Carl Benefiel

About Carl Benefiel

I am a broadly experienced SaaS service and AI for operations leader. I am responsible for the entire post-sale customer experience across the entire lifecycle: setup, implementation, onboarding, engagement, customer success, support, retention, global chain enterprise services, independent hotel services, and project management.Key Achievements:NPS: 68 | CSAT: 95%| Team eNPS: Above benchmark across all teamsSuccessfully led Customer Operations transformation to AI-enabled service and operational delivery, achieving greater efficiency and improved customer experience while reorienting team members to higher-value service rolesFunctional Expertise:Operations Optimization – Leading the adoption of AI in support. As of Q4, 2025 over 30% of all support cases were handled with zero human intervention. In 2026, this will increase to over 65% and case handling time for complex cases should be reduced by 50% or more. Similar efforts are ongoing throughout all teams. Organizationally, I\'ve redesigned and streamlined user management, custom engagement, and order management systems to improve operational efficiency and scalability.Enterprise Service Management – Built and scaled teams managing relationships with global brands including McDonald\'s, Choice Hotels, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), ensuring strategic alignment and long-term partnership success.Support & Implementation Services Transformation – Led comprehensive organizational redesign, seamlessly integrated acquired teams, and pioneered the introduction of AI tooling and workflow automation to enhance service delivery and team productivity.Global Professional Services P&L Leadership – Owned full P&L responsibility for professional services serving enterprise clients including YUM Brands, Chick-fil-A, Burger King, and other major QSR and hospitality brands.Product Management – Directed SaaS product strategy and service management at HotSchedules and Oracle, overseeing release management, feature prioritization, and offshore team development to deliver market-leading solutions.I believe deeply in servant leadership—an approach that\'s more critical than ever during the current AI transition, given the inevitable employee anxiety that comes with technological change. I\'m only as good as my team of 180+ people, and I invest in them accordingly. I strive to do my job well while doing good along the way: creating pathways for new mothers in leadership, fostering a culture where people grow by helping rather than competing with each other, and finding a laugh during tough challenges.

Experience

1. Senior Vice President of Customer Operations

   Lighthouse

   Jan 2026 — Present · Denver, CO, US

   Responsible for all elements of the customer experience post-sale, including setup, implementation, onboarding, engagement, support, retention, global chain enterprise services, independent hotel services, and project management. Our NPS score is 68 and our CSAT is 95%. Team eNPS scores are all above benchmark, even while leading the Customer Operations organization through a transition to AI—not only for greater efficiency, but for improved customer experience and reorienting team members toward new value-added services.

Education

• William Jewell College

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Fine/Studio Arts, General

  1989 — 1993

• William Jewell College

  Bachelor's degree, Political Science and Government

  1989 — 1993

Skills

• Managed Services
• Strategy
• Professional Services
• Saas
• Team Management
• Leadership
• Enterprise Software
• Product Management
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Crm
• Pre-Sales
• Sales
• Selling Skills
• Software as a Service (Saas)
• Business Development
• Business Alliances
• Point of Sale Service Strategy
• Account Management
• Portfolio Management
• Competitive Analysis
• Start-Ups
• Outsourcing
• Management
• Services Development
• Training
• Marketing Communications
• Executive Management
• Solution Selling
• Partner Management
• Strategic Partnerships
• Services Contracting
• Pricing
• Product Marketing