Research Analyst at Blair William & Co/il
Willow Miller is an analyst at William Blair & Company, L.L.C., focusing on equity research within a specialized sector. While detailed performance metrics such as TipRanks rankings and specific coverage companies are not publicly available, Miller is known for employing a disciplined, research-driven approach for clients across a variety of industries. With a career at William Blair dating to the early 2020s and prior experience in investment management, Miller has developed expertise through both academic foundations and direct industry engagement. She holds necessary FINRA securities licenses, further reinforcing her professional competency and commitment to compliance.
Willow Miller asked for an update on Livebox, specifically inquiring about business stability after elevated churn earlier in the year.
CFO Beth Gaspich stated that cloud revenue growth achieved expectations at 12%, emphasizing the core cloud business is growing well. She confirmed a positive outlook for Livebox, forecasting ongoing cloud revenue growth and healthy signs.
Willow Miller asked for an update on Livebox, specifically regarding business stability after experiencing elevated churn earlier in the year.
CFO Beth Gaspich confirmed that Livebox has a positive outlook and is forecasting ongoing growth in cloud revenue, indicating healthy signs in that part of the business.
Speaking for Arjun Bhatia, Willow Miller asked if NICE's evolving AI portfolio is accelerating the migration of on-premise contact center solutions to the cloud.
CEO Scott Russell confirmed that customers migrating from on-premise systems are now placing significant emphasis on the integrated AI capabilities of the cloud platform, a notable shift from 12-18 months ago. He stressed that the market demands a unified platform over fragmented solutions, positioning NICE's comprehensive AI and CCaaS offering as a key leader in this evolution.
Speaking for Arjun Bhatia, Willow Miller asked if NICE's evolving AI portfolio is accelerating the migration of on-premise contact centers to the cloud as customers prepare for agentic AI.
CEO Scott Russell confirmed that AI capabilities are now an essential evaluation criterion for customers moving from on-premise to the cloud, a significant shift from 12-18 months ago. He emphasized that customers demand a unified platform combining cloud and AI, not fragmented solutions, which aligns with NICE's strategy for its CXone mPOWER platform and the planned integration of Cognigy.
On behalf of Arjun Bhatia, Willow Miller of William Blair & Company, L.L.C. asked if NICE's evolving AI portfolio is accelerating the migration of on-premise contact centers to the cloud.
CEO Scott Russell confirmed that AI capabilities are now an essential part of the evaluation for customers moving from on-premise to the cloud, a shift from 12-18 months ago. He stated that customers are no longer just looking for a cloud move but for a platform with integrated, powerful AI for self-service and agent augmentation. He emphasized that customers want a unified platform, not fragmented solutions, which positions NICE favorably.
Speaking for Arjun Bhatia, Willow Miller asked if NICE's evolving AI portfolio is accelerating the migration of on-premise contact centers to the cloud.
CEO Scott Russell explained that AI capabilities have become an essential evaluation criterion for customers moving from on-premise to the cloud, a significant shift from 12-18 months ago. He emphasized that enterprises are rejecting fragmented solutions and demanding a unified platform with deeply integrated AI, which validates NICE's strategy and strengthens its competitive position.
Willow Miller of William Blair & Company requested an update on the sales representative ramp initiated several quarters ago, specifically asking if the newer sales resources are successfully closing more deals in the latter half of the year as anticipated.
Or Offer, Co-Founder and CEO, confirmed a quarter-over-quarter improvement in go-to-market performance, noting a record high number of salespeople contributing to revenue generation this quarter, with ongoing optimization efforts.
Willow Miller asked for an update on the sales rep ramp initiated a few quarters ago, specifically whether the newer sales resources are closing more deals in the second half of the year as anticipated.
Or Offer, Co-Founder and CEO, confirmed that the company is seeing an improvement in go-to-market quarter over quarter, with a higher number of salespeople participating in generating revenues. He noted that the company is continuously optimizing its sales force.
Willow Miller of William Blair & Company, L.L.C. inquired about the necessary steps for GenAI and LLM data evaluation prospects to convert into paid, recurring customers.
Co-Founder & CEO Or Offer stated that conversion is a function of the standard sales cycle, involving customer testing and validation, and expressed high confidence in the pipeline. CFO Jason Schwartz added that these are typically seven-figure deals and pointed to a prior customer's successful renewal and multi-million dollar upsell as a model for these new prospects.
Willow Miller asked for further comments on downsell activity and the status of ZIRP (Zero Interest Rate Policy) era customer renewals, inquiring if more such renewals are expected in the balance of the year.
CFO Isabelle Winkles reiterated satisfaction with the overall trajectory of downsell activity and the stabilization observed in the in-quarter dollar-based net retention. She stated that Braze would not untangle ZIRP-era renewals any further but would continue to report on the trailing 12-month DBNR in upcoming quarters.
Willow Miller asked about the timing of the 'bend' in Sprinklr's transformational journey, inquiring if it's expected in the back half of FY26 or FY27, and which business metrics should be monitored to observe this improvement.
Rory Read, President and CEO, explained that the bend is anticipated in the second half of FY26 into early FY27, driven by improved renewals, customer satisfaction, reduced challenged accounts, and overall business growth. He noted positive indications and ongoing progress.
Willow Miller inquired about the deceleration in Applications & Commerce (A&C) growth during the quarter and whether a trough was expected, and also asked about the performance of recent customer cohorts who have experienced the Arrow platform.
CFO Mark McCaffrey clarified there is no trough in A&C growth, attributing the deceleration to a tough year-over-year comparison and highlighting the segment's ~$2 billion run rate. CEO Aman Bhutani added that comps will ease in the second half. Regarding Arrow cohorts, McCaffrey noted they convert at higher rates, drive larger order sizes, and have near-perfect retention, which Bhutani confirmed is driven by higher multi-product attach rates.
Willow Miller, on for Arjun Bhatia, asked for commentary on the current macro environment's impact on the customer base and inquired about the quarter-over-quarter deceleration in A&C bookings growth.
CEO Aman Bhutani stated that the macro environment remains broadly stable, with internal improvements in conversion and pricing offsetting any pockets of weakness. CFO Mark McCaffrey added that new customers show higher intent and ARPU. McCaffrey clarified that the A&C bookings growth rate change was not due to slowing momentum but rather the effect of facing tougher year-over-year comparisons in Q3.
Willow Miller, on for Arjun Bhatia, asked for an update on the company's go-to-market evolution and how the sales force has responded to the strategic changes.
Founder, CEO & Director Spenser Skates characterized the go-to-market strategy as a continuous evolution, noting the company is now well-equipped for large enterprise deals, a significant change from three years ago. He highlighted the recent creation of a strategic accounts team as an example of this evolution. He expressed that the team has responded positively, embracing the company's cultural value of a "growth mindset," which requires constant learning and adaptation.
Willow Miller inquired about the monetization strategy for the new Web Experimentation product and asked for an update on the competitive landscape, including any new entrants.
CEO Spenser Skates stated that Web Experimentation is sold directly and is gaining traction with marketing and growth teams due to its point-and-click interface. On competition, he reiterated the trend of consolidation against legacy MarTech and point solutions. He also highlighted a new opportunity arising from customer dissatisfaction with Google Analytics 4, citing its lack of depth and privacy issues as key drivers for prospects to seek alternatives like Amplitude.
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