DevRev for CIOs and CXOs

Summary

Dhiraj Pandey, co-founder and CEO of DevRev, discusses the need for a CRM overhaul to be developer, product, and user-centric. He highlights the inefficiencies of current customer support and product planning tools, advocating for a unified 'Dev CRM' platform that integrates with various systems like GitHub, Slack, and billing for a holistic view of customer interactions. Pandey envisions this approach to modernize customer support, enhance user engagement, and improve net promoter scores by providing a 360-degree view of customer needs.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Dhiraj Pandey is the co-founder and CEO of DevRev, with a background as the founder CEO of Nutanix for nearly 12 years.
• 🎓 He is a continuous learner in consumer design and is involved in the board at Adobe.
• 🛠️ The current landscape has various tools for different departments like customer support, product management, user analytics, and marketing, each requiring separate licensing.
• 🔗 There is a need for integration by managers and analysts to connect these disparate systems, often using Slack channels or dashboards.
• 🛑 The speaker argues for a fundamental overhaul of CRM to be more developer, product, and user-centric, to reduce the cost of accessing product and user data.
• 🌐 The traditional CRM tools are outdated, built during an era dominated by companies like IBM and Oracle, and do not cater to today's self-researching and self-signing users.
• 🌟 A product-led growth approach requires a new operating system, referred to as 'Dev CRM', which is the first app on a new platform aimed at modernizing customer support and in-app business messaging.
• 🔍 Modern support systems need powerful engines for search, machine learning, and automations to go beyond customer tickets and connect with various development and user issues.
• 🤝 A modern support system should integrate code, cloud, and customers with a product graph for visibility into build, growth, and ops events within the engineering ecosystem.
• 🔄 It should be connected with various systems like GitHub, Slack, Datadog, sales CRM, and billing and metering for a comprehensive view.
• 💡 The goal of DevRev is to help build the world's most customer-centric companies by improving customer support and engagement through a connected and modern approach.

Q & A

Who is Dhiraj Pandey and what is his current role?

Dhiraj Pandey is the co-founder and CEO of DevRev. Prior to this, he served as the founder and CEO of Nutanix for almost 12 years.

What is Dhiraj Pandey's ongoing learning focus?

Dhiraj Pandey is a constant student of design, learning every day about consumer design.

Why is there a need to overhaul the current CRM systems according to Dhiraj Pandey?

The current CRM systems were built in an era when traditional selling was supreme. They are not developer, product, and user-centric and do not provide easy access to product and user data, which is crucial for improving retention, discovery, and engagement.

What is the role of the internet and the app in today's customer relationship?

In today's omnichannel world, the internet and the app play a central role in establishing trust between end users and product makers.

What does Dhiraj Pandey refer to as 'Dev' CRM?

'Dev' CRM is a new operating system that Dhiraj Pandey refers to as a fundamental overhaul of CRM to be more developer, product, and user-centric.

What is the first app on the 'Dev' CRM platform supposed to do?

The first app on the 'Dev' CRM platform is intended to modernize customer support and in-app business messaging.

What are the key features a modern support system should have according to Dhiraj Pandey?

A modern support system should go beyond customer tickets, connect with developer issues, user conversations, cloud incidents, and deployment pipelines. It should have powerful engines for search, machine learning, and automations, and be connected with various systems like GitHub, Slack, Datadog, sales CRM, and billing and metering for a 360-degree view.

What is the significance of a product graph in a modern support system?

A product graph is essential as it provides continuous visibility into build, growth, and ops events in the engineering ecosystem, helping to stitch code, cloud, and customers together.

Why is the traditional three-tier customer support model outdated?

The traditional model is outdated because it relies on following the sun for support, which is inefficient. Modern support should be fully connected with everything and everyone beyond just Slack.

What is the ultimate goal of DevRev according to Dhiraj Pandey?

The ultimate goal of DevRev is to help build the world's most customer-centric companies by improving customer support and engagement through a modernized CRM system.