Moritz Dausinger @Refiner. Hacking SaaS customer support in a team of 3

In this episode #37, we are talking with Moritz Dausinger, Founder and CEO of Refiner (https://refiner.io/ ), a powerful survey tool that allows to precisely target user segments based on our data. Moritz shares his opinion about hiring for SaaS, keeping the team small and the way to make it work with freelancers. We also discuss the way Refiner deals with customer support with a team of 4 and why pushing customers back to try and and the solution works for them. Moritz talks about company culture and the importance of cultivating one even if there’s just a handful of you.

(0:00:05) – Serial Entrepreneurship and Niching Down 

We chat with Moritz Dausinger, a seasoned entrepreneur who has bootstrapped three startups from zero to exit. We discuss his background, his entrepreneurial journey, and his current venture, Refiner – a customer feedback solution for digital product companies. Moritz shares his experiences of starting from scratch and reveals that the execution part is not always easier, even if you have done it before. We also explore how he is using his product DocParser to help scrape data from PDFs.

(0:17:05) – Managing Freelancers for Long-Term Success

Moritz Dausinger highlights his approach to working with freelancers for his startups. He explains how he’s built long-term relationships with freelancers on a retainer basis, as well as the mindset he uses when working with them. We explore the value of execution when it comes to marketing, how to differentiate between consultants and freelancers, and the importance of taking action on ideas.

(0:26:02) – Niche Product Development and Customer Support 

Moritz Dausinger’s strategy for creating powerful products that are still easy to use is discussed. He explains how he was able to niche down to address a specific market, and how this allowed him to create a product that was powerful yet not too complex. Attention to detail and effort into customer experience, from the website to the app and all the way to the documentation is highlighted. This approach appeals to both technical and non-technical customers is also discussed.

(0:40:01) – Niche Product Growth

We discuss how Moritz Dausinger’s strategic integration with Segment and focus on a specific niche of techy marketers has proven to be successful for his startup, Refiner. We explore why it’s important to niche down even in a saturated market and how this approach can be beneficial to a startup’s culture and team. We also talk about branching out to other markets in the future and why Moritz chose to build Refiner without an exit in mind.

(0:44:10) – Building a Startup With Refiner 

We discuss the importance of raising capital for startups with Moritz Dausinger. He shares why taking venture capital can change the trajectory of a project and the math involved in deciding when it’s time to sell. Moritz also reveals his biggest win and failure in launching his startups, and how he was able to niche down to target a specific type of user. Finally, we explore the potential of AI to help with survey analysis and why Moritz doesn’t feel ready to tackle it himself.