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

Gainsight

If you're experimenting with automation, questioning the traditional post-sales model, or trying to drive more value with less headcount, you're in the right place. AI won’t fix churn, but these conversations might. Retention is the new growth & AI is rewriting the rules. Hosted by Josh Schachter, SVP of Atlas at Gainsight, [Un]Churned—the No. 1 podcast for retention and Customer Success leaders—features real talk with the sharpest minds in the Customer Success space. We dig into how teams are scaling smarter, activating AI agents, and redesigning the customer journey for lasting impact.

  1. The Ex-Google PM Who Spent 14+ Years Building AI Agents ft. Jacob Bank (Relay.app)

    5D AGO

    The Ex-Google PM Who Spent 14+ Years Building AI Agents ft. Jacob Bank (Relay.app)

    Jacob Bank has been building AI agents since before they were cool. While the rest of us were just figuring out what ChatGPT could do, Jacob was already 13 years deep into agent research. Now, as founder and CEO of Relay.app, Jacob is making AI agents accessible to everyone, from customer success teams to businesses that install slip-resistant floors. Jacob has a fascinating prediction: within a year, agents will be able to handle virtually any task you do on your computer. The real question won't be "can an agent do this?" but rather "how do I teach, manage, and trust my agent?" Timestamps 0:00 - Preview & Introduction 1:48 - Meet Jacob & An Overview of Relay.app 4:08 - From Stanford AI Research to Google to Founder 4:57 - AI Agents were 15 Years in the Making 8:30 - It Took 2.5 Years to Get the First Customer 12:35 - What Actually Is Agentic AI? 14:55 - Understanding AI Agents 19:45 - How AI Accesses Information: Context Windows, and RAG 24:11 - The Shift from RAG to MCP 25:51 - Understanding MCP: The Restaurant Analogy 30:04 - Real-World Use Cases of Workflows with AI for CSMs 33:51 - When and When Not to Use Agents 37:45 - Why SMBs Move Faster on AI Than Big Enterprises 42:12 - The Two Limitations of Agents Today 44:31 - We're All Managers Now 46:15 - Where to Stay Current on AI 47:36 - The Value of Hands-On Experience with AI Tools What you'll learn: - The critical difference between workflows and agents (and why you need both) - Why "we're all managers now"—even if you're an individual contributor - The future of work isn't about doing tasks; it's about managing and calibrating your agents - Practical use cases of Agentic AI for CSMs - Why spending an hour daily experimenting with AI tools is "worth its weight in gold" Resources mentioned: - Ben's Bytes newsletter - Jeff Siu (YouTube)

    43 min
  2. Are CSMs the Next Generation of CEOs? ft. Omer Rabin (TLA Ventures) & Chad Horenfeldt (Siena AI)

    OCT 22

    Are CSMs the Next Generation of CEOs? ft. Omer Rabin (TLA Ventures) & Chad Horenfeldt (Siena AI)

    What if the function you were about to join didn’t really exist yet? In 2014, customer success was barely a function—it was an idea in the making. Omer Rabin took a bet on that idea at a time when the industry still needed convincing that managing customer relationships deserved its own tech stack. He went on to become Gainsight’s Chief Evangelist when most people thought “customer success” sounded like corporate cheerleading. Fast forward a decade, and customer success has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. But somewhere along the way, many CS teams drifted from their strategic roots, becoming reactive order-takers buried in grunt work. In this episode, Omer Rabin (General Partner at TLA Ventures) and Chad Horenfeldt (VP of CS at Siena AI and author of The Strategic CSM) discuss the past, present, and future of customer success. They take us back to the early days—Pulse local events on Toronto rooftops, the hunter vs. farmer debate, and how Nick Mehta’s pitch about “selling to existing customers” helped create an entire category. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: • Why customer success emerged as a distinct function (and why it almost didn't) • How CS teams lost their strategic edge—and how to reclaim it • Why AI is bringing CS back to its strategic roots by eliminating grunt work • Why Omer believes the next generation of CEOs will come from customer success • Chad's framework for future customer intelligence • The one question every CSM should ask to align with their CEO's top priority --- Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/ --- Where to Find Chad: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadhorenfeldt/ The Strategic CSM: https://www.strategiccustomersuccess.com/ Where to Find Omer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omerabin/ Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/ --- In this episode, we cover: 0:00 – Preview & Introduction 1:24 – Meet Chad & Omer 2:10 – Pulse Local Events and Building the CS Community 3:52 – Chad’s Origin Story: Being an Early CS Ambassador 4:55 – From Customer Cheerleading to Value Creation 12:45 – The AI Revolution and the Return of Strategic CSMs 18:31 – How Outcome-Based CS Influences Revenue 23:53 – Defining Success Is a Challenge 25:25 – How AI Analyzes Survey Data to Find Customer Sentiment 28:10 – Customizing Product Updates for Customers 29:25 – Tactical Advice for CSMs 30:35 – Aligning with Company Needs

    33 min
  3. From Radio Host to CPO: Why Should You Always Work Backwards from Renewals? ft. Venk Chandran (PathFactory)

    OCT 15

    From Radio Host to CPO: Why Should You Always Work Backwards from Renewals? ft. Venk Chandran (PathFactory)

    The best product leaders don't start in product—they start in customer success. Nick Mehta, former Gainsight CEO, sits down with PathFactory’s CPO & CCO, Venk Chandran, who built his product career from the ground up in CS. Venk reveals why working backwards from renewals changes everything, how CS teams can drive AI adoption with their customers, and why websites are dying in the age of AI agents. Plus: the art of asking better questions, the emotional differences between CS and product roles, and what we owe our customers in the era of AI. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: - Why starting your career in renewals teaches you to work backwards from value - How customer success is fundamentally a financial business (and why that matters) - Why AI agents are replacing websites as the primary B2B buying experience - How to help customers adopt AI when they're used to manual workflows - The difference between outbound and inbound product managers (and why you need both) - Why is delayed gratification in product harder than the instant wins of CS - How to retrain yourself (and your customers) to ask better questions of AI --- Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/ --- Where to Find Venk: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkchandran/ Where to Find Nick: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/ Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/ --- In this episode, we cover: 0:00 - Preview & Introduction 1:10 - Venk's Journey From Radio Waves to Product Leadership 7:37 - How Venk Jumped From HR Tech → Sales → CS → Product (and Made It Work) 10:32 - Learning at Salesforce: The Surprising Lesson Venk Learned From Renewals 12:05 - Why CS Is a Financial Business First — The Real Definition of Customer Value 15:19 - CS to CPO: 3 Game-Changing Skills That Make the Transition Possible 17:05 - CS vs. Product: The Emotional Shift No One Talks About 19:51 - PathFactory’s Big Vision — Connecting Content Directly to Revenue (With AI!) 22:28 - Why Websites Are Dying — And What’s Replacing Them 25:35 - Truth, Transparency & Trust: What We Owe Each Other in the AI Era 26:51 - The AI Adoption Problem: Why CS Teams Struggle With Change Management 31:35 - The Art of Asking Better Questions --- Referenced: Salesforce - https://www.salesforce.com/ Perplexity - https://www.perplexity.ai/ ChatGPT - https://chat.openai.com/

    34 min
  4. Inside Pulse: How 7 CS Leaders Are Moving Their Biggest Boulders With AI

    OCT 8

    Inside Pulse: How 7 CS Leaders Are Moving Their Biggest Boulders With AI

    How do you manage 100,000+ renewals or scale AI across thousands of CSMs? CS leaders share how they're tackling their biggest challenges and using technology to drive retention, adoption, and efficiency. In this episode of the [Un]churned Podcast, Josh Schachter sits down with customer success leaders at the 2025 Gainsight Pulse Conference in Las Vegas to explore how they're tackling their biggest challenges - from managing massive renewal volumes to driving adoption at scale. Featuring CS executives from Rockwell Automation, Fleetio, Handshake, Boomi, Dellteck, and SAP, this episode reveals practical strategies for using AI to save time, improve efficiency, and deliver better customer outcomes. What you'll learn: 1. How Rockwell Automation's CS team manages 100,000+ annual renewals with 300 team members across 85 recurring revenue products 2. Why AI-powered engagement signals are replacing time-based customer outreach 3. The importance of building trust in AI-powered insights before teams will adopt them 4. How to aggregate and visualize data from multiple systems to tell a coherent story to stakeholders 5. Why change management is critical when introducing new product features that alter established workflows 6. How relationship-level insights can reveal the full picture of multi-product customer health --- Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/ --- Where to Find the guests: - Angel Rogers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/angel-rogers-leader/ - Sean MacPherson- https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmacpherson - Tiffany Taylor - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-taylor-learner/ - Matt Krebsbach - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-krebsbach-694117163/ - Charlie Ferraro - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesferrao/ - Margo Martin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/margomartin-/ - Tony Pante - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-pante-9b5419/ --- Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/ --- In this episode, we cover: 0:00 - Introduction 0:27 - Angel Rogers: Managing 100K renewals at Rockwell Automation 5:32 - Sean MacPherson: Aggregating insights from multiple systems 9:48 - Tiffany Taylor: Speed up feedback loops and time-to-value 14:09 - Matt Krebsbach: Prioritization, delivering outcomes and data enablement 18:47 - Charlie Ferraro: Retention, renewals and efficiency 20:35 - From Spidey sense to AI-powered engagement analysis 21:47 - Measuring adoption in agentic products 22:07 - Margo Martin: Stay ahead with real-time defect alerts 25:17 - The value of relationship-level insights 26:10 - Tony Pante: Driving adoption across 2,000 CSMs at SAP 29:35 - Using AI for translation, content creation, and enablement --- Referenced: • Gainsight Pulse Conference: https://gainsightpulse.com/europe/ • Rockwell Automation: https://www.rockwellautomation.com/ • Fleetio: https://www.fleetio.com/ • Handshake: https://joinhandshake.com/ • Boomi: https://boomi.com/ • Dellteck: https://www.deltek.com/en • SAP: https://www.sap.com/ • Staircase AI: https://www.gainsight.com/staircase-ai/ • Reef AI: https://www.reef.ai/ • Gong: https://www.gong.io/de/ • SAP Joule: https://www.sap.com/products/artificial-intelligence/ai-assistant.html

    32 min
  5. Is Agentic AI The End of ARR? ft. Brett Queener (Bonfire Ventures) & Chuck Ganapathi (Gainsight)

    OCT 1

    Is Agentic AI The End of ARR? ft. Brett Queener (Bonfire Ventures) & Chuck Ganapathi (Gainsight)

    "How Agentic AI Is Replacing Subscription Revenue" Chuck Ganapathi, the CEO of Gainsight & Brett Queener, Managing Director at Bonfire Ventures, who previously ran product at Salesforce and helped destroy Siebel, the company where he and Chuck first met. Together, they've witnessed every major shift in enterprise software over three decades, and they believe the biggest one is happening right now. In this conversation, Brett unveils his forthcoming thesis on "the end of ARR," arguing that agentic AI will fundamentally break subscription business models. When products finally achieve what he calls "product purity", actually doing the job they promise without requiring armies of CSMs, endless onboarding, and quarterly business reviews, the entire economic foundation of SaaS collapses. Chuck and Brett discuss whether this is an existential threat or the evolution the industry has been waiting for. What you'll learn: - Why the "friction gap" between product and value created the entire CS industry - What "product purity" means and why it threatens traditional SaaS economics - How agentic AI fundamentally changes the unit economics of software - Why usage-based pricing is inevitable once products actually work - The product marketing playbook that still matters in an AI-first world Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/ Where to Find the Guest Brett's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettqueener/ Chuck's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckganapathi/ Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/ In this episode, we cover: 0:00 - Preview & Introduction 1:18 - Meet Chuck & Brett 3:30 - How Brett and Chuck met at Siebel 9:28 - Transition to Salesforce: destruction of Siebel as a goal 14:11 - Changing Nature of Product Marketing in the AI Era 18:00 - Systems of Record vs. Systems of Action 21:13 - Databases as “lossy” representations of reality 29:00 - Brett's thesis: "The End of ARR (And I Feel Fine)" 34:28 - How should agentic applications be priced? 43:43 - Future Outlook: Market paying premium for top agents 47:17 - 10x CSMs enabled by AI agents References: - Brett Queener's blog: https://queener.substack.com/

    52 min
  6. How BMC's CCO Built AI Agents That Triple Productivity ft. Sofia Barbosa (BMC Software)

    SEP 24

    How BMC's CCO Built AI Agents That Triple Productivity ft. Sofia Barbosa (BMC Software)

    How Human-Centric AI Frees CSMs for Strategic Work at BMC Leading customer success at a global scale is never easy—especially after a company split. For Sofia Barbosa, this meant steering a leaner team while still supporting hundreds of BMC products worldwide. The challenge: deliver more impact with fewer hands. The solution: build Succedo, an AI platform that reimagined how her team worked. The results spoke for themselves—customer success stories accelerated from months to days, output tripled, escalations dropped, and CSMs finally had time to focus on the strategic work that drives growth. In this episode, Sofia shares the inside story of how she’s embedding AI across customer success at BMC. From value summaries and training path recommendations to support prioritization and statements of work, Sofia is proving that AI isn’t about replacing people—it’s about elevating them. She explains how she manages change, structures her AI teams, and why she believes experimentation (and even failure) is the only way forward. What you’ll learn: - How Succedo helped triple the output of customer success stories. - The role of AI in reducing escalations and improving customer sentiment. - How to build specialized AI teams inside a large enterprise. - Why “human in the loop” remains critical in AI adoption. - The mindset shift leaders need to drive AI transformation. Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/ Where to Find Sofia: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiabarbosa/ Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/ In this episode, we cover: 0:00 – Preview & Introduction 1:40 – Meet Sofia Barbosa (CCO, BMC Software) 3:15 – Sofia’s promotion and the BMC split 6:53 – Why & how Succedo was born 11:30 – The impact of using Succedo 12:55 – Using AI to create value summaries 15:40 – Creating personalized training paths with AI 18:35 – AI for support: prioritization and sentiment analysis 21:18 – Automating statements of work with AI 24:35 – Building “Succedo Forge” and “Succedo Care” teams 27:10 – Managing change and team sentiment around AI 28:45 – Advice for CCOs driving AI transformation Referenced: - Sofia's post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sofiabarbosa_customersuccess-ai-bmc-activity-7366224818586685441-q74P

    31 min
  7. How to Drive Innovation & Democratize AI as a CS Leader ft. David Karp (Disqo)

    SEP 17

    How to Drive Innovation & Democratize AI as a CS Leader ft. David Karp (Disqo)

    How Disqo Sparked an AI Movement With a Company-Wide Hackathon When everyone was talking about AI but few knew where to start, Disqo took a bold step: they cleared two full days and ran a company-wide AI hackathon. The result? 70 people, 15 teams, and a wave of innovation that’s still driving value today. In this episode, David Karp, Chief Customer Officer at Disqo, shares the inside story of how they achieved this and how it transformed their culture. From creating starter ideas and cross-functional teams to sustaining momentum with office hours and grassroots initiatives, David lays out the exact playbook you can use to kickstart AI adoption in your own org. What you’ll learn: - How to design an AI hackathon that drives real business outcomes. - Why constraints and scoring criteria make or break innovation. - How to spark bottom-up energy with top-down support. - Ways to sustain momentum with AI office hours and team-led mini-hackathons. - Why AI adoption starts with leaders using the tools themselves. Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/ Where to Find David: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidalankarp/ Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/ In this episode, we cover: 0:00 – Preview & Introduction 1:56 – Meet David Karp, CCO of Disqo 2:50 – Disqo’s AI Journey: Where It All Began 4:00 – Seeding Ideas: Building the Hackathon Foundation 7:09 – The Secret Sauce: Rules, Constraints & Incentives 11:40 – Behind the Scenes: Planning Hackathon Logistics 16:22 – Scoring, Evaluation & The Prize That Motivated Teams 19:19 – How Disqo Ran an Internal CS Hackathon 21:35 – Keeping Momentum Alive After the Event 23:28 – Outcomes: The Lasting Impact of the Hackathon 24:00 – Key Lessons for CS Leaders & SaaS Executives

    28 min
  8. How to Scale Customer Success with AI Agents ft. LeeRon Yahalomi (Aligned)

    SEP 10

    How to Scale Customer Success with AI Agents ft. LeeRon Yahalomi (Aligned)

    The Secret Workflow Letting LeeRon Manage 100 Accounts With a 2-Person Team When tasked with managing 100 accounts with just two people, most leaders would immediately start hiring. Not LeeRon Yahalomi. Instead, the VP of Customer Success at Aligned built her own team of AI agents inside ChatGPT that handle customer handoffs, meeting prep, and even communication coaching. In this mind-opening conversation, LeeRon shares how she scaled her team without adding headcount, how she uses AI to deliver “11-star” customer experiences, and why she believes customer success is no longer about post-sales; it’s about the next sale. Whether you’re an AI skeptic or already experimenting with agents, this episode will change how you think about scaling teams, designing workflows, and the future of CS. What you’ll learn: 1. Why AI agents are the new teammates in customer success. 2. How to use ChatGPT for handoffs, prep, and communication. 3. Why CS is not just “post-sales”. 4. How to balance AI automation with human empathy. 5. How Customer Success can drive revenue when it focuses on expansion, not just retention. Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/ Where to Find LeeRon Yahalomi LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeron-yahalomi-1b066819/ Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/ In this episode, we cover: 0:00 - Preview 1:32 - Meet LeeRon Yahalomi & Learn about Aligned's mission 3:31 - The thrill of working in early-stage startups 4:55 - Why AI became the only path to growth 11:00 - Will AI replace jobs in CS? 13:20 - AE to CS Handoff Agent 17:55 - Meeting Preparation Agent 20:57 - Communication Coaching Agent 23:20 - Orchestration CS with Agent 26:26 - Prioritising learning AI 28:28 - Why CS isn’t post-sales anymore; it’s the “next sale” Referenced: - ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ - n8n: https://n8n.io/

    33 min
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5
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92 Ratings

About

If you're experimenting with automation, questioning the traditional post-sales model, or trying to drive more value with less headcount, you're in the right place. AI won’t fix churn, but these conversations might. Retention is the new growth & AI is rewriting the rules. Hosted by Josh Schachter, SVP of Atlas at Gainsight, [Un]Churned—the No. 1 podcast for retention and Customer Success leaders—features real talk with the sharpest minds in the Customer Success space. We dig into how teams are scaling smarter, activating AI agents, and redesigning the customer journey for lasting impact.

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