We can’t believe it’s been over a week since we gathered the Customer Success community at RAI Amsterdam for Pulse Europe 2024. Before the magic of the event gives way to the day-to-day grind, here’s a brain dump of what’s still echoing in my mind after two exhilarating days at Pulse. And yes, I will say “AI” in this article as is the law in 2024.
1. Embrace Hosting
This year, I dove right into hosting, aiming to positively influence attendees’ experiences at the massive Pulse event. Whether it was playing pong, searching for the best espresso, getting down with Dance Dance Revolution, chowing down at the secret poké station, or—oh right, it’s a work conference—I meant soaking in numerous insightful tracks, keynotes, and running the executive meeting center along with Kristen Keller, Field Marketing Manager, Gainsight. It was all thrilling. The ad-hoc chats where I just pulled up a chair at lunch or chatted up a partner like Mark Deegan, CEO, Wigmore IT Group Limited, and started talking shop were the best. It was all about making those small but memorable connections.
And what’s more memorable than sharing a stroopwafel moment in Amsterdam?
2. Celebrate the Community
The attendees brimming with enthusiasm and our fantastic sponsors truly make Pulse pulse! I enjoyed stopping to chat with several sponsors, and catching up with Amy Downs at Customer Obsessing Consulting, who I’ve known for nearly 20 years, was a true highlight.
From her days as a CCO to co-founding a consulting company that designs CX and Customer Success programs, witnessing her journey has been nothing short of amazing.
3. Keep Celebrating the Community
Pulse is a journey of personal and professional growth for every attendee, and it’s an honor to see our friends hitting their stride. There were too many incredible moments with our community to remark on here—but let’s touch upon one more. Faye Richards, Head of Customer Operations and Scaled Accounts at Yulife, shared what this year’s Pulse meant to her on LinkedIn:
“2024 marked a major milestone. With our UK-based operations scaling to a global reach across the US, South Africa, and Japan, this year’s Pulse was all about validating the progress YuLife has made so far (great to have Natasha Rana with me this time around). And with exciting plans on the horizon, especially around Human-First AI in customer success, it’s an exciting time for innovation in our field. Looking forward to what we can do together Rachel Valiente Bush in the next 12 months!
As I look ahead to Pulse 2025, I’m excited for what’s next. You might even see me on stage sharing insights from this incredible journey. 🎤 💫”
We can’t wait to see your debut on the Pulse stage, Faye! Keep crushing it—your story is incredible.
4. Give Back
Having attended and hustled at 14 Pulses, each event is an exhausting and amazing experience. I’m always honored to experience the magic our Events team creates; they make a huge effort appear seamless to the attendees, transforming complex logistics into a smooth, engaging experience. (P.S. I hope you don’t get charged for the cappuccinos because I drank about 100 of them to wash down my 50 stroopwafels.) It’s so fun to watch new attendees experience the magic. Here’s what stood out this time:
- Dynamic Discussions with Justyna Bąkowska from F5: We had intense discussions about data, AI strategies, and even extending Gainsight to her partner ecosystem using our Through Partner CS capabilities. While at the epic Pulse party, we screamed awkwardly into each other’s ears because we were too excited to wait to talk CS and Poland! To round it out, we even grabbed our AI PM Shantan Reddy to make some real-time roadmap recommendations while waiting for a sweet book signing.
- Connecting with James Lubbock: As the Head of Customer Success at hyperexponential, James joined my session on Gainsight Copilot—one of many AI features live or in beta. I nominated him for our next beta and can’t wait for them to experience it and provide feedback. Turning talks into action was awesome. IMHO, the smaller sessions should not be just another econ 101 lecture; it’s about sharing ideas and helping folks execute them on the spot.
- Strategy Chats with Kristen Sanders: Meeting Kristen, VP of Global Customer Success at BMC Software, was incredible. We dove into strategy and the benefits of advisory offerings, and talked up the power of a thriving advocacy program with Melanie Paddock, Sr. Manager, Customer Marketing & Advocacy, Gainsight
5. Innovate and Inspire
I had the privilege of running our Gainsight Copilot and AI best practices session, loaded with strategy, recommendations, and both live and beta features.
Gainsight Copilot empowers you to easily uncover the nuances of customer relationships. This advanced solution leverages conversational AI to inquire about specific customer details, saving you time and helping you deliver a more personalized customer experience.
But the real question is: Who did it better? Dad or my son, Einstein, who rocked the keynote in 2017 with Nick Mehta?
6. Rock the New Realities
We’re a group of passionate people navigating the realities of the market and macroeconomic conditions, but we’ll always have time to watch Sam Buddery, Senior Solutions Consultant, Gainsight, crowd surf to a cover band playing Rage Against the Machine and Teenage Dirtbag—or a saxophone player with a bedazzled hat. (Thanks, Ellie Sax for the incredible performance two years in a row!)
The Pulse community is not just about work; it’s about celebrating our collective journey in style. Like Sam Buddery (below) in the front row prior to his crowd surf.
Until next year, peace out, Pulsters! ✌️🎤
Got Pulse FOMO? We Got You
Whether you missed the event or you’re looking to relive the magic, don’t forget to revisit our greatest hits in the Pulse Library.
