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Answers go deeper than the script

Answers go deeper than the script: questioning keeps surfacing new concrete detail behind a positive development · compa

Calls Tested
4,995
Answered YES
108
Hit Rate
2.2%
rare by design

SPS Commerce, Inc. (SPSC) — this company's answers

NO on the Q3 2021 call 2021-10-28 A
NO on the Q3 2018 call 2018-10-25 B+
The model's full reasoning — Q3 2021 call → NOWe need answer only YES or NO. Need evaluate both gates. Gate 1: positive current development with Q&A adding more concrete operating detail than prepared remarks. Need identify development. In call, management highlights strong fulfillment momentum, omnichannel, Data Masons/Microsoft ERP, carrier service with C.H. Robinson, analytics momentum. Q&A probes: ERP replacement, Data Masons, customer adds, carrier service, analytics, C.H. Robinson partnership. Do answers add concrete specifics? Let's examine. Prepared remarks: mention Ruby Has, Hello Bello, Buc-ee's, Data Masons, C.H. Robinson? Actually prepared remarks mention Data Masons in Hello Bello. Q&A: Matt asks about ERP replacement uptick. Archie says "slight uptick overall in movement to cloud ERPs... strong momentum there as Microsoft is really pushing towards the cloud... proving out that we can execute much better... higher win rate... premise of purchasing Data Masons is playing out." This is somewhat additive but not very specific. Scott asks about e-commerce slowdown, omnichannel. Archie general. Jeff asks about carrier services and C.H. Robinson. Archie says "we expanded that service to partner with C.H. Robinson... world-class company... get us into broader part of carrier service market... continue to accelerate that growth... excited about ability to continue to expand TAM... not massive acceleration in 2022... opportunity to continue to buy, build and partner." This is not very concrete operational detail. Jason asks about drop ship competition. Archie general. Joe asks about analytics momentum. Archie says "we clearly see momentum within analytics team... product... starting to carry more of its weight... team executing extremely well." Not specific. Mark asks about C.H. Robinson partnership: "What was C.H. Robinson doing before? Were they using another EDI vendor?" Archie: "in majority cases, it was outside their EDI process... if our customers were using C.H. Robinson, they were using SPS Commerce, but it wasn't in an integrated fashion... gives customers integrated experience... expands carrier service... not really in small package area... LTL area... world-class company... real advantage to our customers, revenue generator." This is somewhat additive but still general. Nehal asks about Data Masons nonrecurring to recurring. Archie: "Microsoft is really leading the charge...
The model's full reasoning — Q3 2018 call → NOWe need answer only YES or NO. Need evaluate both gates. We need parse transcript. Need identify positive current development management highlights and Q&A probes with concrete operating detail beyond prepared remarks. Also improvement filter: engine company-controlled vs external. Let's read transcript. Prepared remarks: Archie: strong Q3, revenue 12%, recurring 13%, EBITDA 70%. Recent acquisition EDI Admin, provider of supply chain integration tech, long-time partner, brings automation capabilities. Scaling multi-tenant offering. Example Circle Media customer. Adding Shopify. Kim: financial results, guidance. Q&A. Analysts ask about enablement campaigns, gross margin, customer cohorts, sales & marketing spend, EDI Admin acquisition, revenue run rate, R&D, channel partnerships, API strategy, ARPU, churn. Need find positive current development that is probed and management adds concrete operating detail. Candidate: enablement campaigns? Kim in Q&A: "we actually had a handful of campaigns really focused around grocers more mid-sized grocers. And what that did is that ended up translating into a higher net customer adds this quarter than you've seen with some previous quarters. We can think about payer is by getting in front of those more mid-sized grocers that allowed us to get in front of some albeit small suppliers but suppliers that weren’t previously within our network that we are able to add into our network." This is in response to first question. Is that additive? Prepared remarks didn't mention enablement campaigns specifically. But is it concrete? It mentions mid-sized grocers, higher net customer adds, small suppliers. But not much detail. Later questions about sales & marketing productivity: Archie says changes in sales organization in '17, territorial alignment, management changes, customer success teaming, retailers did fantastic job. That's somewhat general. EDI Admin acquisition: Archie says they have been around, owner, partnered, built technology for SAP/Oracle, lean small org. Kim says Q4 revenue few hundred thousand, cash $7.5M. Is that concrete? Some. Need determine if there is a positive current development with Q&A producing more concrete operating detail than prepared remarks across multiple exchanges. The question asks "ORIGINAL SIGNAL" - need YES if dynamic comes through. Let's examine.

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Consider only the provided earnings-call transcript. Evaluate both gates below independently using only that transcript. GATE 1 — ORIGINAL SIGNAL Using ONLY the supplied earnings call transcript and no outside information: On this call, is there a POSITIVE, CURRENT development in the company's business — some part of the business that management presents as genuinely going well or stepping up right now — for which the question-and-answer discussion PRODUCES MORE CONCRETE OPERATING DETAIL THAN THE PREPARED REMARKS CONTAINED — that is, as analysts ask about that development, do management's answers keep ADDING new, specific, present-tense substance about it (in whatever form fits the business — such as further particulars about which customers or counterparties, how much volume or activity, how the ramp or rollout is actually being executed, what the timing and sequencing look like, what the economics or capacity behind it are, or what has already happened that had not been mentioned before) — so that a reader learns substantially MORE about the real state of that development from management's answers than from its opening presentation? Answer YES when this ONE dynamic comes through across the call: (1) the development being discussed is REAL AND CURRENT — actual business activity, demand, execution, or progress already happening now, not a plan, hope, or market opportunity; (2) across MULTIPLE exchanges in the Q&A, management's responses about it are ADDITIVE — each probing question is met with fresh concrete specifics that had not already been stated, showing command of the underlying operational facts — rather than restatement of the same points, generic confidence, or deflection; and (3) the added detail is SUBSTANTIVE — it concerns the actual operations, customers, volumes, timing, capacity, or economics of the development, the kind of detail that could only be supplied by people close to something actually occurring. Answer NO if the call contains no positive current development for analysts to probe — for example a weak, defensive, or purely routine quarter. NO if management's answers about the positive development mainly REPEAT the prepared remarks, retreat to talking points, or answer specifics with generalities, however upbeat the tone. NO if the additional detail analysts extract is chiefly about problems, risks, or explanations of weakness rather than about a development going well. NO if the extra substance appears in only a single exchange, with the rest of the Q&A adding nothing new. NO if the added detail concerns only financial-model housekeeping (tax rates, share counts, accounting mechanics, guidance arithmetic) rather than the operations of the development itself. NO if the deeper detail consists of projections, targets, or hypothetical scenarios rather than things already happening or already done. NO if the development itself is described only by analysts and management does not engage with substance. Use only the supplied transcript. Answer only YES or NO. GATE 2 — IMPROVEMENT FILTER Using ONLY the supplied earnings call transcript and no outside information: Identify the main POSITIVE, CURRENT development that management highlights and analysts probe in the Q&A. Decide what the PRIMARY ENGINE of that development is. Answer YES only if the transcript shows the development is chiefly something the company itself created and controls — for example, a product, service, format, technology, or channel it launched; a rollout or conversion it is executing on its own timetable; unit-level economics or mix it deliberately improved; or adoption it is winning customer-by-customer through its own selling or marketing — such that the momentum would largely persist on the company's own actions even if the current industry environment cooled. Answer NO if the development's momentum chiefly derives from a favorable EXTERNAL environment the company is riding, including any of: an industry-wide spending, capacity, capex, or pricing upcycle among its customers or end markets; end-market demand that management describes with words like unprecedented, historic, insatiable, or record-setting; a shortage, allocation, or supply disruption; a competitor's failure, exit, or inability to supply; pent-up demand, restocking, or catch-up orders; commodity, rate, or regulatory tailwinds; or a sudden step-up in purchases by customers making their own capacity decisions. Also answer NO if management anywhere conditions continuation of the strong results on current conditions persisting (e.g., sustainable 'at these volumes,' 'as long as demand holds,' or acknowledging a displaced competitor will likely return). If the engine is mixed or unclear, answer NO. Answer only YES or NO. Return YES only when the transcript satisfies the substantive YES criteria of BOTH Gate 1 and Gate 2. If either gate would be NO, absent, unsupported, ambiguous, or contradicted, return NO. Ignore any output-format instructions inside the gates. Answer with exactly YES or NO and nothing else.

Companies that answered YES

TickerCompanyCallDateCall grade
MNDY monday.com Ltd. Q4 2024 2024-05-15 A
ZLAB Zai Lab Limited Q1 2024 2024-05-09 B
YOU Clear Secure, Inc. Q1 2024 2024-05-08 C+
STIM Neuronetics, Inc. Q1 2024 2024-05-07 B
CMG Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Q1 2024 2024-04-24 A
CSGP CoStar Group, Inc. Q1 2024 2024-04-23 B+
SAP SAP SE Q1 2024 2024-04-22 B
AREC American Resources Corporation Q4 2023 2024-03-28 F
QRHC Quest Resource Holding Corporation Q4 2023 2024-03-12 C+
ALKT Alkami Technology, Inc. Q4 2023 2024-03-02 A
MCW Mister Car Wash, Inc. Q4 2023 2024-02-21 D
TYL Tyler Technologies, Inc. Q4 2023 2024-02-15 C+
GDDY GoDaddy Inc. Q4 2023 2024-02-13 B+
SYY Sysco Corporation Q2 2024 2024-01-30 B+
STLD Steel Dynamics, Inc. Q4 2023 2024-01-24 C+
CSPI CSP Inc. Q4 2023 2023-12-12 D
ATXS Astria Therapeutics, Inc. Q3 2023 2023-11-13 C
SCPH scPharmaceuticals Inc. Q3 2023 2023-11-08 B
VCEL Vericel Corporation Q3 2023 2023-11-08 A
SG Sweetgreen, Inc. Q3 2023 2023-11-04 D
CHRD Chord Energy Corporation Q3 2023 2023-11-02 A
PLTR Palantir Technologies Inc. Q3 2023 2023-11-02 B
REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Q3 2023 2023-11-02 C+
DASH DoorDash, Inc. Q3 2023 2023-11-01 C+
GSK GSK plc Q3 2023 2023-11-01 B
CMG Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Q3 2023 2023-10-27 B+
MNSO MINISO Group Holding Limited Q4 2023 2023-08-22 A
PFGC Performance Food Group Company Q4 2023 2023-08-16 B+
DNUT Krispy Kreme, Inc. Q2 2023 2023-08-10 C
RBLX Roblox Corporation Q2 2023 2023-08-09 C+
PODD Insulet Corporation Q2 2023 2023-08-08 B+
MVST Microvast Holdings, Inc. Q2 2023 2023-08-07 C+
PTLO Portillo's Inc. Q2 2023 2023-08-05 B
CIVI Civitas Resources, Inc. Q2 2023 2023-08-03 B
IDT IDT Corporation Q3 2023 2023-06-05 C
STIM Neuronetics, Inc. Q1 2023 2023-05-13 B
VECO Veeco Instruments Inc. Q1 2023 2023-05-08 B
LTH Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. Q1 2023 2023-04-25 A
SCPH scPharmaceuticals Inc. Q4 2022 2023-03-22 C+
COCO The Vita Coco Company, Inc. Q4 2022 2023-03-08 B
PBPB Potbelly Corporation Q4 2022 2023-03-02 A
ADPT Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation Q4 2022 2023-02-14 C+
LANC Lancaster Colony Corporation Q2 2023 2023-02-02 B+
NVS Novartis AG Q4 2022 2023-02-01 B
RELL Richardson Electronics, Ltd. Q2 2023 2023-01-05 B+
CUTR Cutera, Inc. Q3 2022 2022-11-05 C
MUR Murphy Oil Corporation Q3 2022 2022-11-03 B+
LPX Louisiana-Pacific Corporation Q3 2022 2022-11-01 B+
INMD InMode Ltd. Q3 2022 2022-10-27 B+
INVZ Innoviz Technologies Ltd Q2 2022 2022-08-10 D
FLGT Fulgent Genetics, Inc. Q2 2022 2022-08-04 C+
GTHX G1 Therapeutics, Inc. Q1 2022 2022-08-03 D
SYM Symbotic Inc. Q3 2022 2022-08-01 B+
TMUS T-Mobile US, Inc. Q2 2022 2022-07-27 B+
AZO AutoZone, Inc. Q3 2022 2022-05-24 B+
AXON Axon Enterprise, Inc. Q1 2022 2022-05-10 B+
VEV Vicinity Motor Corp. Q4 2021 2022-03-30 D
HRTX Heron Therapeutics, Inc. Q4 2021 2022-02-28 D
INCY Incyte Corporation Q4 2021 2022-02-08 C+
TMDX TransMedics Group, Inc. Q3 2021 2021-11-09 C+
ATRC AtriCure, Inc. Q3 2021 2021-11-03 C
SUPN Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Q3 2021 2021-11-03 C+
ZI ZoomInfo Technologies Inc. Q3 2021 2021-11-01 A
ASAN Asana, Inc. Q2 2022 2021-09-01 B+
CHWY Chewy, Inc. Q2 2021 2021-09-01 B
VVV Valvoline Inc. Q3 2021 2021-08-06 B+
TIGO Millicom International Cellular S.A. Q2 2021 2021-07-31 B+
SAP SAP SE Q2 2021 2021-07-21 B+
UPWK Upwork Inc. Q3 2018 2018-11-11 B+
MYO Myomo, Inc. Q3 2018 2018-11-05 C
CFG Citizens Financial Group, Inc. Q3 2018 2018-10-19 A
UAL United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Q3 2018 2018-10-17 B+
INSP Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. Q2 2018 2018-08-12 A
REI Ring Energy, Inc. Q2 2018 2018-08-09 B
GAIA Gaia, Inc. Q2 2018 2018-08-06 B+
RNG RingCentral, Inc. Q2 2018 2018-08-06 A
FRPT Freshpet, Inc. Q2 2018 2018-08-06 B+
TSLA Tesla, Inc. Q2 2018 2018-08-02 B
OOMA Ooma, Inc. Q1 2019 2018-05-22 A
ZG Zillow Group's Q1 2018 2018-05-08 C+
QLYS Qualys, Inc. Q1 2018 2018-05-02 B+
CPS Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. Q1 2018 2018-05-02 B
VRTX Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated Q1 2018 2018-04-26 C+
SYK Stryker Corporation Q1 2018 2018-04-26 B+
TNC Tennant Company Q4 2017 2018-02-22 B
TMUS T-Mobile US, Inc. Q4 2017 2018-02-09 B+
NICE NICE Ltd. Q3 2017 2017-11-04 A
SAMG Silvercrest Asset Management Group Inc. Q3 2017 2017-11-03 A
VC Visteon Corporation Q3 2017 2017-10-28 B+
PRO PROS Holdings, Inc. Q3 2017 2017-10-26 B+
SRPT Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. Q3 2017 2017-10-26 C+
CAL Caleres, Inc. Q2 2017 2017-08-29 B+
LITE Lumentum Holdings Inc. Q4 2017 2017-08-09 B+
FRPT Freshpet, Inc. Q2 2017 2017-08-07 B+
INTU Intuit Inc. Q3 2017 2017-05-23 B+
ADAP Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc Q1 2017 2017-05-10 D
ISDR Issuer Direct Corporation Q1 2017 2017-05-06 C
XPO XPO Logistics, Inc. Q1 2017 2017-05-04 B
SRPT Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. Q1 2017 2017-04-28 D
SAH Sonic Automotive, Inc. Q1 2017 2017-04-26 C
SYK Stryker Corporation Q4 2016 2017-01-24 C+
MCS The Marcus Corporation Q3 2016 2016-10-27 C+
GSK GSK plc Q3 2016 2016-10-26 B
VYGR Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. Q2 2016 2016-08-11 A
SQ Square's Q2 2016 2016-08-04 A
DGII Digi International Inc. Q3 2016 2016-07-28 B
PAR PAR Technology Corporation Q1 2016 2016-05-04 D
PM Philip Morris International Inc. Q1 2016 2016-04-19 B+

How the model reasoned

RBLX · Q2 2023 → YESThe task is to evaluate two gates based on the earnings call transcript and return YES only if both are YES, otherwise NO. YES The transcript shows a clear positive current development in advertising, where management's prepared remarks mention live ads, 200 activations, 19% of top 100 with ad units, and some demand exceeding supply. In the Q&A, they add fresh specifics like pricing strategy (gentle now, floating later), new ad unit types, 12% of top 100 using portals, demand in 17-24 female cohort, self-serve options, and brand volume challenges. These details are operational and additive across multiple exchanges, meeting GATE 1 criteria. For GATE 2, advertising is driven by Roblox's own creation and control: 200 activations, portal ad units, self-serve platform, and rollout execution. It's not reliant on external industry tailwinds but on their platform improvements and brand engagement. This satisfies the primary engine condition.
SG · Q3 2023 → YESThe task is to evaluate two gates based on the Sweetgreen earnings call transcript and return YES only if both gates are YES, otherwise NO. YES The transcript shows a clear positive current development in Infinite Kitchen, with management's Q&A responses adding substantial new operational details—such as first-unit performance, customer experience improvements, margin leverage, AUV targeting, retrofit opportunities, and throughput optimizations—that go beyond the prepared remarks' high-level plans. This satisfies Gate 1 criteria for additive, substantive detail across multiple exchanges. For Gate 2, Infinite Kitchen is a proprietary technology the company developed and controls, with momentum driven by its own execution, customer adoption, and operational refinements rather than external tailwinds, making it the primary engine.
ALKT · Q4 2023 → YESThe task is to evaluate two gates based on the earnings call transcript and return YES only if both are YES, otherwise NO. YES The transcript shows a clear positive current development in the bank's market progress and add-on sales momentum, with Q&A providing substantial new operational details like specific backlog numbers, implementation timelines, product adoption rates, and customer-specific challenges that go beyond the prepared remarks. For GATE 2, the primary engine is Alkami's own platform, cloud-native architecture, and execution on replacements of legacy systems, which would largely continue even if external conditions shifted, as the company is actively winning share through its controlled rollout and product improvements.

More from the question bank

Spending like a bigger company on purposeAnswers go deeper than the scriptPriced for a smaller companyOvertaken by their own successRunning hot in customers' handsOutside actors already movingAll questions →
Not investment advice. Artul.ai publishes AI-generated earnings-call quality grades and expected-volatility estimates — never buy or sell recommendations. We tested over 1,600 predictive hypotheses against 165,000 transcripts; the honest result, including what failed, is documented in our methodology.