Episode 184: Building Products for Product Managers with Trisha Price

In this episode of the Product Thinking podcast, Melissa Perri sits down with Trisha Price, Chief Product Officer at Pendo. They explore the evolving landscape of product management, including the shifting role of product operations and the integration of tools like Pendo in enhancing productivity.

The conversation also covers the roles of product operations and product marketing at Pendo, as well as the importance of setting product strategy and balancing short-term needs with long-term vision. Excitingly, they have recently launched new tools like Session Replay and Pendo Listen, which focus on qualitative data and help prioritize product enhancements based on customer feedback.

This episode provides valuable insights into product management and the use of AI and is not one to be missed.

Pendo's vision, since its founding, has been to be a comprehensive platform for product managers, not just an analytics or digital adoption tool. Trisha highlights recent developments, such as the launch of Session Replay and Listen, the latter being an AI-driven tool to help prioritize customer feedback. These advancements align with Pendo's goal of continuously executing their vision. Trisha is excited about the ongoing execution of this vision, emphasizing the integration of qualitative and quantitative data. By combining usage data with customer feedback, Pendo aims to proactively address customer needs and enhance their product offerings. This holistic approach ensures that product managers can make informed decisions and prioritize effectively.

Trisha discusses the challenge of balancing short-term market needs with the long-term vision of the company. She emphasizes Pendo's core value of a "maniacal focus on the customer," which means prioritizing and addressing any bugs or issues that negatively impact customer experience. Trisha believes that solving current customer pain points and innovation can coexist. For example, when large language models emerged, Pendo's team quickly brainstormed how these models could address existing customer frustrations, such as the time-consuming task of summarizing customer feedback manually. This approach not only solves immediate problems but also leverages new technologies to enhance their product offerings. Additionally, Pendo fosters innovation through hackathons, allowing the team to work on creative ideas that often end up integrated into their products.

Trisha explains the importance of maintaining a culture of innovation at Pendo. She highlights the significance of hackathons, where the product, design, and engineering teams have the freedom to work on their ideas. This practice not only fosters creativity but also demonstrates the company's commitment to valuing and implementing innovative ideas. Pendo also emphasizes the importance of leadership engagement, with executives actively participating in reviewing hackathon projects and awarding the best ones. This recognition and involvement from leadership reinforce the value placed on innovation. Additionally, Pendo ensures that every idea is evaluated based on its potential customer value, maintaining a balance between innovation and customer-centricity. Trisha underscores that creating a culture where process and customer value drive innovation is key to sustaining a dynamic and forward-thinking environment.

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Previous guests include: Shruti Patel of US Bank, Steve Wilson of Contrast Security, Bethany Lyons of KAWA Analytics, Tanya Johnson Chief Product Officer at Auror, Tom Eisenmann of Harvard Business School, Stephanie Leue of Doodle, Jason Fried of 37signals, Hubert Palan of Productboard, Blake Samic of Stripe and Uber, Quincy Hunte of Amazon Web Services

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