. As you can imagine, Dilawar has a lot of insight to share on this and other topics here on The Owner's Box.
In today's Tech3 from Moneycontrol, we bring you the top stories shaping the world of startups and technology. Girish Mathrubootham officially exits Freshworks after nearly 15 years. Urban Company's cap table gets a boost with Tiger Global and Accel offloading shares ahead of its IPO. We track how online credit card transactions are set to overtake offline swipes, and wrap up with Amazon and Flipkart's festive sale dates.
In this edition of Moneycontrol Editor's Picks, find an exclusive interview with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman where she addresses everything from GST rate cut, Trump tariffs to purchasing Russian oil. We also decode how various industries are adapting to the GST rate cut - further taxes on tobacco are on the horizon, insurers are assessing input tax credit treatment, and food delivery platforms may pass on additional cost burden to consumers. Also inside: Freshworks founder interview, probe into high frequency traders and an expected advertising boom.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #264, we welcomed Mika Yamamoto, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks based in San Mateo, CA. Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) builds uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Their enterprise-grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use, and quick to deliver results. Their people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive.Over 72,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks' customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency.In this episode, Mika and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that her team at Freshworks think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #264 Highlight Reel:**1. The power of reflection & attention to the customer journey you're building 2. Enhancing customer experience through employee engagement 3. Building your playbook on tech-stack efficiency and utilization 4. Breaking down silos to build world-class customer & employee experiences 5. Investing in "Voice of Customer" (VOC) & "Voice of Employee" (VOE) Click here to learn more about Mika YamamotoClick here to learn more about FreshworksHuge thanks to Mika for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring her work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.For our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks to name a few) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of nearly 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's best CX-driven companies? We recently launched CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building the pillars upon an AI-powered foundation for the future. Huge thanks for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
In this episode of The Option Block, host Mark Longo and his all-star panel including Uncle Mike Tosaw from St. Charles Wealth Management and Henry 'The Flowmaster' Schwartz from Cboe discuss various topics related to the options market. The show covers a wide range of issues such as reactions to Microsoft and Meta's impressive earnings, interesting call buys in lesser-known stocks like Coursera and Freshworks, and detailed breakdowns of recent unusual options activity. Listener polls on trading challenges and strategical preferences are addressed while Uncle Mike and Henry share their insights on the current market environment and upcoming economic events. 03:08 Market Analysis and Trading Strategies 06:27 Earnings Reports and Market Movers 12:34 Options Trading Insights and Trends 18:45 Earnings Season Highlights 29:32 Coinbase and Market Movements 30:19 Riot and Roku Analysis 30:55 Moderna and Cboe Insights 31:25 Earnings Season Highlights 32:15 Odd Block: Unusual Options Activity 32:55 Coursera and Freshworks Trades 39:46 Bristol Myers Squibb Breakdown 46:40 Listener Mail and Poll Results 53:33 Around the Block: Market Watch
In this episode of The Option Block, host Mark Longo and his all-star panel including Uncle Mike Tosaw from St. Charles Wealth Management and Henry 'The Flowmaster' Schwartz from Cboe discuss various topics related to the options market. The show covers a wide range of issues such as reactions to Microsoft and Meta's impressive earnings, interesting call buys in lesser-known stocks like Coursera and Freshworks, and detailed breakdowns of recent unusual options activity. Listener polls on trading challenges and strategical preferences are addressed while Uncle Mike and Henry share their insights on the current market environment and upcoming economic events. 03:08 Market Analysis and Trading Strategies 06:27 Earnings Reports and Market Movers 12:34 Options Trading Insights and Trends 18:45 Earnings Season Highlights 29:32 Coinbase and Market Movements 30:19 Riot and Roku Analysis 30:55 Moderna and Cboe Insights 31:25 Earnings Season Highlights 32:15 Odd Block: Unusual Options Activity 32:55 Coursera and Freshworks Trades 39:46 Bristol Myers Squibb Breakdown 46:40 Listener Mail and Poll Results 53:33 Around the Block: Market Watch
In today's episode of Moneycontrol Tech3, we unpack Microsoft's brief suspension of services to Nayara Energy and how it's reignited India's debate on digital sovereignty. We also dive into Lenskart founder Peyush Bansal's bid for Promoter status ahead of an IPO, Freshworks' AI products crossing $20 million in annual recurring revenue and Persistent Systems' decision to defer salary hikes by a quarter.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #261 we were capturing live interviews at Customer Contact Week at The Caeasar's Forum in Las Vegas, NV.We joined 5,000+ attendees, from 49 states, 51 countries, and spent time meeting & learning from 250+ of the largest solution providers in the CX & customer contact center space. Let's call it what is folks, this is essentially the "Super Bowl of CX" the best & brightest companies in our game gather at CCW to talk shop & share their latest & greatest features, gadgets & services.Our guest interviews for this IRL (in-real life) event episode included: Peter Nilsson (Microsoft), Michael Kinsella & Tomas Piacek (Klearcom), Ashu Dubey (Alhena AI) Janet Vito & Emily Cash (Cyara). Each of the guests in this episode had unique points of view on the state of CX/CS/Customer Support & what the future of business will look like in today's world thanks to our favorite new little buddy, AI. **Episode #261 Highlight Reel:**1. CXC IRL Interviews from CCW Las Vegas 20252. Learnings from 250+ leading solution providers in customer contact3. Things that are top of mind for CX/CS/Support executives4. Improving your customer experience & building alongside AI for the future5. Examples of world-leading AI companies/solutions to keep your eyes onClick here to watch CXCP #261 On CXC YoutubeClick here to learn about Customer Contact WeekHuge thanks to everyone for joining us on this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring their work and efforts in pushing the customer & employee (agent) experience space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Apple & Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members to expand our customer focused community.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Freshworks, Forethought AI & Ascendr) + check-out the CXC Healthzone to learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps focused on-demand services.Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Sales & Marketing, Customer Experience, Customer Success, Employee Experience & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
In today's Tech3 from Moneycontrol, we unpack Amazon's Rs 2,000 crore push to supercharge India's logistics, why India's tech leaders want a Chief AI Minister, and SEBI's new ESOP lifeline for startup founders. Plus, we take you inside Notion's rapid-fire AI playbook and Freshworks' big pivot from SaaS to AI. Tune in for the sharpest updates from the world of tech and startups.
Earlier this year, I spoke with Dennis Woodside, CEO of Freshworks, about why speed and ROI matter more than ever in AI adoption. Today, we continue that conversation—this time from the IT frontline. In this episode, I'm joined by Ashwin Ballal, CIO of Freshworks and a 30-year tech industry veteran with a track record of driving transformation across global enterprises. From his days leading intelligence and data strategy at KLA to his role as CIO at Medallia, Ashwin knows what it takes to modernize without overcomplicating. We explore: The real impact AI is having inside IT teams and where the hype still outweighs reality Why simplifying IT environments is becoming a strategic priority for CIOs How AI is being used to augment, not replace, human capability The pressure to deliver measurable outcomes with fewer resources—and what leaders are doing about it Ashwin also shares a candid view on upskilling, internal adoption, and how CIOs can keep innovation moving forward while managing complexity and cost. This conversation is released in time for Freshworks' ‘Refresh' event and ties into broader industry trends around operational efficiency, human-centered AI, and IT's changing role in business strategy. If you're a CIO, tech leader, or just trying to cut through the noise around AI in the enterprise, this one's worth your time.
How many of your employees are using AI without your knowledge? As generative AI tools like ChatGPT start to become ubiquitous in the workplace, many employees are quietly using them to boost productivity, secure promotions, and even enjoy their work more. Andrew Phillips is Vice President of Freshworks, a company delivering AI powered software for customer and IT services, and he explains why ignoring AI is no longer a viable business strategy, and how SMEs must quickly adapt or risk falling behind. He also shares surprising insights from a recent survey on how workers are using AI to handle mundane tasks, freeing up time for creative thinking, problem-solving, and learning new skills. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartelsoundcartel.com.au+61 3 9882 8333See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Karthik Krishna, Manager of Solutions Engineering at Freshworks and Presales Collective's Regional Community Leader for Chennai. They explore how Solutions Engineers can gain strategic influence in deal cycles beyond just giving demos and answering technical questions. Episode Highlights Karthik shares his journey from developer to pre-sales professional The evolution from "demo-giver" to strategic partner in deal cycles How SEs can co-own opportunities with Account Executives Navigating tough conversations when deals aren't a good technical fit Building credibility to increase your strategic influence Leveraging customer success and implementation teams for deal strategy About Our Guest Karthik Krishna is a Manager of Solutions Engineering at Freshworks, where he has built and coached distributed teams of SEs across companies of all sizes. He also serves as the Presales Collective Regional Community Leader for Chennai, recently hosting an event with over 60 SEs in attendance. Follow the Hosts and Guest Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ Connect with Karthik Krishna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthikkrishna-s/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack Presales Collective: https://www.presalescollective.com Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome and introduction 02:46 - Karthik's background and journey to presales 05:28 - What it means to "be in the room" for deal strategy 11:27 - Handling deals that aren't a good technical fit 16:30 - Building AE-SE relationships and trust 20:02 - Leveraging past customer experiences 27:14 - Growing strategic influence as an SE 32:30 - First experience in pipeline meetings and QBRs Key Topics Covered The Evolution of the SE Role From technical demonstrator to strategic partner Building relationships alongside technical expertise Flying "under the radar" while still influencing deals Co-Ownership vs. Support Understanding sales' responsibilities and pressures Taking appropriate accountability for deal outcomes Building a partnership model with Account Executives Strategic Influence Tactics Speaking up consistently, even when not initially heard Framing technical concerns alongside potential solutions Leveraging past experiences and customer success stories Cross-Functional Collaboration Involving product, implementation, and customer success teams Using collective wisdom to validate concerns Creating a "common voice" across departments Building Credibility Trust your instincts and speak up Demonstrate value through accurate deal insights Help teammates at critical junctures Bottom Line Solutions Engineers possess unique insights that can make or break deals, but gaining the opportunity to share those insights strategically requires building credibility, relationships, and influence over time. The most successful SEs find ways to contribute to deal strategy while respecting the unique pressures faced by their sales counterparts. Presales LIVE airs every other Tuesday. Join the Presales Collective Slack community to stay updated on future episodes, and follow the PSC LinkedIn page for upcoming shows.
You could, in many ways, picture India's tech businesses venturing into the global stage in waves. First, there were the services companies. Your Wipros and Infosys and the like. Then, startups such as Zomato, Oyo, and Ola took their shot. The third wave was headlined by SaaS companies like Zoho and Freshworks. What does the fourth wave look like? What does the future hold for companies making the jump? This week's episode of Two by Two was our attempt to answer some of those questions. Our guests for the podcast ended up adding quite a bit more. Mohit Kumar is founder and CEO of Ultrahuman, best known for its smart rings which compete with the likes of Oura and Samsung, but also offering a wide range of other devices and products for health-conscious buyers.Lal Chand Bisu is the co-founder and CEO of Kuku FM, a mobile-first premium audio platform hosting content in multiple Indian languages.Two very different companies, with one bold bet in common: they chose to take their products global. Welcome to episode 34 of Two by Two.–Book your tickets for The Ken's first subscriber event – https://the-ken.com/event/beyond-the-first-order/–Additional reading:Kuku FM chooses not to be the hero in its own storyPocket FM had 10 million listeners in India. Yet it hit pay dirt elsewhere–This episode of Two by Two was produced by Hari Krishna. Rajiv CN, our resident sound engineer, mixed and mastered this episode.If you liked this episode of Two by Two, please share it with your friends and family who would be interested in listening to the episode. And if you have more thoughts on the discussion, we'd love to hear your arguments as well. You can write to us at twobytwo@the-ken.com.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #258 we were live at Cyara XChange 2025 based in The W Hotel in downtown Austin, TX. XChange is an industry event focused solely on customer experience assurance, where industry leaders come together with peers and industry experts, as well as Cyara leaders and product teams, to network, collaborate, and gain new strategies to help achieve their CX/CS objectives and elevate key contact center performance metrics for the future.Our guest interviews for this IRL (in-real life) event episode included: Peter Nilsson & Aravinda Damarla (Microsoft), Erica McMannes (Instant Teams), Deon Nicholas (Forethought AI), Rishi Rana (Cyara), Abhijit Banerjee (Canada Life) & Mitch Risner (Cyara). Each of the guests in this episode had unique points of view on the state of CX/CS/Customer Support & what the future of business will look like in today's world thanks to AI. In this episode, Adrian chats with the XChange 2025 guests about how they are equipping their customers & teammates with the power of AI + building flexible new solutions to scale their business into the future. **Episode #258 Highlight Reel:**1. Cyara XChange live interviews from customer focused business leaders 2. Information exchange of ideas for CX & EX opportunities 3. Conversational AI game changing solutions 4. Improving your customer experience & building for the future 5. Examples of world-leading AI companies/solutions to keep your eyes on Click here to learn about CyaraClick here to learn about XChange 2025 EventHuge thanks to everyone for joining us on this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring their work and efforts in pushing the customer & employee (agent) experience space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Freshworks, Forethought AI & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps focused services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Sales & Marketing, Customer Experience, Customer Success, Employee Experience & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf sits down with Jason Loomis, Chief Information Security Officer at Freshworks, to uncover the raw truth behind how CISOs evaluate security vendors, what actually moves a deal forward, and why most POVs fall flat before they even start. Jason gets brutally honest about the emotional dynamics of enterprise buying, the real reason vendors lose trust, and what it actually takes to turn a POV into a purchase. If you're in product marketing, sales, or demand generation at a cybersecurity company, this episode will change how you think about the buyer journey and give you a blueprint to win trust, increase conversions, and build long-term influence with technical buyers. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why emotional certainty - not ROI - is the key to winning a CISO's trust The most common POV mistakes vendors make (and how to avoid them) How Jason evaluates vendors - and what gets them instantly disqualified The danger of relying on generic “What problems are you solving?” questions Why transparency beats feature-stuffing in every sales motion How to make your booth presence less awkward and more effective The impact of new SEC regulations on security budgeting and priorities Why buyers referring your product - even after saying no - is the ultimate win If you're serious about understanding what really drives buyer decisions in cybersecurity subscribe to Audience 1st Podcast. New episodes every week. Raw, unfiltered, and straight from the source - your buyers.
In this episode of Tech3 by Moneycontrol, we dive into major fintech developments: Paytm snaps ties with Juspay as firms move away from payment orchestration, BharatPe slashes losses and turns EBITDA positive, and a new entity seeks RBI's SRO licence. We also cover industry tensions over UPI MDR, funding updates in lab-grown diamonds, and Freshworks' Girish Mathrubootham on why SaaS firms must embrace AI to survive. Tune in for all this and more.
How do you turn AI investment into measurable outcomes, not just inflated expectations? In this episode, I'm joined by Dennis Woodside, CEO of Freshworks, to unpack how mid-sized businesses can move fast with AI, show results quickly, and stay competitive without enterprise-level complexity or pricing. Dennis shares how Freshworks is helping companies achieve real productivity gains and customer support improvements through accessible, enterprise-grade AI tools. With solutions that boost agent performance, reduce repetitive tickets, and deliver useful insights to managers, Freshworks is proving that you don't need to be a tech giant to see value from AI. We also explore the challenges that hold mid-market businesses back from adopting AI, and how Freshworks is helping them overcome barriers with tools that are fast to implement, easy to evaluate, and flexible enough to grow with the business. Dennis also reflects on what the industry can learn from customer case studies, including how one company achieved over 250 percent ROI and saved $100,000 annually by streamlining support with AI. If your business is exploring how to make AI work without long timelines or runaway budgets, this conversation offers a grounded view into what's working—and why. Are you measuring real return on AI in your organization, or just chasing the trend?
Send us a textOn the nostalgic grounds of their shared alma mater, Wharton, Simi speaks with Dilawar Syed, the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). A role he was nominated into by President Biden, Administrator Syed was the highest-ranking Muslim official in the U.S. Government at the time of this recording. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.Syed came to the SBA from the State Department where he served as Special Representative for Commercial & Business Affairs. As the State Department's top commercial diplomat, Deputy Administrator Syed advocated for U.S. companies to compete and win abroad and helped ensure U.S. competitiveness in markets across the globe. Before joining the Biden Administration, Syed held the roles of CEO at Lumiata, an AI healthcare company, and President at software company, Freshworks. Earlier in his career, Syed oversaw business operations for Yahoo!'s platforms and infrastructure and was a product manager at Siebel Systems and SAP. His transition to public service is marked by civic efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. He was the founding Chair of the California Entrepreneurship Task Force with the Governor's Office, served on President Obama's White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), and chaired the White House Initiative on AAPIs' Economic Growth Committee. In that role, Syed led the administration's engagement with small businesses across the U.S. after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2020, Syed was tapped by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo to help lead Silicon Valley's pandemic recovery as a member of the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable. Syed holds an M.B.A. from Wharton and earned a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin.South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Youtube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
In this episode, Avanish and Dennis discuss:How Freshworks evolved from a single help desk product to a multi-product platform serving 74,000 customers globally, from small businesses to enterprises like Airbus and Nucor SteelThe importance of being "pulled" by customers into new markets rather than pushing—recognizing when customers you didn't expect are adopting your productsThe challenges of building and scaling a multi-product company where products are at different maturity levels and target slightly different ICPsWhy ecosystem strategy is critical at Freshworks, including both technology integrations with thousands of partners and a services ecosystem to source and implement solutionsFreshworks' differentiated approach of building "uncomplicated" solutions in a market dominated by complexity—particularly for mid-market and low-enterprise customers (up to 20,000 employees)Dennis's philosophy of customer-centricity: "When in doubt, go talk to a customer"Building an ecosystem strategy that includes both technology integrations with thousands of partners and a global services network, with direct sales in nine countries and partner-led expansion everywhere elseAbout the HostAvanish Sahai is a Tidemark Fellow and has served as a Board Member of Hubspot since April 2018 and of Birdie.ai since April 2022. Previously, Avanish served as the vice president, ISV and Apps partner ecosystem of Google from 2019 until 2021. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the global vice president, ISV and Technology alliances at ServiceNow. From 2014 to 2015, he was the senior vice president and chief product officer at Demandbase. Prior to Demandbase, Avanish built and led the Appexchange platform ecosystem team at Salesforce, and was an executive at Oracle and McKinsey & Company, as well as various early-to-mid stage startups in Silicon Valley.About Dennis WoodsideDennis Woodside is the CEO and President of Freshworks. He joined Freshworks as President in 2022. Dennis has spent more than two decades at innovative companies in Silicon Valley. Previous roles include Chief Operating Officer of Dropbox and sales and strategy leadership roles at Google for more than 10 years, including CEO of Motorola Mobility after Google acquired the company.Dennis serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula in California and previously served on the boards of the American Red Cross and ServiceNow. Dennis holds a B.S. in Industrial Relations from Cornell University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.About FreshworksFreshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) provides people-first AI service software that organizations use to deliver exceptional customer and employee experiences. More than 72,000 companies, including American Express, Bridgestone, Databricks, Fila, Nucor, and Sony choose Freshworks' uncomplicated solutions to increase efficiency and loyalty. For the latest company news and customer stories, visit www.freshworks.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.About TidemarkTidemark is a venture capital firm, foundation, and community built to serve category-leading technology companies as they scale. Tidemark was founded in 2021 by David Yuan, who has been investing, advising, and building technology companies for over 20 years. Learn more at www.tidemarkcap.com.LinksFollow our guest, Dennis WoodsideFollow our host, Avanish SahaiLearn more about Tidemark
Two founders lay down their journey so far of going global.First, there was the services wave of exports, led by Infosys and Wipro. Then, companies like Zomato, Oyo, and Ola tried to expand their operations globally. The third wave was headlined by SaaS companies like Freshworks and Zoho. What will the fourth wave of tech exports be?Our guests for this week, Mohit Kumar, founder and CEO of Ultrahuman and Lal Chand Bisu, co-founder of Kuku FM, have an answer to what it could be, and they are leading by example with their own companies at the front of this wave.Mohit shared about 95% of Ultrahuman's customers are from outside India. And their numbers speak for themselves. As for Kuku FM, till early 2024, almost 99% of their business was focused on the Indian diaspora. But they made a switch in 2024, on the back of generative AI, to cross Indian borders. And now, as it stands, the split between India and global is at 90 and 10, respectively, says Lal Chand Bisu.Both these companies are being led by second-time founders. One thing that kept coming up during the discussion was the multiple parallels across both of their companies, like their latecomer's advantage, leading the charge as ‘bear kids' in this economy, and building their business for the freedom and thrill of building a business on their choices.Over the course of the discussion, both Mohit Kumar and Lal Chand Bisu explained how their businesses have evolved over time from when they started to now and how they have scaled and reinvented themselves in this journey.Tune in and listen to episode 34 of Two by Two, hosted by Praveen Gopal Krishnan and Rohin Dharmakumar, as they discuss the hopes, challenges, and excitement surrounding the fourth wave of tech exports from India.-Sign up for The Ken's first subscriber event - https://theken.typeform.com/to/NUPj8HdZ-Additional reading:Kuku FM chooses not to be the hero in its own storyPocket FM had 10 million listeners in India. Yet it hit pay dirt elsewhere-This is a free 10-minute trailer streaming on all podcast streaming platforms. If you'd like to listen to the full episode, you can do so by becoming a Premium subscriber to The Ken or by subscribing to Two by Two on Apple Podcasts via a separate standalone subscription.This episode of Two by Two was produced by Hari Krishna. Rajiv CN, our resident sound engineer, mixed and mastered this episode.If you liked this episode of Two by Two, please share it with your friends and family who would be interested in listening to the episode. And if you have more thoughts on the discussion, we'd love to hear your arguments as well. You can write to us at twobytwo@the-ken.com
Today, we're talking with Sowmya Sundararagavan, Senior Director of Product at Freshworks, an AI customer service, IT, and CRM software platform. This episode with Sowmya was a master class in product leadership after an acquisition. She explains: The worst thing you can do as a product leader post-acquisition Her process to successfully integrate separate product visions How to bridge the gap between old and new teams during M&As Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sowmya-s-ragavan/ Freshworks: https://www.freshworks.com/ Resources The FinOps Foundation: https://www.finops.org/ How to A/B test your product to millions in ARR | Eric Metelka, Head of Product (Eppo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u5vovkAtXc Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:08 Career Journey: From Banking to Tech 01:56 Navigating Post-Acquisition Challenges 04:47 Balancing Legacy and Innovation 07:44 Customer-Centric Focus in M&A 20:49 Evaluating M&A Opportunities 26:29 The Role of FinOps in Cloud Cost Management 33:26 AI in IT Operations and Asset Management 39:14 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPod.byLogRocket)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today. (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr)
Host Keith Shaw talks with Mika Yamamoto, chief customer and marketing officer at Freshworks, about their latest survey of 4,000 knowledge workers. The survey said not only are workers embracing AI in their jobs, they're demanding more from their employers and getting promotions because of the technology. Employees want more AI—and leaders are listening https://www.freshworks.com/theworks/performance/freshworks-global-ai-workplace-report-2024/ Two AI developer strategies: Hire engineers or let AI do the work https://www.computerworld.com/article/3836092/two-ai-developer-strategies-hire-engineers-or-let-ai-do-the-work.html
Cricketer Ajinkya Rahane is making waves in deeptech investing, WazirX is banking on a recovery plan after a $230M cyberattack, and India's gaming industry introduces a new code of ethics. Plus, Cars24 expands into new car sales, retail investors turn cautious, and Freshworks' Girish Mathrubootham teases his autobiography. Tune in to Tech3 by Moneycontrol for the sharpest startup and tech updates!
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #256 we were live at Instant Team's Community Builders Week & CX Virtual Summit based in Southern Pines, NC at their company headquarters. Our guest interviews for this IRL (in-real life) episode included Liza Rodewald (Founder & CEO), Erica McMannes (Founder & CXO), Greg Avallone (SVP of Sales & Partnerships), Amy Price, MBA (SVP of CX), Jennifer Martin & Erica North, both military spouses themselves (Strategic Partnerships Managers), & the one, the only Nate Brown (Co-Founder at CX Accelerator & Head of CX Advisory at Metric Sherpa). Each of the guests in this episode had unique points of view on the state of CX/CS/Customer Support & what the future of Boutique BPO's look like in today's world. And how they are building an all-in-one hiring platform leveraging the near 12 million US military spouses stationed across the globe. Instant Teams is a mission-driven company committed to supporting and employing the “force behind the force” – US military spouses. In this episode, Adrian chats with the Instant Teams crew about how they are making real social impact, finding remarkable talent, providing their customers instant access to new teammates & building flexible solutions along the way. **Episode #256 Highlight Reel:**1. Unleashing the power of 12M+ Military Spouses2. Building bridges to companies who want access to this group3. Why Military Spouses Make For Incredible CX & Customer Care talent4. Engaging 75K military spouses ready & primed to join our workforce 5. Around the sun locations at US bases provides global support optionClick here to learn about Instant TeamsClick here to learn about Community Builders Week & CX Summit 2025 Huge thanks to everyone for joining us on this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring their work and efforts in pushing the customer & employee (agent) experience & BPO space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Freshworks, Forethought AI & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps focused services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Sales & Marketing, Customer Experience, Customer Success, Employee Experience & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Finance teams are a goldmine of insights, holding everything from precise forecasting data to strategic cost-management know-how. By collaborating with finance early and often, sales teams can anticipate potential hurdles, optimize pricing strategies, and negotiate from a position of strength — ultimately closing more deals, quicker. In this CFO panel, we invited two finance leaders — Danielle Cerisano, CFO at League, and Tyler Sloat, CFO and COO at Freshworks — to share how to scale operations and partner effectively with your finance department.
We explore the current trends of AI-based solutions in retail, what has driven its adoption in the industry, and how AI-based customer service technology has improved over time. We also discuss the correct mix of technology and humans, the importance of establishing boundaries for AI, and why it won't replace humans but will augment workflow. Hear examples of AI retail success stories, what companies got AI wrong, and the reasons behind the wins and failures. Gain insights into the value of copilots, business strategies to avoid investing in ineffective AI solutions, and much more. Tune in now!Key Points From This Episode:Learn about Lisa and Mika's backgrounds in retail technology and AI-based solutions. Hear how AI has become more accessible to businesses beyond the typical tech giants.Explore how AI-powered chatbots and copilots have evolved to improve customer service.The Coca-Cola AI ad controversy and why oversight on AI-generated content is vital.Discover the innovative and exciting ways AI can be leveraged in the retail industry.AI success stories: Target's AI copilot for employees and Nordstrom's personalization tool.How AI is making the return process more efficient and improving inventory management.Uncover the multimodal connections of AI and how it will enhance customer personalization.Important considerations for businesses regarding the adoption of AI and the pitfalls to avoid.Quotes:“I think [the evolution] in terms of accessibility to AI-solutions for people who don't have the massive IT departments and massive data analytics departments is really remarkable.” — Mika Yamamoto [0:04:25]“Whether it's generative AI for creative or content or whatever, it's not going to replace humans. It's going to augment our workflows.” — Lisa Avvocato [0:10:46]“Retail is actually one of the fastest adopting industries out there [of] AI.” — Mika Yamamoto [0:14:17]“Having conversations with peers, I think, is absolutely invaluable to figure out what's hype and what's reality [regarding AI].” — Mika Yamamoto [0:30:19]Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Lisa Avvocato on LinkedInMika Yamamoto on LinkedInFreshworksThe Coca‑Cola CompanyHow AI HappensSama
Welcome back to the second episode of the Freshworks series on Stories from the River! Guest host Sam Blum led a discussion with Wes Dudley and Anita Harris, recognized as the CX Executives of the Year, and Alicia Thompson, a River award recipient for 2024. From Freshworks, Patrick Rhodes and Lauren Lee join the conversation. They discussed the benefits and lessons learned from utilizing Freshdesk, highlighting its positive impact on operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Wes Dudley and Anita Harris emphasized the effective change management process, credits to Alicia Thompson, which allowed the organization to seamlessly transition to the new platform before the busy retail season. Anita shared that the new automations have decreased mistakes and improved efficiency, resulting in minimal customer complaints and a positive overall experience for their Memory Makers using Freshdesk. The episode also explored the future plans and potential upgrades within the Freshworks platform, as well as the significance of ongoing partnership and collaboration between Broad River and Freshworks. Alicia and Anita highlighted the exciting upcoming features that Freshdesk offers, such as a knowledge base and a customized customer portal, which aims to enhance problem resolution speed and customer engagement. Together, they further delved into the importance of a technology solution that is adaptable to the client's needs, ultimately enhancing the customer experience while maintaining a humanized approach. Throughout the episode, there was a strong emphasis on trust, collaboration, and the shared goal of continuously improving the customer service journey with the aid of Freshdesk technology. This episode on YouTube: Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail
Welcome back to the second episode of the Freshworks series on Stories from the River! Guest host Sam Blum led a discussion with Wes Dudley and Anita Harris, recognized as the CX Executives of the Year, and Alicia Thompson, a River award recipient for 2024. From Freshworks, Patrick Rhoads and Lauren Lee join the conversation. They discussed the benefits and lessons learned from utilizing Freshdesk, highlighting its positive impact on operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Wes Dudley and Anita Harris emphasized the effective change management process, credits to Alicia Thompson, which allowed the organization to seamlessly transition to the new platform before the busy retail season. Anita shared that the new automations have decreased mistakes and improved efficiency, resulting in minimal customer complaints and a positive overall experience for their Memory Makers using Freshdesk. The episode also explored the future plans and potential upgrades within the Freshworks platform, as well as the significance of ongoing partnership and collaboration between Broad River and Freshworks. Alicia and Anita highlighted the exciting upcoming features that Freshdesk offers, such as a knowledge base and a customized customer portal, which aims to enhance problem resolution speed and customer engagement. Together, they further delved into the importance of a technology solution that is adaptable to the client's needs, ultimately enhancing the customer experience while maintaining a humanized approach. Throughout the episode, there was a strong emphasis on trust, collaboration, and the shared goal of continuously improving the customer service journey with the aid of Freshdesk technology. This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BCm_iXeXOhw Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail
Welcome to the first episode of the Freshworks Series on Stories from the River! To kick off the series, guest host Sam Blum leads a vibrant discussion about Broad River Retail's integration with Freshworks' Freshdesk platform. Sam introduces Wes Dudley and Anita Harris, recognized as the CX Executives of the Year, and Alicia Thompson, a River award recipient for 2024. From Freshworks, Patrick Rhodes and Lauren Lee join the conversation. The dialogue revolves around the vendor selection process, the decision-making journey, and the implementation of Freshdesk. Anita Harris elaborates on how Broad River is leveraging Freshdesk to manage customer concerns efficiently, making use of its case management ticketing system. Alicia Thompson highlights that Freshdesk serves multiple departments, including sales audit and inventory, beyond the customer-facing sides of the business. The transition to Freshdesk has had a significant impact due to its collaboration capabilities, which align well with the needs of Broad River's various Memory Makers. The episode details the advantageous features of Freshdesk, such as its ease of use, supportive admin side, and collaborative potential, emphasized by Anita and Wes. Patrick Rhodes and Lauren Lee speak to the personalized approach and partnership that Freshworks offered, making them the perfect fit for Broad River. Freshdesk has become a valuable tool in enhancing customer service and adaptability within Broad River Retail. This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-tqzveb9wg0 Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail
Our guest for Episode 68 isAbe Smith, Chief of Global Field Sales Operations at Freshworks. Abe built his 30+ sales career working for high-growth B2B SaaS companies. In this episode, Ross and Abe discuss how to balance the craft, passion, and professionalism of sales execution excellence with a tech-driven future.
Welcome to the first episode of the Freshworks Series on Stories from the River! To kick off the series, guest host Sam Blum leads a vibrant discussion about Broad River Retail's integration with Freshworks' Freshdesk platform. Sam introduces Wes Dudley and Anita Harris, recognized as the CX Executives of the Year, and Alicia Thompson, a River award recipient for 2024. From Freshworks, Patrick Rhoads and Lauren Lee join the conversation. The dialogue revolves around the vendor selection process, the decision-making journey, and the implementation of Freshdesk. Anita Harris elaborates on how Broad River is leveraging Freshdesk to manage customer concerns efficiently, making use of its case management ticketing system. Alicia Thompson highlights that Freshdesk serves multiple departments, including sales audit and inventory, beyond the customer-facing sides of the business. The transition to Freshdesk has had a significant impact due to its collaboration capabilities, which align well with the needs of Broad River's various Memory Makers. The episode details the advantageous features of Freshdesk, such as its ease of use, supportive admin side, and collaborative potential, emphasized by Anita and Wes. Patrick Rhodes and Lauren Lee speak to the personalized approach and partnership that Freshworks offered, making them the perfect fit for Broad River. Freshdesk has become a valuable tool in enhancing customer service and adaptability within Broad River Retail. This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZULpOf8quQU Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail
The Top Entrepreneurs in Money, Marketing, Business and Life
Host Dave Sobel discusses the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) in business operations, highlighting a recent study by MIT and McKinsey. The study reveals a significant gap between high-performing companies and their peers, with top firms achieving faster returns on their AI investments. Key factors contributing to this success include strong executive support, a shift in partnerships towards established consultants, enhanced interdepartmental collaboration, and effective data management practices. Sobel emphasizes the importance of real-world use cases, such as Waystar's new AI solution aimed at streamlining the appeal process for denied healthcare claims, which addresses a substantial financial loss in the U.S. healthcare system.The episode also delves into the challenges faced by customer service teams in adopting AI technologies. A survey from Freshworks indicates that while there is a strong desire to leverage AI for automating tasks, many customer service agents feel uncomfortable with its implementation. Sobel suggests that organizations should introduce AI as a collaborative tool to enhance job roles rather than replace them, and highlights the potential for IT providers to offer consulting services to help companies develop effective AI usage policies.In the regulatory landscape, Sobel covers new export controls on advanced AI computing chips announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, aimed at safeguarding national security. These regulations have drawn criticism from major chipmaker NVIDIA, which argues that they could hinder global innovation. Additionally, President Biden's executive order to accelerate the construction of AI data centers raises concerns about environmental impacts and energy consumption, as the demand for electricity from data centers is projected to rise significantly in the coming years.Finally, the episode addresses Microsoft's recent announcements, including the forced installation of the new Outlook email client on Windows 10 devices and significant price increases for Microsoft 365 subscriptions in select Asian markets. Sobel notes that these changes could lead to user frustration and increased administrative burdens for IT providers. He concludes by urging listeners to prepare for potential client pushback and to consider the implications of these developments on their business strategies.Three things to know today00:00 AI in Action: From Faster ROI to Denied Claims and Chatbot Growing Pains05:10 Regulations Everywhere: AI Chips, Data Centers, and Why IT Pros Should Brace Themselves09:22 Microsoft's Big Moves: Higher Prices, Forced Installs, and Passkeys—Love It or Leave It? Supported by: https://huntress.com/msp/https://mspradio.com/engage/ All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #252 we welcomed Keri McGhee the CMO at Attentive, the AI marketing platform for leading brands based in New York. Attentive® is the AI marketing platform for leading brands, designed to optimize message performance through 1:1 SMS and email interactions. Attentive empowers businesses to achieve hyper-personalized communication with their customers on a large scale. Trusted by over 8,000 leading brands, Attentive is the go-to solution for delivering powerful commerce experiences for consumers with the brands they love.Keri leads strategic global marketing to further build the Attentive brand, overseeing product marketing, revenue marketing, events, partner marketing, communications and content, and brand creative. Keri's past experiences include leading marketing at various start-ups and as a senior director at Zillow, where she led the B2B marketing team of 60+ people, responsible for strengthening partner loyalty and experience for 60,000+ real estate partners. She got her start in tech at Expedia leading both consumer and corporate travel marketing teams.In this episode, Keri and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that her team at Attentive think through on a daily basis to build world class customer & employee experiences.**Episode #252 Highlight Reel:**1. Prioritizing the customer experience above everything to drive growth. 2. Why customer marketing & customer success should own your VOC. 3. How building trust from your users & customers drives sales & awareness 4. Driving product adoption & utilization by showing customers how to use it. 5. Leveraging a customer journey task force to socialize opportunities & CTAs Click here to learn more about Keri McGheeClick here to learn more about AttentiveHuge thanks to Keri for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring her work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, & Freshworks) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps managed services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer &Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Welcome to the third episode of the Furniture Industry Awards Gala Series. Today, CEO and host Charlie Malouf welcomes back Stacey McCormick, the Executive Vice President of Retail Performance for Broad River Retail. The spotlight for today's episode is on the recent awards gala honoring Broad River Retail as the Furniture Retailer of the Year. Stacey shares his most memorable moments from the event, highlighting the immense pride and support shown by the families of the company's leadership who attended the event. Stacey underscores the importance of this recognition as a testament to the hard work and commitment of every Memory Maker from the past and present. He emphasizes that such accolades are a manifestation of a long-term, collective effort based on unwavering commitment to their purpose and vision. The conversation also dives into what it takes to achieve and sustain excellence in the highly competitive retail industry. Stacey discusses the pivotal role of innovation, continuous improvement, and strong leadership within Broad River Retail. He highlights specific advancements from this past year, like Versatile Credit for unlocking financing, the 3X pricing tool, digital business cards, and the unified customer service platform of FreshWorks, all of which have significantly contributed to the company's recent success. The dialogue touches on the collaborative spirit among Memory Makers across various departments, including sales, customer service, and supply chain, emphasizing that their collective efforts are fundamental to achieving the prestigious Retailer of the Year title. This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qixVg6-8BFo Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes. Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #251 we welcomed Vinod Muthukrishnan, VP & COO at Webex by Cisco based in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Vinod leads all go-to-market activities, including strategic communications, marketing and partner & sales enablement. He was previously Co-Founder/CEO of CloudCherry, a customer experience management company, which was acquired by Cisco in October 2019.Prior to that he spent seven years at sea as a First Officer before running Global Sales at Market Simplified. Based in the Bay Area, Vinod enjoys cricket and expanding his library of leadership and P.G. Wodehouse books.In this episode, Vinod and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team at Webex by Cisco think through on a daily basis to build world class customer & employee experiences. **Episode #251 Highlight Reel:**1. How time in the Merchant Navy led to a career in entrepreneurship 2. Building CloudCherry & being acquired by Cisco 3. The shift of contact centers from cost to revenue centers 4. Why understanding your customer journey is paramount 5. Foundation for building a world class tech-stack Click here to learn more about Vinod MuthukrishnanClick here to learn more about Webex by CiscoClick here to get in touch with WebexHuge thanks to Vinod for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, & Freshworks) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps managed services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
ITPM Flash provides insight into what professional traders are thinking about in the markets RIGHT NOW! In Edward Shek's final episode of the year he dives into the shifting market landscape and uncovers a mid-cap software opportunity. From analyzing the relative performance of major indices to examining the impact of recent earnings and policy changes, he explains why he's adding a mid-cap software stock like Freshworks to the portfolio and hedging for inflation risks. With markets broadening out and opportunities emerging in underperforming sectors, now's the time to look beyond the high-fliers!
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #249 we welcomed Rick Denton, Podcast Host & Producer of The CX Passport Podcast based in Dallas, TX.After…7 years of Customer Experience consulting…30 years of driving business results…3 years of hosting CX Passport (a podcast about CX with a dash of travel talk)...And countless brand requests for collaboration with CX Passport……it became clear where brands and Rick could best partner to create measurable results…
In this episode, Sahil Sethi, author of Product Marketing Level Up and Vice President of Global Product Marketing at Freshworks, joins Louise Liu to discuss the attributes and qualities that define great product marketers. Sahil also shares his thoughts on how to hone the skills of velocity and integrated marketing in practice.Listen to the full interview above or read the highlights from the conversation: https://www.productmarketinghive.com/product-marketing-level-up/All rights reserved. © Product Marketing Hive.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #248 we welcomed Craig Tobin, Chief Executive Officer at Ascent Business Partners based in Bonita Springs, FL. Craig Tobin helps Fortune 1000 clients optimize their contact centers with AI, technology, and BPO solutions. With over 35 years of executive leadership experience in various industries, Craig has developed core competencies in contact center solutions, technology consulting, BPO advisory services, and AI advisory. He is passionate about delivering innovative solutions that drive customer loyalty, satisfaction, and retention, while optimizing costs. Craig's mission is to create value for his clients and partners, and to have fun while doing it.In this episode, Craig and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that Craig and his team at Ascent Business Partners think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.CXC is a proud strategic partner with Ascent Business Partners. Reach out to us today if your company needs outside support with your customer contact & support strategy. **Episode #248 Highlight Reel:**1. Building, managing and leading contact centers over the last 35+ years 2. Leveraging AI to optimize your customer experiences with customer support 3. Finding the right tools & systems as your contact center scales 4. Starting with the problems before considering the potential solutions 5. How AI will change the future of customer contact & customer experience Click here to learn more about Craig TobinClick here to learn more about Ascent Business PartnersHuge thanks to Craig for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Forethought AI, Freshworks, TimeToReply & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #247 we were live at the Thompson Hotel in downtown Austin, TX at XDay 2024. This is a different type of episode of CXC as we had the opportunity to sit down with several amazing customer, employee, market research & product focused business leaders including Rick Denton, Ken Peterson, Mike Burn, Crystal Wiese & Scott Steele. Each of the guests in this episode shed unique points of view on the state of CX/CS & business in today's world. We had the pleasure of interviewing everyone on site at XDay 2024 and broke up the conversations in this week's show. In this episode, Rick, Scott, Mike, Ken, Crystal and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that both the team at QuestionPro & their users think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #247 Highlight Reel:**1. Click here to learn more about Rick Denton 2. Click here to learn more about Scott Steele 3. Click here to learn more about Mike Burn 4. Click here to learn more about Ken Peterson 5. Click here to learn more about Crystal Wiese Click here to learn more about QuestionProHuge thanks to all of the guests on this week's episode for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring their work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Forethought AI, Freshworks, TimeToReply & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Learn from Mika Yamamoto, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks, about blending the physical and digital world to create impactful campaigns. Episode Summary: This episode features an interview with Mika Yamamoto, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks, a company that provides powerful, easy to use Customer service, IT, and CRM software.In this episode, Mika discusses surgically blending the physical and digital world, to create a campaign experience that sticks with prospects. She also talks about encouraging innovation from her team, tying marketing victory to sales' success and focusing on customer over function. Key Takeaways:Blending the physical and digital world when creating campaigns can create more lasting impact and better returns.Allowing your team to divide and conquer different markets and functions allows people to specialize and be the best at what they do, an impossibility if they are doing too many things.Incorporating humanity and a recognition of the human on the other side, not only differentiates your marketing in a B2B space, it makes the whole job more enjoyableQuote: ”In terms of signals, what helps is that we have one operations function that works across all functions. There's traditionally been, marketing comes up and celebrates and says, “Woohoo, we did all this work, we're green!” And then sales is saying, “Well, what the heck you can't claim victory because we haven't met our numbers. So how can you declare victory if we haven't met our numbers?” And so again, the construct that we have is we have one operations group in our organization, Freshworks. So, we have one dashboard that essentially ties together and we're still working on making those ties, but that ties together, marketing doesn't declare victory if sales can't. So, it's driving shared metrics in one dashboard versus this view of the world that is a marketing view, then a sales view then a product view. We want to drive one view, which is more customer focused versus functionally focused.”Episode Timestamps: *(08:24) The Trust Tree: Divide and conquer different markets *(24:12) The Playbook: Focus on demand capture *(39:20) The Dust Up: Assumptions about sellers and marketers*(42:49) Quick Hits: Mika's Quick Hits Sponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for pipeline pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Mika on LinkedInLearn more about FreshworksLearn more about Caspian Studios
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #246 we were live at the Thompson Hotel in downtown Austin, TX at XDay 2024 with Gary Pansino, Founder at Velodu based Gary is an Alumni of Intuit, P&G, Clorox, BMS. He now runs a Qual and Quant research factory with his sister. Questions from mostly repeat clients arrive on trucks. And they do their thing and ship answers back to them, with a smile.In this episode, Gary and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team at Velodu thinks through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #246 Highlight Reel:**1. Building expertise in surveys & customer research at massive companies 2. Increasing the speed of growth by customer listening & focus groups 3. Leveraging customer information to drive product & service innovation 4. Customer team building & collecting constant employee feedback 5. Investing in competitive research & understanding your primary threats Click here to learn more about Gary PansinoClick here to learn more about VeloduHuge thanks to Gary for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Forethought AI, Freshworks, TimeToReply & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #245 we were live at the Thompson Hotel in downtown Austin, TX at XDay 2024 with Vivek Bhaskaran, Founder & CEO at QuestionPro.Vivek Bhaskaran is the founder and CEO of QuestionPro, one of the industry's leading providers of web-based research technologies. His life motto is simple - “The two things that drive me every day are motorcycles and client success!” In 2008, his startup made Inc. Magazine's list of the fastest-growing private companies, ranking 25th among business-service providers. Since that time, Vivek has never looked back by spearheading both the product and global expansion of QuestionPro.In this episode, Vivek and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that John and his team at QuestionPro think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #245 Highlight Reel:**1. Changing the landscape for shopping for car insurance 2. Getting user feedback back to your product team as soon as possible3. Leveraging AI to improve your agent & employee experiences 4. Building "break-walls" for your customer support team at scale5. Creating chat-bots that actually help your customers from the get goClick here to learn more about Vivek Bhaskaran Click here to learn more about QuestionProHuge thanks to Vivek for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Forethought AI, Freshworks, TimeToReply & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #244 we welcomed Sean Albertson, Founder & CEO of CX4ROCKS based in Castle Rock, CO. Sean Albertson is a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, coach and consultant on transforming your customer journey to reduce effort and drive greater customer loyalty. Sean has developed the ROCKS Strategy that leverages survey programs, operational metrics, text and journey analytics, connected with artificial experience to identify the most actionable insights for your organization. Is it Sean at www.CX4ROCKS.comIn this episode, Sean and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that he thinks through on a daily basis to build world class customer & marketing focused experiences.**Episode #244 Highlight Reel:**1. What the CX & contact center space looked like in the 1990's. 2. Working on CX & customer support at T-Mobile, Visat, & Charles Schwab 3. Why Customer journeys are similar to river rafting experiences 4. How technology is changing the game rapidly in every business 5. Why customer listening & customer conversations remain paramount Click here to learn more about Sean AlbertsonHuge thanks to Sean for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the marketing, customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, click here to make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- click here to follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Forethought AI, Freshworks, TimeToReply & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #242 we welcomed Liza Rodewald, Founder & CEO and Erica McMannes, Founder & Chief People & Community Officer at Instant Teams based in Southern Pines, North Carolina.Instant Teams leads the way as a CX talent marketplace committed to the financial well-being of military families while providing companies instant access to remarkable talent.Liza Rodewald is the Founder and CEO of Instant Teams, a CX marketplace that connects companies with military spouse talent. She is a 4x entrepreneur and software engineer with over 16 years of technical experience. Erica has been a leader in the military community for more than two decades, holding various roles within the Department of Defense and private sector. In 2016, Erica founded Instant Teams with Liza Rodewald. In this episode, Liza, Erica and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that their team thinks through on a daily basis to build world class customer & marketing focused experiences.**Episode #242 Highlight Reel:**1. Leveraging the power of USA military spouses living across the globe 2. Building a market place of CX talent & coverage across a variety of industries 3. Integrating with customer tech-stacks & building customized playbooks 4. Providing a whole new approach to BPO offerings 5. Using employee feedback as fuel to drive innovation & customer success Click here to learn more about Liza RodewaldClick here to learn more about Erica McMannesClick here to learn more about Instant TeamsHuge thanks to Liza & Erica for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring their work and efforts in pushing the marketing, customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, click here to make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- click here to follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Freshworks, & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps focused services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content.Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the Show.Contact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!