After HP acquired Poly, my role expanded to include enhancing the interaction between Poly headsets and HP commercial PCs. This shift allowed me to focus on collaborating with multiple teams to create a seamless integration between the two product lines, improving compatibility, and elevating the overall user experience. 

I worked hand-in-hand with a group of portfolio product managers, diving deep into their world to fully grasp the unique details of their products and industries. This collaboration gave me valuable insights that helped guide a larger mission: to merge and harmonize the various product backend platforms. By understanding the nuances of each product, I was able to identify key opportunities for integration that would streamline operations and align with the broader business unit strategy. It was a process of discovery, innovation, and teamwork, ultimately leading to a stronger, more unified approach across the whole portfolio and the entire business.

I took the lead in driving the software product roadmap for the headset business unit, ensuring every milestone aligned seamlessly with the company’s larger goals. It wasn’t just about planning for the next feature or update, it was about strategically guiding the product’s evolution to meet both immediate needs and long-term objectives. By working closely with stakeholders and keeping a pulse on market trends, I ensured that each decision moved us closer to our vision while staying true to the broader business strategy. This approach allowed the roadmap to become more than just a plan—it became a path to continued growth and innovation.

Product Manager

Poly

Driven by a desire for improvement, I led a series of key initiatives that completely reshaped the software release cycle. By streamlining processes and introducing more efficient methods, we doubled the release cadence per year. This newfound speed allowed us to deliver critical updates and new features, ensuring we stayed ahead of customer demands. The impact was significant—faster feature deployment, improved user satisfaction, and a stronger, more agile development team ready to tackle new challenges.

Developed and launched an entirely new software strategy for the headset group, designed to introduce cutting-edge features, functionalities and processes. The strategy was built with a focus on enhancing every aspect of the user experience, including strengthening our relationship with customers. Through a careful blend of innovation and execution, we successfully integrated these improvements, making the headset more dynamic and user-friendly. The outcome was transformative: users now enjoy a smoother, more engaging experience, and the headset product became a key player in their everyday routines. This marked a significant leap forward in both functionality and customer satisfaction.

NICE inContact

Led the strategy for launching five new digital channels, carefully crafting a plan that would not only meet market trends but also cater to evolving customer needs. From concept to execution, I guided the development process, ensuring each channel was built to enhance the product and offer a better user experience. The successful implementation of these channels marked a turning point, as they seamlessly aligned with both market demands and customer expectations, driving meaningful improvements and boosting the product's overall value.

I worked closely with the curriculum team to bring a new training initiative to life. Together, we developed and delivered a series of internal training videos for a new product, designed to improve staff proficiency. The collaboration was key, by combining their expertise in education with my product knowledge, we created engaging and effective training materials. The result was a more confident and capable team, fully equipped to understand and support the new product.

Product Manager II

I designed tailored onboarding and training plans for a diverse range of customers—SMB, mid-market and enterprise. Each plan was carefully customized to address the unique needs of each client, ensuring they had the tools and knowledge necessary for a smooth platform launch of NICE InContact. By focusing on their specific challenges and goals, I was able to help them hit the ground running, setting them up for long-term success right from day one.

I conducted hundreds of in-depth training sessions, both live and remote, engaging with various departments to empower our customers. Each session was designed to provide them with the essential skills needed to navigate and utilize the platform effectively for their unique needs . With each interaction, I could see how their newfound skills transformed their approach, enabling them to leverage the platform to its fullest potential.

Customer Onboarding Manager

I organized and led an intensive three-week technical support training program, bringing together partners eager to enhance their skills. Each day was filled with hands-on exercises, engaging discussions, and real-world scenarios, all designed to equip them with the knowledge they needed. By the end of the program, the partners emerged certified as tier 1 support providers, ready to offer exceptional service to their customers. It was a proud moment for everyone involved, knowing we had set them on a path to success.

I set out on a collaborative journey, working alongside various departments to tackle a common challenge: the high volume of trouble tickets from newly onboarded customers. Together, we brainstormed and implemented strategies, sharing insights and expertise from each team. It was a collective effort, fueled by our shared commitment to enhancing the customer experience. Slowly but surely, we began to see the results of our hard work. Through proactive measures and streamlined processes, we successfully reduced trouble tickets by an impressive 40%. This achievement not only eased the burden on our support team but also brought greater satisfaction to our customers, who felt more confident navigating our services.

Technical Support Engineer II

Total Protection Inc

Lead Security System Technician

Hi, I’m Kody, and I’m seeking my next opportunity as a Product Manager at a B2B SaaS company.

As a customer-obsessed, technically proficient Product Manager, I excel at deeply understanding my product to create exceptional customer experiences that drive retention and loyalty.

My path to Product Management wasn’t traditional—I started in Customer Support, where I onboarded hundreds of users and gained extensive technical expertise. I used to think Product Managers just attended meetings and acted as Subject Matter Experts. That changed when a Director in the product encouraged me to apply for an open Product Manager role. Initially, I was skeptical, and so was the hiring manager, who questioned why we were even meeting since I didn’t have a PM background.

But after our conversation, he saw what I could bring to the table and said, “You’ve been customer-facing for four years and know the product inside and out. I can teach you product management, but I can’t teach someone to be naturally customer-focused. And you are exactly who we need.”

Since then, I’ve devoted time and energy to learning and driving continuous improvements in customer experience and retention—and I absolutely love it! 

Now, I’m eager to connect with customer-driven SaaS companies or fellow PMs to explore new opportunities and share stories on how to innovate product management.

Let’s connect!

Kody Davis

First Search, Inc

•	At First Search, we are passionate about matching businesses with the ideal candidates. When businesses are sick of searching through 1,000+ resumes with no need in sight, without finding the right candidate, we step in with our methodology that saves time, money, and frustration.

The end result: properly vetted candidates who are the right fit for the right position.

In addition to First Search specializing in working with Salesforce partners, we help the whole spectrum of Fortune 500 companies with:

• Mishire Prevention
• Direct Hire Placements
• Retained Searches
• Contingent Searches
• Temp to Perm
• Contract Staffing
• 1099 to W-2 Conversions
• Retiree Re-Staffing
• Payrolling
• Engagement Fees

To learn more, check out our website, or feel free to contact me directly with any questions.

Chief Employment Officer (CEO) 

Electronic Search, Inc.

Staffing of high tech startups and with established companies.  Military Recruiting of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps into civilian career opportunities.  Placement of Fresh Graduates into futuristic positions.

Managing Partner

General Employment Enterprises

Senior Recruiter

Fisher Scientific

In charge of Medical Lab and Scientific Instrumentation repair and maintenance

Sr Field Representative

We don't find candidates. Instead, we help companies find the ideal person with the exact skill sets you need using #recruitment strategies so efficient, people will ask how you got so brilliant.

For over 40 years, from Salesforce partners to Fortune 500 companies, Al has helped key executives and their companies resolve their staffing needs without time-wasting and money-burning busyness.

As a much sought-out expert known for asking the perfect questions others fail to ask, Al and his firm, First Search, are brought in when others have been unsuccessful in finding that ideal candidate to fill a specific position. 

The results have successfully placed the most qualified employees in the ideal position, so new hires win, and the companies hiring them win. 

If you’re tired of the “numbers game” in hiring and recruiting accompanied by the inevitable tsunami of “what were they thinking?” resumes and candidates, we invite you to jump on a short discovery call that will be more refreshing than a weekend spa in some tropical location.

In place of time-wasting gestures recruitment firms are known for, we will provide an honest, cut-through-the-social-veneer live conversation with each candidate.

Some see this as too time-intensive. We see it as the only way to get it right: an approach that is in direct approach to today’s “do it as quickly and cheaply as you can” approach that results in hundreds of resumes that waste time and money.

If you’d like to connect further, feel free to reach out to me here on LinkedIn or via phone/email.
alkatz@firstsearch.com | +1.847-612-4676

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The Battle

Kody Davis

Allen Katz

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