In this episode of An Hour of Innovation podcast, host Vit Lyoshin talks with Eli Portnoy, founder of BackEngine.ai, about how AI is reshaping the way companies gather and act on customer feedback. They explore how AI can surface hidden insights from emails, calls, and support tickets, turning scattered conversations into structured product intelligence. Eli shares how feedback loops break as companies grow, how to validate feature ideas using real data, and what it takes to build smarter, more customer-centric products.
Eli Portnoy is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of BackEngine.ai, an AI-powered platform that helps teams operationalize customer feedback at scale. He previously founded Thinknear (acquired by Telenav) and Sense360 (acquired by Medallia), and also worked as a product leader at Amazon. With over 15 years of experience building tech companies, Eli is passionate about helping businesses deeply understand their customers and move faster with confidence.
Support This Podcast
This episode is brought by: https://pheedback.co/
Pheedback is an AI-powered platform that transforms traditional surveys into dynamic conversations, delivering deeper insights and higher response rates.
Takeaways
* Startups often lose touch with their customers as they grow.
* AI can help capture and analyze customer feedback effectively.
* Frequent communication with customers is crucial for retention.
* Understanding customer needs can prevent churn.
* Feedback should be seen as a gift, not criticism.
* BackEngine.ai can help validate product ideas and features.
* Large companies struggle with customer feedback due to complexity.
* Startups have the advantage of agility in responding to feedback.
* The future of AI holds great potential for transforming customer insights.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
03:44 The Role of AI in Feedback Collection
07:53 Example of How AI Helped Figure Out Customer Churn
09:26 Customer Communication Channels
11:07 Brainstorming and Prototyping with AI
12:19 Who are the Users of Back Engine
15:08 Validating Customer Feedback and Ideas
16:36 Prioritization and Recommendations
17:51 Dealing with Unused Features
19:08 Beyond Customer Feedback
25:10 The Evolution of Customer Feedback in Startups
28:40 Challenges of Large Organizations in Customer Feedback
34:24 The Future of AI and Customer Feedback
39:16 Advice for First-Time Founders
Connect with Eli
* Website: https://www.backengine.com/
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliportnoy/
* X: https://x.com/eportnoy
Connect with Vit
* Website: https://vitlyoshin.com/contact/
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vit-lyoshin/
* X: https://x.com/vitlyoshin
* Buy things on Amazon that Vit Lyoshin recommends: https://www.amazon.com/shop/anhourofinnovationwithvitlyoshin
Podcast Website
* https://www.anhourofinnovation.com/
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