“Customers who reach out are the ones who care” — Eli Winderbaum, Captions

This week on the Sub Club podcast, we’re joined by Eli Winderbaum, Head of Customer Experience at Captions, an AI-powered video creation app. Eli discusses challenges and strategies for scaling customer support as a fast-growing startup and shares how Captions uses AI to enhance — not replace— its support team. He also emphasizes the importance of treating customer support as a key part of the user experience, rather than an afterthought.

Balancing automation with personalization

Many companies aim to automate as much support as possible. But Eli takes a different approach: he believes in the power of blending automation with human touch to provide a concierge-like experience for users. At Captions, automation handles repetitive tasks, allowing the support team to focus on more personalized, meaningful interactions with customers. “We don’t just deflect,” Eli says. “We create an experience where users feel valued and heard.”

Eli explains how automation should be used strategically to free up time for agents to engage with users at a deeper level, especially when resolving complex issues. This has helped Captions build stronger relationships with their users, which in turn boosts long-term retention and customer loyalty.

Global growth and 24/7 support

As Captions scaled globally, the challenge of offering round-the-clock support across time zones and languages became a top priority. Eli shares how they built a global support system that operates 24/7, ensuring personalized service no matter where their users are. To achieve this, they rely on a “follow the sun” model, with team members stationed in key regions worldwide.

The team recently partnered with Parahelp, which offers an advanced AI Agent that works alongside his team to offer a seamless customer support experience. When a customer sends a message, Parahelp uses both their help center documentation and recent agent replies to craft empathetic and individualized responses and even perform actions on behalf of customers. This has allowed Captions to provide over a 70% resolution rate with Parahelp, freeing up the rest of the team to build rapport with customers and solve the most complex issues. “We make sure that even when AI is involved, it feels like an extension of our team, not a robotic response,” Eli adds.

Community feedback and rapid iteration

In the early stages of development, Captions leaned heavily on its community for feedback. Platforms like Discord were invaluable for gathering real-time input on features, bug fixes, and user needs. Eli emphasizes how essential this community-driven approach was to shaping the app’s direction. “We were able to quickly iterate on what users really wanted and needed,” he explains.

As the company scaled, they refined their processes for handling feedback, integrating user insights into their development roadmap while ensuring the support team was always aligned with product updates. By maintaining an open line of communication with their community, Captions has been able to foster a loyal user base that feels heard and appreciated.

Conclusion

Eli Winderbaum’s approach to scaling customer support at Captions offers valuable insights for any app business looking to enhance user experience. By blending automation with personalized support, building a global 24/7 support system, and staying closely connected to their user community, Captions has created a model that not only increases user activation but also reduces churn and builds long-term loyalty. Listen to our full conversation with Eli to learn more about how great customer support can be a true competitive advantage.