The Daily Standup

Episode 255: Lindsey Hulet, a VP of Operations *and* People, sees the internal workings of a tech company from a unique perspective. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:23 - People success mirrors customer success 00:03:21 - Employee lifecycle as the new customer journey 00:05:07 - Analogies between CS and people ops 00:06:42 - The Builder Prime team size and impact 00:07:14 - Creating a benefit...

Episode 254: Justin Neal is navigating the rapidly evolving customer success practice. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:34 - The arms race in CS begins 00:04:01 - Goodbye fluff, hello metrics 00:06:07 - Why customer success is shifting 00:08:04 - The enterprise mismatch dilemma 00:09:28 - Redefining ops: More than just tools 00:10:43 - Breaking down the ops framework 00:11:27 - Perception vs....

Episode 253: Megan Burns knows it all begins with trust. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:47 - Trust takes center stage in B2B CX 00:03:02 - Beyond personal bonds: Organizational trust 00:04:02 - Trust issues with traditional CX metrics 00:04:51 - The silent driver across the customer journey 00:06:09 - The four pillars of customer trust 00:07:08 - The Ben Franklin effect in CX relationships...

Episode 252: Scott Shou workshops a challenge: teaching a customer dog new tricks. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:18 - Scott’s journey into algorithmic marketing 00:02:02 - Marketers evolving into business builders 00:03:42 - Breaking bad testing habits 00:05:10 - Better testing through communication 00:06:31 - The auto insurance test case 00:08:36 - Measuring rigor over randomness 00:09:14...

Episode 251: What has become of the social contract around employment? ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:01 - Caught on tape: Private meeting fallout 00:03:38 - When performance isn’t enough 00:04:44 - The myth of avoiding politics 00:05:59 - Be a force multiplier, not a divider 00:06:59 - From messed with to messed up 00:08:29 - Promotions as silent punishment 00:09:07 - Feedback and the brok...

Episode 250: Luke Bartram and James Lawson share their best job search advice. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:39 - What’s on Luke’s CS recruitment mind 00:03:38 - Positioning yourself in a crowded market 00:06:01 - The value of domain expertise 00:09:20 - Productizing your CS experience 00:11:40 - Unpacking market shifts in hiring 00:13:15 - Discovering and selling your value 00:17:17 - Ali...

Episode 249: Adil Dittmer brings a classic sports analogy to the show. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:49 - Defending data without the D 00:02:21 - A mission to democratize data science 00:02:55 - Why CS can't define its own value 00:04:24 - Playing defense: What it means in CS 00:06:47 - Defense often beats offense in CS 00:07:18 - The missing metrics in CS strategies 00:09:21 - Start quant...

Episode 248: Kristina Muñoz Ledo Klakegg shares her journey while building a monetized customer success offering. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:36 - Shifting from email to SMS marketing 00:03:10 - Strategic service as a revenue stream 00:03:39 - CS stepping into the revenue spotlight 00:05:33 - Pushing vs. pulling in customer success 00:06:58 - Entrepreneurial CS in action 00:08:12 - From...

Episode 247: Nehal Gupta envisions the future of customer marketing. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - AI sold me this hat 00:00:47 - Meet the Daily Standup crew 00:01:18 - From engineering to customer marketing 00:02:10 - AI's transformation of marketing 00:05:14 - The myth of the AI takeover 00:06:29 - Striking the human-AI balance 00:08:31 - Margin, sentiment, and smart tech tools 00:09:02 - Case studi...

Episode 246: Jon Johnson is a few weeks into a new gig, and he's got thoughts. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:41 - Early-stage startup: fresh baby diaper skin 00:06:13 - Solving fires through structure 00:11:13 - Building smart protections at speed 00:14:04 - Redefining real customer success 00:20:31 - The startup oath: repeatable revenue 00:23:21 - Can young CSMs think this strategically?...

Episode 245: Irwin Hipsman returns and shares what he learned from a recent marketing conference. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:54 - Insights from the NYC alliance conference 00:02:20 - B2C’s surprising presence and takeaways 00:03:45 - Group reference calls: game-changing move 00:04:58 - The risks and rewards of open invites 00:06:07 - Bridging the marketing-silo disconnect 00:07:35 - Und...

Episode 244: Stephanie Tkach wonders where all the entry level CS roles have gone. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:03 - What Kind Work is doing differently 00:01:50 - The mystery of vanished entry-level roles 00:02:12 - Experience overload in "entry-level" hiring 00:04:15 - The hidden cost of hiring overqualified talent 00:06:40 - JP’s career path from retail to customer success 00:08:52 - T...

Episode 243: Andrew Henderson has some advice on how to communicate better. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:09 - GoodRx by day, podcast by night 00:02:33 - What’s on Andrew’s mind 00:03:35 - Winning the email tennis match 00:06:05 - The fine art of just enough information 00:08:43 - Why AI fails at human nuance 00:09:18 - Picking your metric poison 00:11:24 - The 5-minute passion challenge 0...

Episode 242: Amber Rhodes is spilling the corporate tea. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:12 - The B2B streets 00:02:13 - Real Housewives meets LinkedIn 00:03:06 - Founders Behaving Badly goes deep 00:04:38 - Public stumbles and private screenshots 00:06:33 - When “vulnerability” goes viral 00:07:30 - Laughs, headlines, and newsletter gold 00:08:21 - The pirate mayor and other absurdities 00:...

Episode 241: Rob, JP, and Dillon discuss how larger forces affect the work we do. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:00 - How the macroeconomy hits your workflow 00:02:20 - What the Fed interest rate really means 00:04:40 - Inflation, jobs, and controlling money 00:06:09 - Two wallets: customers and startups 00:07:24 - Startup friction when money costs more 00:10:12 - Dry powder and cautious in...

Episode 240: Maranda Dziekonski has some good, but tough, advice for job seekers. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:23 - The hiring crisis on everyone’s mind 00:02:58 - Light at the end of the hiring tunnel 00:04:00 - Stretch roles vs. playing to your strengths 00:06:13 - When ethics meet modern hiring tech 00:09:08 - Debunking the myth of AI-led screening 00:10:44 - Why who you know matters m...

Episode 239: Chris Brisson, CEO of Salesmsg, is taking life one text message at a time. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:28 - Big ideas: AI in customer success 00:02:45 - Personalizing the customer handoff 00:04:24 - Text vs. email: Why messaging wins 00:06:42 - Finding balance in SMS intimacy 00:09:08 - Earning your space in the contact list 00:10:23 - Educating clients on appropriate usage...

Episode 238: Sara Bochino wants us to think more holistically when purchasing software. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:23 - The SaaS promise gone wrong 00:04:05 - Piecemeal journeys, big headaches 00:05:01 - A roadmap for proactive teams 00:05:51 - Building products with purpose 00:07:26 - Who really owns your software? 00:09:49 - CEOs and customer obsession 00:11:15 - Time to rethink procu...

Episode 237: Anastasia Mieshkova never wants you to get caught flat-footed again. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:59 - From project manager to CS leader 00:01:51 - Why adaptability is essential in CS 00:02:44 - Training your adaptability muscle 00:03:37 - Can you ever really be fully ready? 00:05:05 - Scripts vs. skills: what's more effective? 00:06:11 - Over-preparing can backfire 00:08:47...

Episode 236: The episode where the guys talk too long about systems thinking, behavioral psychology, and the equation of value. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:29 - Celebrating milestones and new formats 00:02:44 - What is systems thinking? 00:05:24 - Applying systems thinking to CS 00:07:17 - The psychology vs. systems debate 00:12:37 - Breaking down a fiery customer episode 00:17:13 - The...

Episode 235: Erdem Gelal, co-founder and CEO of Flowla, thinks we're standing inside a small window of opportunity. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:19 - The surprising truth about VAT 00:02:39 - How VAT became a viral success 00:03:03 - Unlocking emotional cues with AI 00:04:44 - Why being human at scale matters 00:07:35 - Tips to make communication about them 00:08:04 - Does scaling humanit...

Episode 234: Karla Kannan reimagines what it means to onboard a customer. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:18 - Why education drives customer adoption 00:02:37 - Measuring education levels and usage 00:03:51 - True adoption vs. simple usage 00:05:33 - Spotting churn risks without usage data 00:07:09 - The inspiration behind Chimera's name 00:07:30 - Branding lessons from Karla's journey 00:08...

Episode 233: Candy Irlanda is tired of the obtuse JD! ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:21 - Candy and J.P.'s LinkedIn friendship 00:02:26 - What grinds Candy’s gears about job listings 00:03:16 - HR systems and the art of bad postings 00:03:39 - Nasty world, nasty work: J.P.'s rant 00:05:19 - When job descriptions change on you 00:06:10 - U.S. labor laws vs. global realities 00:06:56 - How to...

Episode 232: Gurp Singh wants the answers to the test ahead of time. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:00 - A story of pain, passion, and action 00:05:07 - Mixing pain with pleasure in customer success 00:05:47 - CS lessons from reviving a music legacy 00:06:24 - Practical applications of personal passion 00:09:34 - Bridging the gap between CS and sales 00:12:23 - The addiction model of sales...

Episode 231: Do you treat each of your customers like a boss that holds the leash? ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:19 - CS is not for me 00:02:58 - Who’s the boss? The customer... kinda 00:05:02 - Meeting overload and the myth of agency 00:05:57 - Power dynamics and setting the agenda 00:07:51 - Misaligned roles and the wrong career fit 00:09:13 - Why teachers turn to customer success 00:10:...