Quietly replacing the old way: customers are switching to the company from an entrenched alternative, and the switching
The model's full reasoning — Q4 2021 call → NOWe need to determine if management describes customers switching from an entrenched alternative to their company, and that this switching is still early with most potential switchers not yet converted. Let's analyze the transcript. The company is Zenvia, a SaaS company focused on customer experiences and communication in Latin America. They provide a platform for unified communication, including SMS, WhatsApp, etc. Key points from management: - They are transforming from a company focused on one-way communication (SMS termination) to a SaaS company focused on customer experiences. - They have launched new products, added channels like RCS and Instagram API. - They have made acquisitions to expand their offerings. - They mention that their revenue mix is shifting: "Out of the total revenues from beyond SMS rumination were 35% in the year. But if you look at Q4 '21 alone, it is already over 40%." This indicates they are moving away from pure SMS termination to more value-added services. - They talk about "alarm and expand" strategy: "We initially adopt alarm and expand strategy in which we introduce our platform based on one simple use case, and then develop the customer relationship over time by upsell and cross selling." - They mention that customers are using their platform for various use cases, e.g., a fashion retailer started with SMS broker and then used conversational platform, WhatsApp, etc. - They talk about "moving these customers from base communication processes, into a journey wide implementation, integrated and leveraged by data in an eye, all in one single platform." But does management describe customers switching from an entrenched alternative? The company is providing a platform that replaces older methods of communication? Possibly they are displacing legacy SMS termination or traditional customer service? But the question is about customers switching from an incumbent supplier or legacy product. The company itself is growing and gaining market share, but does management explicitly say that customers are abandoning an entrenched alternative to adopt their solution? Let's look for specific language.
| Ticker | Company | Call | Date | Call grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRGO | Freightos Limited | Q1 2024 | 2024-05-20 | C+ |
| IFS | Intercorp Financial Services Inc. | Q1 2024 | 2024-05-14 | C+ |
| NICE | NICE Ltd. | Q4 2023 | 2024-02-22 | B+ |
| APPS | Digital Turbine, Inc. | Q1 2024 | 2023-08-08 | D |
| SPT | Sprout Social, Inc. | Q2 2023 | 2023-08-04 | B+ |
| MBLY | Mobileye Global Inc. | Q2 2023 | 2023-07-28 | B+ |
| IMAX | IMAX Corporation | Q2 2023 | 2023-07-26 | B+ |
| PFIE | Profire Energy, Inc. | Q1 2023 | 2023-05-13 | B |
| TOST | Toast, Inc. | Q4 2022 | 2023-02-16 | C+ |
| BLZE | Backblaze, Inc. | Q3 2022 | 2022-11-11 | D |
| SIBN | SI-BONE, Inc. | Q3 2022 | 2022-11-07 | C+ |
| TMCI | Treace Medical Concepts, Inc. | Q2 2022 | 2022-08-13 | B+ |
| SGRY | Surgery Partners, Inc. | Q2 2022 | 2022-08-02 | B+ |
| BIG | Big Lots, Inc. | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-27 | F |
| FLYW | Flywire Corporation | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-14 | B+ |
| ZVIA | Zevia PBC | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-12 | B |
| IRTC | iRhythm Technologies, Inc. | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-07 | C+ |
| RELY | Remitly Global, Inc. | Q4 2021 | 2022-03-02 | B |
| GTES | Gates Industrial Corporation plc | Q4 2021 | 2022-02-07 | C+ |
| 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 |
| BLKB | Blackbaud, Inc. | Q1 2017 | 2017-05-02 | B+ |
| 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.