The Chief Customer Officer Podcast

Jay Nathan & Jeff Breunsbach

4.9 (7)
MANAGEMENT
UPDATED WEEKLY

Conversations about digital experience and AI.

4D AGO

EP006: What We're Actually Building with AI Right Now

Jay and Jeff are back — and this week it's just the two of them. No guest, no slides. Just a real conversation about what they've each been building with Claude Code and Claude Cowork over the past few weeks, and what it's revealing about the future of software, teams, and CS. Plus a take on Jason Lemkin's SaaS doom post — and why they're not totally buying the narrative. KEY TAKEAWAYS Get Hands-On or You Won't Get It: If you're in a leadership role and not personally using AI tools like Claude Code or Cursor, you're not fully grasping what's happening right now. Pay the $150 for a month. Just do it.Enabling Your Team Is a Different Problem: Discovering an AI tool, getting excited about it, then "schlepping it over the fence" to your team isn't enabling them — it's abdicating. Change management still applies. Help them get on the curve.Established SaaS Companies Aren't Dead: Brand trust, enterprise security certifications, and multi-year contracts with durable cash flow give companies like Salesforce and Workday real staying power. The question is whether they'll actually act on it.Point Solutions Are Most at Risk: CFOs will start asking whether they need a $40K screen recording tool when it can be vibe-coded in an afternoon. Systems of record with billing, forecasting, and compliance dependencies are much harder to rip out.The Juice Is Now Worth the Squeeze: AI lets teams do things they always wanted to do but couldn't justify. Jay built an interactive RACI builder and a conversational applicant tracking system — on a weekend, without writing a line of code.It's a Context Problem: The real moat isn't the AI model — it's who can pull together all the Slack threads, call transcripts, emails, and product usage data into one accessible place. That's where the advantage lives.Skills Democratize Expertise Across the Team: When any CSM can run the product marketing skill and generate a feature guide on their own, you've removed a bottleneck — not a person. Speed compounds when the whole team can move.Token Costs Need a Line Item in Your Budget: Some engineering teams are already capping AI spend at $100K per engineer per year. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro and technical issues00:09 - Getting hands-on with AI: why leadership can't just delegate it02:48 - The SaaS market landscape: Jason Lemkin's take08:36 - Why established SaaS companies still have real advantages12:09 - Point solutions at risk; systems of record are defensible16:17 - Jeff's product marketing skill in Claude Cowork20:29 - Democratizing documentation: any CSM can now create the guide22:48 - Feeding source code as context; building a chatbot on your own codebase25:28 - QPR, playbook, and onboarding skill ideas27:19 - Managing token costs and what it means for team budgets28:38 - Jay's interactive RACI builder built with Claude Code34:20 - Balboa GPT: client-contextual AI with shared conversation history About the Show: Chief Customer Officer Podcast is a show about real strategies for customer-led growth in the AI era—from leaders actually executing, not just talking about it. Your Hosts: Jay Nathan – CEO of Balboa Solutions and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.ioJeff Breunsbach – Head of Customer Success at Junction and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.io

38 min
FEB 5

EP005: Building Predictive Customer Success with AI w/ Justin Chappell

What does world-class digital customer experience actually look like? In this episode, Justin Chappell, Head of Digital Strategy at OneTrust, breaks down the evolution of customer success from reactive firefighting to predictive, AI-powered engagement. Whether you're building your first digital CS motion or looking to integrate AI agents into your customer journey, this conversation offers actionable insights. KEY TAKEAWAYS The CS Evolution Framework: Why moving from reactive → proactive → predictive requires fundamentally different thinking (and why proactive is closer to reactive than you might think)The 3 Pillars of World-Class Digital CX: Personalized, Predictive, and Digital-First—and how to operationalize eachDirty Data Isn't a Blocker: How predictive models can actually help you identify which data matters while learning from what's usableThe Power of Simply Asking: Why the best renewal signal is giving customers three options—Yes, No, or Undecided—and how to act on eachOnboarding That Works: The pilot process that cut first-time-to-value from 44 days to 8 days (and the customer feedback that made it possible)The Future CS Team Structure: New roles like AI Architect, Knowledge & AI Readiness Specialist, and Business Value ArchitectMonetizing Customer Success: How success packages create recurring revenue while delivering differentiated experiences ABOUT OUR GUEST Justin Chappell is the Head of Digital Strategy at OneTrust, where he oversees digital customer experience for 93% of the company's customer base. He's known for keeping things simple and saying what others are thinking. Connect with Justin on LinkedIn CHAPTERS 01:17 - The Evolution of Customer Success: Reactive to Proactive to Predictive04:11 - What "Predictive" Really Means (And Why It's Different from Proactive)08:44 - Dirty Data Isn't a Blocker: How Predictive Models Actually Work12:09 - The Truth About NPS Response Rates and Vanity Metrics20:49 - Starting from Zero: Implementing AI at OneTrust23:30 - The 3 Pillars of World-Class Digital Customer Experience31:10 - Lessons Learned: Roles, Timing, and Relevance35:39 - Building the Digital Tech Stack: CRM, CSP, and Community42:15 - Customer-Facing AI Agents: The Agentic CSM46:10 - The Future CS Team: AI Architect, BVA & New Roles53:38 - Managing AI Agents Like You'd Manage Your Best CSM59:24 - How AI Changes the CSM Role (Hint: They Can Handle More) About the Show: Chief Customer Officer Podcast is a show about real strategies for customer-led growth in the AI era—from leaders actually executing, not just talking about it. Your Hosts: Jay Nathan – CEO of Balboa Solutions and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.io Jeff Breunsbach – Head of Customer Success at Junction and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.io

1h 5m
JAN 29

EP004: Consensus on GRR, none on Customer Success

In this episode, Jeff and Jay discuss the evolving landscape of customer success, the integration of AI tools, and the importance of gross revenue retention. They explore the metrics that define customer success roles, the challenges faced by early-stage companies, and the need for clear compensation structures. The conversation highlights the significance of creating effective customer success plans and the necessity of aligning customer success efforts with overall business goals. Takeaways AI tools are transforming how we approach customer success. Customer success metrics are often poorly defined across organizations. Gross revenue retention is becoming a critical focus for investors. The structure of customer success teams can impact their effectiveness. Compensation for customer success roles needs to reflect their contributions to revenue. Early-stage companies must prioritize customer success to drive growth. Separation of roles within customer success can lead to better outcomes. Customer success should be a company-wide initiative, not just a team effort. Creating autonomy for customer success teams can enhance performance. Defining clear success plans is essential for customer retention. Chapters 00:00 Website Redesign and AI Integration 02:50 The Evolution of AI Tools 05:28 Customer Success Metrics and Reporting 08:18 The Role of Customer Success in Revenue Generation 11:09 Compensation Structures in Customer Success 14:06 Strategic Decisions in Customer Success 16:51 Navigating Growth in Early-Stage Companies 26:40 Sales Strategy and Market Share Growth 28:21 Customer Success and Implementation Challenges 30:06 Specialization in Customer Success Roles 32:14 Creating Autonomy and Predictability in Sales 34:51 Understanding Private Equity and Its Impact 37:37 The Importance of Gross Revenue Retention 40:16 The Role of Customer Success in Retention 43:07 Innovative Approaches to Customer Success Plans About the Show: Chief Customer Officer Podcast is a show about real strategies for customer-led growth in the AI era—from leaders actually executing, not just talking about it. Your Hosts: Jay Nathan – CEO of Balboa Solutions and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.ioJeff Breunsbach – Head of Customer Success at Junction and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.io

47 min
JAN 23

EP003: Context is King

In this episode of The Chief Customer Officer Podcast, Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan delve into the evolving role of AI in branding and customer experience. Jay shares his recent experiences using AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT to refine branding strategies for his companies, Balboa and Greenshoot Innovation. They discuss the importance of context in enterprise AI applications, emphasizing that the effectiveness of AI agents hinges on their understanding of user preferences and business nuances. The conversation transitions into a broader discussion about the future of enterprise software, highlighting the need for reliable systems that can integrate AI capabilities while maintaining deterministic workflows. The hosts also explore the implications of AI on job security and enterprise software, countering the prevailing narrative of doom and gloom. They argue that rather than replacing jobs, AI can enhance productivity by automating mundane tasks, allowing teams to focus on customer interactions. The episode wraps up with recommendations for AI-related resources and discussions on the potential for AI to personalize customer experiences, ultimately leading to more tailored and effective service delivery. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Weekend AI Experiments 02:37 The Importance of Context in AI 04:51 AI's Impact on Enterprise Software 08:57 Balancing Deterministic Workflows with AI 11:15 Personalization and Customer Experience 16:38 AI in Developer Tools and Integration 21:32 Recommended Resources and Closing Thoughts About the Show: Chief Customer Officer Podcast is a show about real strategies for customer-led growth in the AI era—from leaders actually executing, not just talking about it. Your Hosts: Jay Nathan – CEO of Balboa Solutions and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.ioJeff Breunsbach – Head of Customer Success at Junction and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.io

25 min
JAN 15

EP002: Death of the Coverage Model

The death of the coverage model... In this episode of the Chief Customer Officer Podcast, Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach peel back the layers on the practical application of AI in Customer Success. They start with a reality check: before you can build sophisticated AI agents, you often have to do the manual "grunt work" first — like physically reviewing contracts to clean up renewal data. The conversation shifts to a critical debate on organizational structure, specifically the move away from the traditional "Coverage Model" (assigning accounts based on ARR) toward a "Predictive Model" that relies on real-time data signals rather than arbitrary check-ins. Finally, Jay and Jeff geek out on the concept of "Vibe Coding" — using AI to build internal tools and websites without writing a line of code — and discuss why leaders need to get their hands dirty with these tools to truly understand them. Chapters 00:00 Introduction & Dropping the ".io" 01:07 The Reality of Renewals: Manual Work Before AI 04:49 Why You Should Hire Ops Before Your Next CSM 09:49 The Death of the Coverage Model 13:49 Erroneous Signals vs. Predictive Data 17:44 The Evangelism Role & Fixing QBRs 25:36 The "Stay Conversation": 3 Questions to Retain Your Team 27:42 "Vibe Coding" & Building Software with AI 33:25 How Jeff Built the New Website (Without Code) 42:34 Preview: Sierra AI & Next Week About the Show: Chief Customer Officer Podcast is a show about real strategies for customer-led growth in the AI era—from leaders actually executing, not just talking about it. Your Hosts: Jay Nathan – CEO of Balboa Solutions and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.ioJeff Breunsbach – Head of Customer Success at Junction and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.io

41 min
JAN 8

EP001: Agentic Renewals

In this episode of the Chief Customer Officer Podcast, Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach discuss the evolving landscape of customer success, particularly focusing on the impact of AI. They explore the importance of building a robust renewal function, identifying key information for renewals, and the necessity of mapping out processes. The conversation delves into the development of granular AI agents to enhance customer interactions and the balance between workflow and AI capabilities. They also emphasize the significance of understanding customer business contexts and choosing the right tools for effective AI implementation. The episode concludes with thoughts on standardizing AI use across teams and the future directions of AI in customer success. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Chief Customer Officer Podcast 02:58 The Role of AI in Customer Success 05:58 Building a Renewal Function with AI 08:49 Identifying Key Information for Renewals 12:08 Mapping Out the Renewal Process 15:09 Creating Operational Agents for Efficiency 18:10 The Future of AI in Customer Engagement 22:09 Optimizing Workflow with AI Agents 24:18 Personalization in Customer Interactions 26:11 The Importance of Real-Time Data 28:00 Exploring Tools for AI Integration 30:04 Categories of Agentic Tools 35:50 Empowering Business Users with Agent Development 39:04 Real-World Applications of AI in Business About the Show: Chief Customer Officer Podcast is a show about real strategies for customer-led growth in the AI era—from leaders actually executing, not just talking about it. Your Hosts: Jay Nathan – CEO of Balboa Solutions and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.ioJeff Breunsbach – Head of Customer Success at Junction and Co-Founder of ChiefCustomerOfficer.io

38 min

6 Episodes

4.9

out of 5

7 Ratings

Jays insight make me think.

03/13/2025

MikeStoll56

I listen to Jay to understand, then listen to Jay to interpret, then listen to Jay again to expand my knowledge.

Conversations about digital experience and AI.

Creator

Jay Nathan & Jeff Breunsbach
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

6
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Jay Nathan & Jeff Breunsbach
Show Website

The Chief Customer Officer Podcast