Are we finally moving past the AI hype and into its real-world impact? In this episode of TECHtonic, Thomas Lah, Executive Director and EVP of TSIA, sits down with Ron Green, Co-founder and CTO of KUNGFU.AI, to explore the critical questions shaping AI adoption today. Together, they uncover why AI is no longer just a buzzword but an essential tool for transforming companies right now. From groundbreaking use cases like predicting breast cancer risk years in advance to practical applications like...
Nov 22, 2024•42 min•Ep. 90
Host Thomas Lah engages with Chris Mele, Managing Partner at Software Pricing Partners, to explore the shifting paradigms of software pricing models. As AI and automation redefine the technological landscape, traditional user-based pricing is under scrutiny. Chris shares his extensive experience on why it's time to rethink legacy pricing strategies and how companies can optimize for profitability in today's market. They discuss the three pillars of effective monetization—licensing, packaging, an...
Nov 08, 2024•50 min•Ep. 89
Join us for a live, insightful keynote session from TSIA World Envision with Thomas Lah, Executive Director and Executive Vice President of TSIA. Thomas explores the transformative power of AI in revenue generation. Discover how cutting-edge AI use cases can supercharge your workflows, driving revenue growth and enhancing customer experiences. Learn how to leverage AI to improve lead qualifications, manage renewal risks, and position your offers more effectively. Don't miss this opportunity to s...
Oct 25, 2024•24 min•Ep. 88
Thomas sits down with Dan Balcauski, an expert in pricing strategy for enterprise software and the Founder of Product Tranquilty. Together, they examine the shifting landscape of B2B software pricing, particularly as traditional per-user models face new challenges due to the rise of AI and a growing emphasis on profitability. Dan shares his insights on how long-standing pricing models are being disrupted, and why businesses need to reconsider how they charge for their products. He discusses the ...
Oct 11, 2024•52 min•Ep. 87
During this episode of TECHtonic, host Thomas Lah has a compelling conversation with Kelley Jarrett, SVP of Revenue Strategy, Operations, and Enablement at ThoughtSpot—an AI-powered analytics platform. They discuss how AI is transforming revenue generation workflows and operational efficiency within organizations. Kelly shares her unique insights on leveraging AI for quick, data-driven decision-making, highlighting real-world use cases across industries like retail, healthcare, and aviation. She...
Sep 27, 2024•42 min•Ep. 86
In this episode, Thomas finally finds the person he’s been searching for: Mike Fouts, Chief Business Officer at ShareFile, who speaks to how AI and data are revolutionizing the sales function in technology companies. Mike shares his hands-on experience leading a digital-first, data-driven transformation at ShareFile, including detailing how AI is being used to predict renewals, drive customer engagement, and reshape the traditional go-to-market model. From verticalizing sales strategies to autom...
Sep 13, 2024•42 min•Ep. 85
Are you effectively leveraging AI in your workflows? As Thomas continues the AI research journey, AI Use Cases for Generating Revenue , he reveals the power of AI in revenue generation. With TSIA’s latest paper, The Emerging 20 , highlighting critical AI use cases, Thomas is on a mission to show how AI is a game-changer for businesses today. Joining his conversation are Seth Halpern and Derek Butts, co-founders and co-CEOs of Embrace.ai, an innovative AI startup that is transforming how companie...
Aug 30, 2024•42 min•Ep. 84
In this episode of TECHtonic, Thomas Lah welcomes Dr. Jessica Kriegel, Chief Scientist of Workplace Culture at Culture Partners. In light of today’s rapid shifts in technology business models, the conversation addresses head-on the challenges of change management. Jessica shares her insights on why traditional approaches fail, the importance of continuous change, and how to cultivate a culture where employees not only embrace change but thrive in it. Drawing from her experience in the technology...
Aug 16, 2024•43 min•Ep. 83
The transformative potential of AI in the technology industry is driving companies focus on growth without significantly increasing their sales and marketing spend. Thomas speaks with Brent Grimes, CEO of Reef.ai, about how to efficiently drive revenue growth by introducing AI into the process. Brent shares the journey of Reef.ai and its aim to predictively unlock customer value, helping companies transition from gut-feel decisions to data-driven strategies. This allows for optimized resource al...
Aug 02, 2024•50 min•Ep. 82
On this episode of TECHtonic, Thomas asks hard questions about the shifting landscape of customer success with Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight. Inspired by a provocative chapter in Frank Slootman's "Amp It Up" that questions the necessity of customer success, Thomas and Nick explore the current debates and future directions of this critical business function. Nick shares his insights on why customer success is more vital than ever, especially as technology companies face increasing pressure to prov...
Jul 26, 2024•41 min•Ep. 815072624
Join Thomas Lah and Chad Quinn, CEO of Ecosystems in an engaging episode of the TECHtonic podcast. Chad shares his insights on helping technology providers prove the business value of their solutions through Ecosystems' collaborative web platform and AI-driven tools like ViViEN, the Virtual Value Engineer. Discover how focusing on common objectives, quantifying root cause problems, and incorporating diverse value drivers can significantly increase win rates, renewals, and expansion opportunities...
Jul 19, 2024•46 min•Ep. 81
Join us for the first episode of TSIA Takes, a limited TECHtonic podcast series. During this series, Thomas Lah dives deep into the pivotal question: What is the value of customer success? This pressing question has turned the customer success organization upside down as it navigates what the future of its business looks like. In this episode, Thomas is joined by Jim Roth, President of Customer Success at Salesforce, who discusses Saleforce’s pioneering approach to integrating customer success, ...
Jul 12, 2024•47 min•Ep. 80071224
Join us for a captivating episode of TECHtonic, where Thomas Lah sits down with Mari Cross, Chief Customer Officer at Infor. In this insightful discussion, Thomas and Mari discuss the dynamic landscape of customer success and the crucial role of the chief customer officer. Discover how Infor navigates the challenges of transitioning from legacy systems to modern, cloud-based solutions, and how they leverage AI and automation to enhance customer experience. Mari shares her unique perspective on b...
Jul 05, 2024•43 min•Ep. 80
In this episode host Thomas Lah sits down with Eduardo Coloma, the CEO of Maptek, a leading provider of software and hardware solutions for the mining industry. This episode delves into Maptek's journey from traditional business models to a subscription-based "as-a-service" transformation, highlighting the challenges and strategies involved. Eduardo discusses the reasons behind Maptek's shift to a subscription model, emphasizing the need for flexibility and scalability in a cyclical industry lik...
Jun 21, 2024•42 min•Ep. 79
Join Thomas Lah in the latest episode of TECHtonic as he delves into the transformative power of AI in educational content creation. In this episode, Thomas engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Sarah Sedgman, CEO of LearnExperts, the AI tool that revolutionized OpenText's educational material production. Sarah shares her vision of democratizing the creation of high-quality training content through AI. With over 25 years of experience in instructional design, she discusses how LearnEx...
Jun 07, 2024•45 min•Ep. 78
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (Gen-AI) have the potential to transform insights, processes and provide a competitive edge for B2B technology firms. But in reality, few companies have developed a complete AI roadmap, and many have yet to begin evaluating opportunities for leveraging AI and Gen-AI across the enterprise. In this executive panel, hear from three companies at various stages on their AI journey and participate in live Q&A on getting started with AI, identifying fu...
May 24, 2024•58 min•Ep. 77
Host Thomas Lah welcomes David Judge, Partner, General Manager Global Customer Success at Microsoft, to explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on scaling customer success. As Microsoft leverages AI across its extensive service offerings, Judge provides an insider's view on how these technologies are improving customer interactions and enhancing operational efficiency within Microsoft. They discuss the specifics of AI use cases from the backend to customer-facing application...
May 10, 2024•36 min•Ep. 76
This May, TSIA will host our INTERACT conference in Orlando, showcasing an engaging panel discussion on deploying and optimizing AI hosted by Thomas Lah. Pattabhi Raman, VP of Digital Experience at Informatica, will join the distinguished panel. Recently, Thomas had the privilege of conversing with Pattabhi, gaining exclusive insights into Informatica's strategies for achieving a successful digital customer experience. They discuss the secrets behind Informatica's success and explore how they've...
Apr 26, 2024•39 min•Ep. 75
Apr 12, 2024•37 min•Ep. 74
This May, TSIA will host our INTERACT conference in Orlando, featuring a special closing keynote by Doug Schmitt, President of Dell Technologies Services. TECHtonic host Thomas Lah recently had the pleasure of speaking with Doug one-on-one for a sneak peek into his presentation. During their conversation, Thomas and Doug delve into Dell's use of AI as the cornerstone for continuously enhancing the customer experience. Their discussion also touches on: The essential skills required to harness AI ...
Mar 29, 2024•21 min•Ep. 73
In this episode of TECHtonic, Thomas Lah chats with Justin Cawood about the complex journey of integrating AI into the operations of a large technology services provider. Together, they explore the evolution of Managed Services platforms, the initial business case for AI, and the transformative impact of AI on service delivery and customer value propositions. Additionally, Justin shares the challenges and triumphs of deploying AI from the customer perspective and helping customers realize the va...
Mar 15, 2024•40 min•Ep. 72
In this episode, host Thomas Lah, TSIA’s Executive Director, engages in a pivotal conversation with Alexandra Zagury, Global Vice President at Cisco. Together, they explore the intricacies of partner strategies in the as-a-service era, as well as the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on technology business models. Key highlights include: The industry's urgent need for clarity and direction in partner strategies amidst the as-a-service transition. This includes Cisco’s innovative a...
Mar 01, 2024•45 min•Ep. 71
Join us in the latest episode of TECHtonic, where we dive into the world of customer success with Thomas Lah and Stephen Fulkerson, VP of Customer Success Research at TSIA. In this episode, we explore how customer success can become a more effective channel for ensuring customer satisfaction and organizational success. Thomas and Stephen analyze all aspects of customer success, including: Introducing the KORE score: Keeping Organizational Outcomes, Retention, Renewal, and References Excellent, a...
Feb 16, 2024•44 min•Ep. 70
Jillian Alexander, Global Vice President of Learning Services at OpenText, guides Thomas Lah through the significant impact of a straightforward, manageable, and focused AI deployment strategy, which leads to strong ROI benefits that simply cannot be ignored. A few key topics that Thomas and Jillian discuss include: The core AI capabilities that OpenText has leveraged for content development. The clear and less obvious benefits of being an early AI adopter. Which KPIs to focus on if you want to ...
Feb 02, 2024•36 min•Ep. 69
Join us in the latest episode of "TECHtonic" as we delve into the evolving world of technology support models with TSIA's Distinguished Vice President of Support and Field Services Research, Vele Galovski. In this conversation, Thomas and Vele offer a unique blend of insights and perspectives on the current and future state of technology support. They begin with the dramatic shifts observed in 2023, marked by divergent perspectives in the industry, including the bifurcation of corporate response...
Jan 19, 2024•41 min•Ep. 68
Dive deep into the dynamic world of technology channel partners with TECHtonic's host, Thomas Lah, and Jay McBain, Chief Analyst of Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Canalys. During this conversation, Thomas and Jay explore the evolving role of channel partners in technology business models, particularly in the context of 'as-a-service' offerings. They focus on key points such as: The shift from traditional transactions to non-transactional moments, emphasizing the partner's lifetime va...
Jan 05, 2024•41 min•Ep. 67
Historically, Customer Success organizations have relied on inconsistent metrics, lacking a unified framework for assessing renewals and expansions. Simultaneously, the common practice of using NPS is dwindling, with fewer companies finding it effective in gauging customer value. With this, the critical question arises: What should CS orgs prioritize to define improvement and success for both themselves and their customers? In this episode, we not only talk about the “what” but also dive even de...
Dec 08, 2023•43 min•Ep. 66
In a recent discussion, TSIA's Thomas Lah and Sean Morton, SVP of Professional Services for Trellix, delve into the critical challenges facing enterprise technology today, including the relentless threats of ransomware, the scarcity of IT security professionals, and the overwhelming complexity of IT software tools. Sean breaks down these challenges, shedding light on the paramount issues that demand attention in the tech security landscape. Thomas and Sean touch on key topics such as: The ongoin...
Nov 24, 2023•40 min•Ep. 65
Nov 10, 2023•38 min•Ep. 64
With a wealth of practical expertise between them, TSIA's Thomas Lah and George Humphrey, Distinguished VP & Managing Director of Offering and Delivery Research, delve into the transformative impact of AI on technology business models. They focus on three pivotal dimensions: Data-Driven Decision-Making Efficiency and Cost Reduction Enhanced Customer Experience Emphasizing the urgency for companies to effectively organize around AI, they discuss the risks of stagnation in the face of rapid te...
Nov 03, 2023•14 min•Ep. 2023635
