DocuSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:DOCU) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Allan Thygesen: Yes. So, first of all, I think, look, when people first hear self-serve, they think of don’t you already have a website and can’t people order on your website. And of course, yes, we do, and yes, they can. But what I’m talking about is a significantly more transformational effort where customers can discover, try, embrace and really deploy products without ever engaging with a DocuSign employee, and we can then engage with them as that potential is demonstrated and expressed and we can apply our sales forces really more efficiently. So, it becomes a huge multiplier for efficiency in our sales teams. And that’s the model that companies like Atlassian has had pioneered over time and very excited to apply that at DocuSign.

In terms of how that applies across segments, it’s certainly true that you can imagine an SMB customer basically remaining a purely digital customer, and we would love that. But as customers grow in scope and potential and complexity, then the application of those sales resources becomes both more profitable for us and more necessary for the customer. And so, I do expect a heavier sales component as we — as you move up market. Mid-market has always been a core strength for us and it remains a really important segment. A lot of our products — you start there and you sort of grow out from there. So, I think that will remain a critical segment for DocuSign and very relevant for the self-serve — expanded self-serve motion that I’ve just described.

Rishi Jaluria: All right. Wonderful. That’s really helpful. And then on the international front, I recall last quarter, there was kind of a talk of working closer with partners, especially in Japan, right, which is, as you know, very unique geography, especially when it comes to enterprise software. Just wondering if you can give an update specifically on your efforts in Japan and kind of building out the partner ecosystem, especially because at least it feels like your product is viewed as significantly better than the competition, and there’s great branding out in Japan. But a lot of the kind of manual processes that need to be modernized, they feel a little bit behind. So, I would love to kind of think — I hear how you’re thinking about the Japan opportunity and partners there. Thanks.

Allan Thygesen: Yes. We are in active discussions internally exactly how we want to pursue Japan. I’d say Germany is another market where I don’t think we have fully lived up to our potential. And I agree with you, we’re in a great starting position. Our initial forays into both of those markets were really mostly just a direct sales motion. We didn’t put, I think, quite enough resources behind it and all the other functions, including product and our administrative functions. And as you noted, in markets like Japan, the road is littered with U.S. companies that have tried to go to Japan. So we’re certainly going to be leveraging partners there. So stay tuned. I think we’ll have more to report on both of those countries during the course of fiscal €˜24. But right now, it’s sort of in the planning and decisioning exactly how we’re going to pursue that. But those are definitely strategic priorities within our broader international strategy.

Operator: Our next question is from Michael Turrin with Wells Fargo.

Michael Turrin: Great. I appreciate you taking the question. Can I appreciate the fact that you’re already operating within the stated target range on margin? But I think some of the questions are just digging out a little bit more that it seems like you could potentially push even harder given the product-led growth background, the core efficient base of the business. So, why not do that with a little bit more emphasis here? And what informs the decision around balancing reinvesting into the product versus making sure the cuts you’re making are the right size where you don’t have to potentially go back again and make another tough decision?