Quietly replacing the old way: customers are switching to the company from an entrenched alternative, and the switching
The model's full reasoning — Q4 2023 call → NOWe need to determine if management describes customers switching from an entrenched alternative to the company's product, and that this switching is still early with most potential switchers not yet converted. Looking at the transcript: Management talks about their railcar inspection portal being best in class, and they have customers like Amtrak, Canadian National, etc. They mention that they are in discussions with many potential customers. They talk about the technology being adopted, but do they explicitly say that customers are switching from an incumbent? They mention that they are a leader in machine vision and AI wayside detection. They say "We continue to be told by our current customers, potential customers, regulators, and labor unions that our railcar inspection portal is best in class." That implies they are displacing something? But they don't explicitly say that customers previously used something else and are now switching to them. They talk about the technology being new and that they are showing it to many. They mention that they have 13 edge data centers and that they are expanding. They also mention that they are in discussions with companies outside rail for edge computing. But the question is about switching from an entrenched alternative. The transcript doesn't mention a specific competitor or legacy method that customers are abandoning. They talk about the technology being new and that they are educating the market. They say "the audience is at first stunned by the capability" implying it's novel. They don't say that customers are replacing an existing solution. They mention that they are transitioning from CapEx to subscription, but that's about their own business model, not about customers switching from an alternative. They also mention that they have a patent and that they are making progress. But there is no clear statement that customers are moving from an incumbent to them. They say "We have also demonstrated our technology to the Customs and Border Patrol Agency" etc. But that's just demonstrations. The question asks: "does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON" — I don't see that. They don't mention any alternative that customers used before.
| Ticker | Company | Call | Date | Call grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| IRTC | iRhythm Technologies, Inc. | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-07 | C+ |
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| RNW | ReNew Energy Global Plc | Q2 2022 | 2021-11-18 | C |
| ILMN | Illumina, Inc. | Q1 2018 | 2018-04-24 | A |
| INST | Instructure's | Q4 2017 | 2018-02-12 | B+ |
| HOLX | Hologic, Inc. | Q4 2017 | 2017-11-08 | D |
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| EVBN | Evans Bancorp, Inc. | Q4 2016 | 2017-02-06 | B+ |
| BDC | Belden Inc. | Q4 2016 | 2017-02-02 | B |
BLKB · Q1 2017 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON, and that this switching is still in its early ...YES Management describes customers switching from entrenched alternatives (legacy hardware systems, older Raiser's Edge versions, standalone point solutions) to Blackbaud's cloud solutions like NXT, with examples of recent replacements and migrations already occurring. They also note that much of the potential remains, as the installed base of legacy methods is still large 25% of subscription revenue, and they describe the opportunity as "really early days" with substantial distance left to run. This fits the criteria of a present-tense substitution pattern in the market, not just future hope. The high retention on their own base (93%) combined with declining maintenance revenue shows the shift is active and ongoing, while new wins against competitors and legacy alternatives are happening now. The TAM of $7 billion with hundreds of thousands of addressable customers reinforces that switching is early-stage relative to the total opportunity. The answer is YES. The question is answered with YES. The question is answered with YES.
BLZE · Q3 2022 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON, and that this switching is still in its early ...YES The transcript shows management describing current customer switches from entrenched alternatives (AWS for urlscan.io; Synology NAS/on-prem for Fiture; broader AWS and on-prem users), with these as real, ongoing patterns. They explicitly note that much of the potential remains ("so much of the world's data is still on-premises" and "customers that are inside of AWS and others"), confirming the substitution is early-stage relative to the large installed base. This is conveyed directly in Gleb's responses as a present-tense reality, not merely anticipated. The two examples plus the broader opportunity framing establish a coherent substitution underway, with the company being substituted in. The investor question on percentages and Gleb's reply reinforce the pattern without contradicting the current movement. No single-event or future-only framing applies here. Thus, both conditions are met.
APPS · Q1 2024 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON, and that this switching is still in its early ...YES The transcript shows management describing customers shifting from Apple/Google app stores to DT Hub and SingleTap-enabled alternative distribution as an ongoing, early-stage substitution. Bill Stone notes the company has already launched DT Hub with four U.S. operators and is generating revenue today, while highlighting "increasing pressure on the duopoly" and 5 monetization ways for SingleTap that enable publishers to direct-download apps outside traditional stores. He explicitly calls it "very early days and not yet material to our overall results" and "early innings," confirming the installed base of the old way remains large and the switch is just beginning with incremental RPD gains from devices engaging the new platform. This meets the criteria of a present-tense substitution underway, with the company positioned as the alternative being adopted.