Sitting down with Alkymi’s new VP of Customer Success

George Chedzhemov, who joined Alkymi in April, is responsible for designing and delivering exceptional customer experiences throughout the company. With over 25 years in startups, George is an expert at delighting customers and expanding partnerships.

In this Q&A, George discusses why he works at Alkymi and his approach to customer success. He outlines his philosophy for maximizing customer value to foster relationships, and his goals to enhance customer success by accelerating the time to value and increasing operational efficiencies at Alkymi.

Why did you join Alkymi?

I joined Alkymi for two significant reasons that became clear during the interview process. Firstly, there’s Harald, whom I’ve known for seven years. His approach to building a startup has always impressed me—he takes a careful, strategic approach and avoids unnecessary risks, which is quite inspiring in the fast-paced startup world. Secondly, Alkymi's values, like doing the right thing and valuing all ideas, are more than just platitudes here. During my interviews, the team was extraordinarily welcoming and warm, making Alkymi feel like a community where I could thrive and contribute meaningfully.

What is your philosophy for customer success?

My philosophy centers around maximizing the value our customers derive from our solutions, creating a virtuous cycle. Happy customers are likely to renew their engagements and become advocates, participating in case studies and panels, which is crucial in today’s world where backchannel reference checks are common. Ensuring every customer interaction is exceptional is fundamental to our business strategy as it fosters customer satisfaction and referenceability.

What are the most common challenges clients face with workflow automation, and how do you solve them?

Clients often struggle with the complexity of handling unstructured documents, like PDFs. We've shifted from rigid templates to flexible, AI-driven approaches using machine learning models that adapt to changes in document structures without manual intervention. This improves the accuracy of data extraction and enhances scalability, allowing us to provide more efficient and reliable document processing.

What strategies are most effective for onboarding new customers onto the platform?

Effective onboarding involves demonstrating early how our product can solve the customer's business problems, aiming to deliver tangible business value within the first 90 days. We focus on quick wins and prioritize use cases that promise the highest ROI or meet urgent needs. Phased and overlapping implementation and maintaining open communication are crucial to ensure continuous delivery of value and to adjust quickly if needed.

What workflow automation trend are you most excited about?

The trend towards programmatic data interchange and using APIs excites me the most. Despite the challenges of achieving a unified data taxonomy and schema, APIs help streamline processes significantly. Even if structured data feeds become more common, the complexity of the data landscape ensures there will always be intricate problems to solve, keeping our work relevant and valuable.

What role does your team play in the product development process?

Our team acts as a bridge between our customers and the company post-sale, making us crucial in gathering and interpreting customer feedback on the product. We prioritize which feedback aligns with our strategic goals and ensure we don’t overwhelm the product with features, maintaining focus and adding real value based on customer insights.

What's the biggest misconception clients have about AI-powered workflow automation?

The biggest misconception is that AI-powered automation is a magic solution that operates flawlessly on its own. In reality, AI requires careful integration and ongoing management to meet specific organizational needs. It enhances rather than replaces the need for skilled human input, serving as a powerful tool to supercharge productivity and innovation.