The Experience

NOTE — This episode was previously recorded before Covid hit us all. We’re in the middle of kicking off Season 2 of The Experience. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy a few more of the shows we had in our backlog. In today’s show, we unpeel MailChimp. For most, MailChimp was motivation as we grew up on the internet together. With $500, $600, $700M in revenue they are known by many as the leader in the email marketing space. However, as they’ve entered new spaces and expanded their product line, how do customers feel about the MailChimp experience now? Let’s jump in. Like all of our episodes, today's featured brand, MailChimp, is paired with a cocktail. We chose the "Banarac" cocktail for obvious reasons. MailChimp, monkeys, bananas. It just works.Banarac Cocktail Recipe:Absinthe, to rinse1 ounce Old Overholt rye whiskey1 ounce Tariquet VSOP armagnac1/2 ounce Giffard Banane du Brésil liqueur1/2 tsp demerara simple syrup1 dash The Bitter Truth Old Time aromatic bittersGarnish: lemon twistPour a small amount of absinthe into a chilled rocks glass. Swirl to coat the inside, discarding any excess, and set the glass aside. Add all remaining ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared rocks glass over fresh ice. Twist a swath of lemon peel over the drink to express its oils and discard.Links mentioned in today's show:https://mailchimp.comConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saas-experience/https://weav.comAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

For those that don’t know, Headspace makes meditation a lot less intimidating.  They’ve also introduced a series of sleep courses to help you get to sleep easier. In their words, Headspace provides “mindfulness for your everyday life”. Stress less. Move more. Sleep soundly.As long time users of their product, we’re big fans of the product and experience. Having said that, we would argue the total experience they’ve pulled off is second to none. Like all of our episodes, today’s show, Headspace, is paired with a cocktail. In today’s episode, we chose the “Vesper”. A drink that embodies clarity just by looking at it.Vesper Recipe:3 oz Gin1 oz Vodka1/2 oz Lillet blanc apéritif Garnish: Lemon twistAdd all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir (or, if preparing the Bond way, shake). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a slice of lemon peel over the drink, rub along the rim of the glass, and drop it in.Links mentioned in today’s show:https://headspace.com Connect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperience https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saa...https://weav.comAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience — brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

We had a little bit of a hiatus from uploading while the world was hit with this crazy pandemic but we’re back. 2020’s punches can’t keep us down. Today we’re switching things up a bit from our normal flow. We breakdown the topic/strategy of off-boarding. Probably one of the most overlooked strategies when it comes to customer experience. Like all of our episodes, today's show, Off-boarding, is paired with a cocktail. We decided to go with the “Corpse Reviver”. Do we need to even explain why? ;)Corpse Reviver Recipe:Absinthe, to rinse3/4 oz Gin3/4 oz Orange liqueur3/4 oz Lillet blanc3/4 oz Fresh lemon juiceRinse a chilled coupe or Martini glass with absinthe and set aside. Add the remaining ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into the prepared glass.Links mentioned in today's show:https://intercomhttps://drift.comhttps://slack.comConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saasexperiencehttps://weav.comAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

We chat about Drift.com in today's episode. The Drift team has coined the phrase "Conversational Marketing" for their product. The product is much more tailored to marketers as opposed to more traditional customer support software. As previous customers ourselves, we have a lot of insight and opinions into the pros and cons we experienced using the product.   Like all of our episodes, today's featured brand, Drift, is paired with a cocktail. For this episode, we chose the "Brave Bull". This cocktail just has 2 ingredients. Tequila and Kaluha. It's a unique drink. Just like Drift is unique with it's positioning around a slight iteration of something fairly simple like Live Chat.Brave Bull Cocktail Recipe:1 1/2 ounces gold tequila1 ounce KahluaLemon spiral, to garnishShake tequila and Kahlua in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the contents of the shaker into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with the lemon spiral, and serve.Links mentioned in today's show:https://drift.comhttps://intercom.comConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saasexperiencehttps://weav.comAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

Today we're reviewing the Grammarly experience. With $200M in funding, Grammarly has expanded beyond just a spell checker. From their new tone detector to working towards expansion into tools people are using to communicate, Grammarly wants to influence everything you write. Like all of our episodes, today's featured brand, Grammarly, is paired with a cocktail. We chose the "Old Pal" for today's show. Grammarly is always there by your side, making you look good. Like a trusty old pal.Old Pal Cocktail Recipe:1 oz Rye whiskey1 oz Dry vermouth1 oz CampariGarnish: Lemon twistAdd all the ingredients into a mixing glass, top with cubed ice and stir. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.Links mentioned in today's show:https://grammarly.comConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saasexperiencehttps://weav.comAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

In today's show, we highlight Bubble.io. One of the first "no code" tools. In their words, "You don't need to be a coder to build software". The product allows you to quickly create fully functioning apps with visual programming. As users of the product (the first version of Weav.com was built on Bubble), we break down our thoughts on where they are hitting the mark and other areas they need some focus on.Like all of our episodes, today's featured brand, Bubble.io, is paired with a cocktail. We decided to go with a "Southside Fizz". With a name like Bubble, we needed a drink to play on.Southside Fizz Cocktail Recipe:1 1/4 oz Tanqueray No. TEN Gin1/2 oz Lime juice1/2 oz Simple syrup1 sprig MintClub sodaGarnish: 1 None Mint sprigIn a shaker, muddle the mint, lime juice, and simple syrup. Add the gin and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice. Stir until frost appears on the outside of the glass. Fill with club soda and garnish with another mint sprig.Links mentioned in today's show:https://bubble.iohttps://www.webflow.comhttps://www.framer.comConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saasexperiencehttps://weav.comAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

We're back with another episode! This week we're reviewing Airtable. If you're not familiar with Airtable, they've raised $170M with a mission to democratize software. Most associate them with powerful spreadsheets + databases but clearly they want more. As with all of our shows, we pair a cocktail with the episode. For some insane reason we thought it'd be a good idea to choose a "Long Island Iced Tea". The reasoning (still suspect) is because the drink offers pretty simple ingredients plus a Coke but all together, gives you a big kick. Airtable's product is similar. Long Island Iced Tea Recipe:  3/4 oz Vodka  3/4 oz White rum  3/4 oz Silver tequila  3/4 oz Gin  3/4 oz Triple sec  3/4 oz Simple syrup  3/4 oz Fresh lemon juice  Cola, to top  Garnish: Lemon wedge  Add all ingredients except the cola into a Collins glass with ice. Top with a splash of the cola and stir briefly. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve with a straw. Links mentioned in today's show: https://airtable.com  Connect with us at the usual places: https://theexperience.fm https://twitter.com/saasexperience https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saasexperience https://weav.com About The Experience: As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

This week's episode features Superhuman — "The fastest email experience". As a user of Superhuman (since June 2018), a lot of our opinions are based on personal experience with their product. Most good. Some bad. The biggest concern is do they have a big enough moat to keep customers on board? Time will tell.Like all of our episodes, today's featured brand, Superhuman, is paired with a cocktail. We decided to go with an "Improved Whiskey Cocktail". This drink is essentially an Old Fashioned, improved upon. Superhuman is email, improved upon.Improved Whiskey Cocktail Recipe:2 ounces bourbon or rye1 dash simple syrup1 bar spoon maraschino liqueur1 dash Angostura bitters1 dash Peychaud's bitters1 dash absintheGarnish: lemon or orange peelIn a rocks glass, muddle sugar cube (or sugar or simple syrup) with maraschino, bitters, and absinthe. Add whiskey and stir. Add ice (preferably a large cube) and stir until well chilled. Garnish with a lemon or orange peel.Links mentioned in today's show:https://superhuman.comhttps://www.dropbox.comhttps://www.sparkmailapp.comhttps://polymail.ioConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saa...https://weav.comAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

Today's show features Whimsical. A visual workspace product that busted on the scene just a few years ago. The product allows you to create wireframes, flowcharts, sticky notes and mind maps. All lightning fast.The cocktail we paired with today's episode is a Manhatten. We decided to go with a "Manhatten" because the drink it's not an overly complicated drink but it's surprisingly hard to nail a Manhatten. Whimsical is no different. In today's world, there's a ton of products trying to nail the perfect wireframing tool experience and Whimiscal and truly hit the mark.The Manhatten Drink Recipe:2 oz Bourbon or rye1 oz Sweet vermouth2 dashes Angostura bitters1 dash Orange bitters Garnish: Brandied cherryAdd all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice, and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a brandied cherry.Links mentioned in today's show:https://whimsical.coConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saasexperienceAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

In today's episode, we break down Figma. The design tool that's taking the design world by storm. The innovations they've made have become the standard now. From a google doc's style collaboration, web-based interface, prototyping tools and more. It's been fascinating to watch.Like all of our episodes, today's featured brand, Figma, is paired with a cocktail. We decided to go with a "Ti Punch" because, like Figma which gets out of its own way, this drink has the same idea.The Ti Punch Drink Recipe:2 ounces Rum, light or dark1 bar spoon cane syrup1 wedge limeGarnish: lime peel coinIn a rocks glass, add wedge lime and muddle to extract juices. Then add a splash of cane syrup. Add rum. Optional — you can add a few ice cubes. Stir gently and garnish with a lime coin.Links mentioned in today's show:https://figma.comhttps://www.sketch.com/https://www.adobe.com/products/xd.htmlConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saasexperienceAbout The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.

In today's episode, we break down Shinesty.com. The beloved clothing brand with a cult-like following that screams "we came here to party".Like all of our episodes, today's featured brand, Shinesty, is paired with a cocktail. The most-fitting cocktail that we could find to match Shinesty's brand is a little drinky-drink called "The Last Word".The Last Word Drink Recipe:3/4 oz Gin3/4 oz Green Chartreuse3/4 oz Marashino Liqueur3/4 oz Fresh Lime JuiceAdd all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass.Links mentioned in today's show:https://shinesty.comhttps://www.instagram.com/shinestythr...https://www.facebook.com/Shinestyhttps://twitter.com/ShinestyConnect with us at the usual places:https://theexperience.fmhttps://twitter.com/saasexperiencehttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/saa...About The Experience:As always, thanks for watching and supporting The Experience -- brought to you by Weav.com.The weekly show that explores what it takes to compete on customer experience and build an online company that can last decades.