Hey,

You are sick of us talking about it, so we finally launched it—welcome to ChiefCustomerOfficer.io. We’re here to elevate customer retention and durable SaaS companies.

We’ve rebranded and switched email platforms - so if you see anything wonky, give us the feedback (we’re customer success people, so we value feedback).

Our newsletter is now in public; now we’re updating the website (launching Sunday) and putting the finishing touches on our podcast (shhh… 🤫).

Let’s jump into 3 things that made us think this week…

Jeff

Will AI create pricing pressure?

The rise of AI is about to reshape the SaaS market completely. At least according to Greg Isenberg.

He shared a theory on how we’ll soon see a wave of AI-driven competitors flooding the SMB space, forcing incumbents to rethink their pricing strategies.

His main point: the global SaaS market has become so big, it is ripe for disruption.

I think his take is interesting….

Prices “always go up,” and SaaS companies seem to capture their deserved value quite well… but what happens when alternatives pop up at a fraction of the cost?

Software is a commodity (and becoming more of one by the minute). What’s not a commodity, though?

Brand, reputation, consistency, and execution—customers won’t abandon these attributes when it comes to critical infrastructure and systems.

Building customer advocates in public

Mac shared a shocking move by the CEO of Yotpo and their public display of listing target accounts. Mac’s take: it might be a powerful lever for building trust and alignment with customers.

I mean $1000 to make an intro?! BRB, I’m about to build an AI agent to make intros.

But on a serious note, the premise here is interesting. When you break down the napkin math, it makes sense to take a number of these steps. But, at what reputational cost?

I’d question two things with this strategy:

1. What will your customers and prospects think? It feels a little bit like airing your dirty laundry in public.

2. How will the quality measure up? Everyone will always push the limits when money is involved.

The problem with customer surveys

Customer surveys are often considered the gold standard for feedback — but in his recent podcast episode, David Heinemeier Hansson is calling out a major flaw in how they're typically structured:

I love this approach. First, it’s a better way to view customers and their feedback.

My takeaway from your company culture?

Build a team that questions the norm and seeks creative ways to get things done.

This is the type of execution that can catch customers off-guard (in a good way) and can deliver a relationship with the customer that can be of high value.