#74 The Future of Enterprise Business Reviews

Communicating value is one of the most critical responsibilities of a CSM.

But it's also one of the most time-consuming.

Today CSMs go between multiple systems to find the right data, use calculators like this one to transform insights into ROI, and spend a few hours creating presentations from scratch.

At best it takes a few hours. At worst, a few days.

I’ve spent a lot of time exploring how to streamline this process, from writing about automating EBRs to interviewing industry leaders like the CEO of Matik.

Mostly of what's available today is automation. Pulling data from existing sources and plugging it into a standard template.

While this is a significant improvement over manual creation — my team has cut EBR prep time by 2-4 hours using automated decks — I believe the future of EBRs is fully tailored per customer, depending on what's most important to them, versus a static slide deck.

So, how far are we from this future?

There’s no shortage of conversations about GenAI and its potential to transform the way we work. But can it truly step up to the plate when it comes to delivering Executive Business Reviews?

Let’s dive into what can be accomplished today in value communication using GenAI!

The High Bar for EBRs

Executive Business Reviews are often viewed as a relationship-defining moment. They are tailored, data-driven conversations that highlight customer outcomes and future goals. They’re not just about presenting facts; they’re about delivering insights that resonate with the executive audience.

To deliver an effective EBR, you need:

• Deep understanding of customer goals and metrics
• Strategic foresight to propose future plans
• Tailored stories that align with the expected business outcomes
• Executive-level communication to build trust and foster long-term relationships

Without this data, the result will be underwhelming (whether human or AI generated).

You can see some great frameworks and templates Matik created to help leaders build effective EBRs here. Having a template is a great first step in understanding what data you need.

With so many subjective elements in play, it’s hard to see a world where GenAI can handle this complexity and deliver something we can confidently put in front of customers.

Can GenAI Meet the EBR Challenge?

GenAI is really impressive. It excels at content generation, summarising complex data, and offering personalised recommendations based on available information.  And AI video tools, albeit a little creepy, can help scale the delivery of value communication by creating customised videos of CSMs delivering the EBR content. 

But when it comes to delivering high-value EBRs, the technology will need to prove it can master three key areas:

1. Contextual Understanding: GenAI can pull customer data from your CRM, financial reports, and product usage statistics. But will it fully grasp the nuance of a customer’s strategic priorities? The difference between a valuable EBR and a generic one often comes down to understanding the customer’s unique context. GenAI is only as good as the data it’s trained on, so without proper context, it might miss the mark on truly resonating with an executive audience.
2. Executive-Level Insights: Generating data reports is one thing, but weaving those metrics into a compelling narrative that speaks to C-suite concerns is another. GenAI can create visually appealing reports and help automate the process of pulling customer success stories, but will it be able to surface the key insights that keep your biggest accounts renewing? High-quality EBRs are often about foresight—something GenAI can assist with but may struggle to own entirely.
3. Human Touch: Let’s not forget, EBRs are also about relationships. Trust and rapport built over time play a huge role in executive buy-in. There's also politics. In a room of people at different levels and departments, you need to navigate politics effectively to get anything done. While GenAI can help with tasks like data summarization and presentation generation, it lacks the empathy, adaptability, and soft skills that a seasoned Customer Success Manager brings to the table.

I deep dive into some of these key elements in this guide on how to communicate value to customers.

GenAI: A Tool, Not a Replacement

So, can GenAI deliver EBRs?

The answer is both yes and no. GenAI can support EBRs by automating parts of the process—pulling key metrics, building presentation templates, and even suggesting content based on previous conversations. It can provide a pre-discussion video reviewing the insights so the meetings can be more about discussion than reading out facts. But it’s not yet ready to replace the human insight and strategic thinking that make EBRs truly impactful.

The other thing to remember is that an EBR is a two-way conversation.

It's not just about delivering the information to the customer, but getting their perspective and buy-in to action the recommendations we make. It's an opportunity to talk about difficult topics without 

Here’s where GenAI could shine:

• Automated Data Pulls: Imagine no longer spending hours gathering metrics across different tools. GenAI can pull these data points in real-time, allowing you to focus on analysis rather than data wrangling. Not only from structured data, but also from conversations, emails, support tickets etc. 
• Pre-Built Templates: GenAI can assist in creating professional, tailored presentation decks with the click of a button, ensuring all the necessary information is displayed clearly. Matik has this awesome GenAI template builder.
• Recommendations at Scale: With access to historical data, GenAI can suggest next steps, upsell opportunities, and renewal strategies based on customer trends. This could help CSMs move faster and with more confidence.

TL'DR

GenAI can support your EBR creation process by making it better and faster. It can even improve the customer experience by making the EBR meetings more discussion-focused than readouts.  But it can't fully replace your CSMs just yet. 

Here are some practical steps to get started:

1. Start Small with Automation: Begin by automating data pulls and presentation generation for EBRs. This can save significant time and reduce manual errors. If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend a demo from Matik. 
2. Leverage AI-Powered Insights: Use GenAI tools to analyse historical customer data and surface potential opportunities or risks you may not have considered.
3. Keep the Human Element: While GenAI can assist with preparation, the final delivery and executive communication still require a human touch. Make sure your CSMs remain at the forefront of this high-stakes interaction.

Making EBRs great will have a huge positive impact on your customer's renewal.

That's a key place to invest energy in 2025!