CELab: The Customer Education Lab

In this episode of the CELab podcast, Julie Cochran, the Global Education Services lead at Charles River Development, shares her journey in developing a fair and data-driven pricing model for her company's instructor-led training programs. 

Julie explains how she partnered closely with her finance team to uncover the true costs associated with creating and delivering in-person training, including factors like instructor salaries, travel expenses, and content development time. By meticulously tracking this data, Julie was able to build a pricing structure that covered the company's costs while still providing value to customers. 

This episode explores:

Whether you're a seasoned learning leader or just starting to build out your customer education program, this episode offers practical insights and a pricing playbook you can apply to your own organization.

At CELab, we're always pushing the boundaries of customer education and technology. In our latest experiment, Adam dove headfirst into the world of AI-generated content using Google's NotebookLM. But he didn't stop there, and channeled his inner Mystery Science Theater 3000 to produce unfiltered commentary on the AI's attempt at hosting a customer education podcast. This episode is a wild ride through the capabilities and limitations of AI in content creation, with plenty of laughs and insights along the way. Here's what you can expect:

Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a customer education professional, or just someone who enjoys a good laugh at the expense of our robot overlords, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to "AI vs. Humans: CELab's Real-Time Riffing on a NotebookLM Podcast" and join the conversation about the future of AI in education and content creation.

As the year comes to a close, we reflect on the top episodes of 2024 and make some bold predictions for the year ahead. What were our five most popular episodes of the year and why did they matter?

Some of our top hits this year featured Customer Education leaders like Katie Felton and Dan Ennis, to thought-provoking discussions on the intersection of digital customer success and community, these episodes are packed with practical wisdom and cutting-edge insights. But the real showstopper was Julie Dirksen, author of the legendary "Design for How People Learn" - a must-listen for anyone serious about behavior change in customer education.

Key Takeaways:

What's in store for 2025? As usual, we have some bold predictions, from the continued evolution of digital CX to the rise of AI-powered content workflows. One thing's for sure - the future of customer education is looking brighter than ever. Buckle up as we wrap up 2024 with style, panache, and extreme prejudice.

In this episode, we reflect on the eventful year of 2024 for the CELab podcast. Dave shares his experiences as an independent consultant, highlighting the diverse range of customer education challenges he has tackled, from revamping existing programs to building new ones from scratch. He emphasizes the importance of active listening, humility, and leveraging a network of partners to deliver successful engagements.

Adam then provides insights into his own journey, discussing the cultural adjustments of living in Amsterdam and the evolution of the customer education function at Personio, now known as the Scaled CX team. He delves into the integration of customer education with digital customer experience practices, focusing on meeting customers where they are through various channels. We recap the first year of the CELab community and plans to enhance it in 2025. Looking ahead, they share their predictions for the year to come, including a deeper exploration of scaled digital initiatives, cross-functional collaboration, and the use of AI in customer education.

Episode Highlights:

How does podcasting help Customer Education? In this episode we welcome Craig Hewitt, the founder of Castos, a podcast hosting and production platform. We dive into the ever-evolving landscape of content creation, distribution, and how podcasting and other media formats can be leveraged to effectively reach and engage audiences.

In this field, we always see a "blurring of the lines" between marketing and education. It's vitally important for us to meet customers where they are, and strategically use platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and social media to amplify content and build communities. The conversation also touches on the role of AI in content creation and repurposing, as well as strategies for scaling customer education efforts while maintaining personalization and engagement.

Key discussion points:

In this episode of CELab, we broaden our conversation about inspiring a “culture of learning” that inspires innovation.  We dive deep with Leila Ishtayeh Colburn, the Learning Platform Enablement Leader at Trimble, and Owen Chamberlain, the Senior Education Alliance Manager at Trimble. The discussion delves into Trimble's innovative approach to digital credentialing, exploring how they are leveraging this strategy to drive customer engagement, build brand equity, and foster a culture of continuous learning.

The guests share insights into the challenges and best practices of implementing a standardized digital credentialing framework across Trimble's diverse business units. They also discuss Trimble's broader efforts to transform their customer education programs, including the introduction of their successful "Learnfest" initiative and the exploration of gamification and hands-on learning experiences. Throughout the conversation, the speakers emphasize the importance of leadership support, the need to prioritize the learner's perspective, and the value of embracing failure as a pathway to innovation.

Key Discussion Points:

In this episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Neel Balar, the co-founder of Clueso. Clueso is a platform that aims to revolutionize the way Customer Education content is created, offering a fast and easy solution for producing high-quality videos and documentation. Key discussion points include:

Check out Clueso today by clicking this link and get your demo!

In this episode, we invite Samantha Murray discuss her journey of boomeranging back to Customer Education where we explore the importance of consolidating customer education programs, the challenges in the industry, and the need for career inspiration.

Samantha shares her experiences in customer education at Shopify and Docebo, highlighting the value of cross-functional collaboration and the impact of customer education on the overall customer experience. What's the overlap between customer education and product marketing? There are so many similarities and synergies to explore, so don't miss this lively discussion!

Key Takeaways:

In this episode, Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu explore the role of strategy and active listening in the field of customer education. They challenge the notion that rigid frameworks and pre-defined strategies are the key to success, arguing that the ability to adapt and deeply listen to customers and stakeholders is often more important. 

Resources

Adam Avramescu and Dan Ennis discuss the evolving field of digital customer success, emphasizing its focus on leveraging digital-led programs to improve customer outcomes, retention, and growth. Dan highlights the importance of proactive and reactive digital programs, such as email and in-app series, to engage customers at scale. He stresses the need for clear definitions and metrics, including leading indicators like adoption and performance metrics like open and click-through rates. Collaboration between digital customer success and customer education teams is crucial, with regular feedback loops ensuring alignment on customer outcomes.