Users tend to be less concerned with what companies are meeting their needs, as long as those needs are met. Companies see users jump to competitor’s platforms and see a pain point. How can content producers get their content in front of users on all chat platforms and drive revenue? GameOn Founder and CEO Alex Beckman joins us to go over how companies can connect the dots between content and chat platforms all over the world.
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On making ChatOS the “brain-dead simple” approach to fishing where the fish are in chat platforms
Complexity in the tech universe can spiral out of control, but chat platforms need a certain level of complexity to perform, as well. How do you find the sweet spot?
“Things we’ve used to differentiate ourselves are how quickly one can get up and running on our platform. There are a bunch of platforms that I think would call themselves code free or engineering free. And our approach is that brands in the top 100 of the world in their category, they can’t go do something that is codeless. They don’t want a junior marketing person to go and launch their global strategy for chat, given there are so many people there.
So something that is easy enough to build that reduces the cycles on their side, that makes it efficient and affordable, but also comes across as worthy of their mark—that’s the sweet spot that I think we have carved out for ourselves. There are very few companies that can have the time-up-to-launch that we have, but also the customization and authenticity and level of text scalability that we support.”
On what fans need and want
Business people can get all worked up about their ideas and models, but there’s one ultimate arbiter—the buyer/user/fan of any products, including chat platforms.
“First and foremost, we have to solve a business problem; we’re not going to give them tools if we don’t solve a business problem. But that starts with actually thinking through what the fans want or need. Fans don’t need chatbots; they just fundamentally do not.
“Fans want content on their phone, they want content with their friends, they want to have a better, more enriched conversation. Fans want free NBA. These are the types of things people say.”
On how to deliver what fans want in chat platforms
Fans also don’t necessarily know what they want, as many PMs would attest. Showing fans a product that works for them may be the best way in.
“If we can make chat the best way to deliver those things that end users or fans want, then we have found the right product fit. So it’s been aligning that product focus, what it is we’re delivering, making sure chat is the right vehicle for that. And then making sure the product is brain-dead simple from the tech due diligence point of view.
On what he would do differently in business
Working to build across both content and chat platforms, Alex said he learned a lot about building a business from the human side.
“I would invest in HR a lot sooner. Maybe that’s not the same as a true product. But for a product-loving CEO, I felt like the clients and the success and press would be everything we needed. And there are times where I look back and think we should have started that employee benefits sooner, I should have given all-hands meetings more regularly sooner. I assumed this stuff was happening and trickling back to the company when things were moving so fast. That was something I should have double clicked on.”
About the speaker
About the host
Seasoned executive with three decades of experience envisioning, building, and operating software products and mission-critical platforms at startups to large organizations such as Microsoft. Throughout his career, James has held a diverse set of roles and developed expertise across leadership, product management, data science, IT operations, consulting, software engineering, and sales. As Chief Product Officer at Products That Count, he leads an online platform to help organizations learn the craft of product management and win as a market leader. As a coach, he leads mastermind circles to facilitate peer-to-peer learning across product management executives. As a podcast host, he interviews CEOs of companies held within Mighty Capital’s portfolio. Creator of the Career Strategy Framework and an online platform that teaches and coaches professionals how to reach their full career potential. Learn more at https://www.jamesgray.io.