What is RevOps? And why are we STILL asking this question? Turns out, lots of people have lots of differing opinions.
Hear from Prakash Raina, Co-Founder of Subskribe, Anna Overly, Senior Director of GTM Strategy and Operations at Outreach, and Jason Bieber, Founder and Principal at Kumonami, as they explore RevOps' current state, including its evolving role, core functions, departmental reach, and optimal reporting structures, alongside the potential impact of AI on the field.
The panelists and the RevOps Co-op webinar audience had strong feelings about the departmental scope of RevOps. Camela believes that RevOps support should extend across multiple functions, including sales, customer success (CS), and marketing, even occasionally expanding into Product and Finance. Anything that touches revenue should be managed by RevOps.
Prakash said that, while sales and CS are usually supported by RevOps, the inclusion of marketing depends heavily on the company’s structure and revenue strategy. At larger companies, marketing may operate independently with its own data and operational management. In other organizations, RevOps provides direct support to unify customer data and sales insights for a more cohesive strategy. Anna and Jason argued that RevOps should support everyone in the revenue cycle, including product and customer success.
“Having a function that’s responsible for orchestrating product operations and pricing agility across all the stakeholders within a company is something I think a revenue operations team is really well suited to do.” - Jason Bieber
Jump to the clip for a discussion on why your RevOps team can’t be just one person.
Among the fundamental responsibilities discussed were systems management, analytics, data governance, deal desk, and enablement. Analytics emerged as a universally essential function, while deal desk and enablement integration varied more according to company size, structure, and team dynamics.
Jason pointed out that any analytics required for territory organization, quota setting, and capacity planning should definitely roll up into RevOps. Deal desk can go either way but it often makes sense to include it in RevOps because it’s very cross-functional.
Prakash says that when it comes to systems, someone like a Salesforce architect should always roll up to IT, not RevOps. Anna shared her experience with enablement sitting under RevOps at Outreach, noting that direct integration with enablement accelerates project execution, minimizes cross-departmental friction, and strengthens RevOps’ influence in driving revenue.
“Execution and enablement go hand in hand. RevOps is able to adjust our speed to execution incredibly faster than it would if enablement sat outside of our team.” - Anna Overly
Jump to the clip to hear Prakash break down the nuances between IT and RevOps for systems management.
The terminology around RevOps and GTMOps can often lead to confusion and misalignment, as the two functions—though similar—differ in focus. GTMOps primarily centers on strategies for product launch and market positioning, whereas RevOps takes a more expansive view, covering the entire revenue lifecycle, including customer retention and success.
Prakash remarked that adopting the term RevOps signifies a commitment to revenue optimization across the full customer lifecycle, not just during the go-to-market phase. Jason suggested that companies can benefit from adopting a label that clearly represents the function’s strategic objectives.
“In every department, every new word that has come up in the industry goes through a lifecycle before it gets standardized in a fashion. This is the phase that we’re going through with revenue operations.” - Prakash Raina
Jump to the clip to learn why Anna has a GTM Ops org at Outreach.
Reporting structure plays a crucial role in RevOps’ effectiveness and reach. Many organizations place RevOps under the CRO or CFO to ensure alignment with revenue goals, while others opt for a COO to facilitate a more operationally holistic perspective. The East Coast panelists interestingly suggested that a CRO from an operations background could provide the best fit.
Camela acknowledged the complexities in reporting structure, noting that while the CRO often brings RevOps in line with revenue goals, CFO oversight could align RevOps with financial objectives, particularly in public companies. Prakash shared his experience of RevOps reporting to the CRO as a strategic choice to promote cohesion across sales, CS, and marketing.
“COO is an option when you have one, and I think that it's right in the name. So, I'd want to know why revenue operations wouldn't report there if there is a COO.” - Jason Bieber
Jump to the clip to hear the panel's answers to the big question: What is a CRO?
Transitioning from RevOps to CRO may seem natural, yet the panel discussed that successful CROs typically require hands-on experience in sales or other customer-facing roles. This experience provides critical insights that are essential for managing revenue-impacting functions.
The panelists agreed that while RevOps leaders often possess the analytical and strategic skills needed for a CRO role, success in such a position frequently depends on a deeper understanding of sales and customer success dynamics. Anna highlighted that RevOps leaders aiming for a CRO role could benefit from rotational experiences in customer-facing roles to deepen their understanding of the entire revenue cycle.
“I've found the most success is being that strategic operational voice to the CRO. When you have a sales leader there, RevOps can be that voice of strategic vision and execution.” - Anna Overly
Jump to the clip for Jason’s analysis of why CROs aren't successful at leading RevOps.
As AI technologies continue to evolve, RevOps is likely to experience increased automation in data-intensive tasks like analytics and systems management. However, the human element remains essential because context-driven insights require human oversight, as AI alone cannot capture the nuanced understanding of customer needs and market conditions.
The discussion on AI’s impact on RevOps revealed a shared optimism tempered by caution. Anna noted that AI offers a productivity boost by handling repetitive tasks, allowing RevOps teams to focus on more strategic functions. Jason agreed, adding that AI will transform systems management, reducing the need for manual configurations.
“I can tell you AI makes your life a whole lot easier. Is it going to take away my job? Certainly not, but is it going to make my job a lot easier? Yes.” - Anna Overly
Jump to the clip to learn why Camela emphatically says “no” to the question: Will AI replace RevOps?
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