Shows
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 159 - Pulse 2025 Customer Education Recap: AI, Scaling, and Digital SuccessIn this electrifying episode of CELab, Adam and Dave take the opportunity to share insights and learnings from Gainsight Pulse 2025, unpacking the transformative landscape of customer education and digital success. Through candid conversations and expert insights, Dave reveals how leading organizations are reimagining customer learning in an era of AI, scaled digital experiences, and integrated customer success strategies.
Join Adam Avramescu and Dave Derington as they dissect the conference's key moments, exploring the critical intersection of community, education, and technology. From Gainsight's strategic acquisitions to the challenges of creating meaningful digital learning experiences, this episode offers a...2025-06-201h 18
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 156 - Kevin Dunn - Harnessing AI & Operating Models for Scalable Customer EducationIn this episode of CELab, we chat with Kevin Dunn, Senior Manager of Customer Education & Community at Airtable, and Adam Avramescu, to dive deep into how Airtable leverages operating models and AI to scale and streamline customer education. Kevin shares how the Academy OS—built entirely on Airtable—drives efficiency in course creation, content management, and feedback analysis, while also boosting customer engagement. He walks us through how AI and relational databases are helping streamline workflows, prioritize feedback, and improve product adoption. If you're looking for ways to integrate operating models and AI into your customer education program for bett...2025-05-0957 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 153 - [Feed Drop] CXetera - Should CSMs do training?This episode is a "feed drop" or crossover episode featuring Adam Avramescu and Dee Kapila's new show - CXetera! As our network grows, we will often feature other shows where you can go and continue your learning journey.
This is a topic that's relatable to all of us in the field of Customer Education: Should Customer Success Managers (CSMs) should be responsible for customer training? In this episode, Adam and Dee explore the complexities of training delivery across different company stages and contexts.
Top 3 Insights:
Training Expertise Matters: Not all CSMs have the skills...2025-03-271h 05
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 151 - Elli Neeld - Building AI Chatbots for CXIn this conversation, Adam Avramescu and Elli Neald discuss the evolution of customer education and support through the implementation of AI chatbots. They explore the challenges faced in the "old-school" customer support models, the transition to an AI-first strategy, and the ongoing optimization efforts that have led to significant improvements in resolution rates and customer satisfaction. Ellie shares insights on the importance of testing, data sources, and proactive education in enhancing the customer experience.
Key Takeaways from this episode:
The transition to AI can significantly improve resolution rates.
Content maintenance is a major challenge in customer...2025-02-231h 08
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 150 - Celebrating 150 Episodes - Reflections on our Journey in Customer EducationIn this special 150th episode, Adam Avramescu and Dave Derington reflect on their journeys in customer education and the evolving nature of the field. They explore the fluidity of customer education roles, noting that there is no single, universal "playbook" that applies across all organizations. Dave Derington shares insights from his new role as Senior Manager of Learning Solutions and Programs at Atlassian, a large, mature enterprise.
What we've learned over the years is that what we call Customer Education has no discrete start or end. Universally, we focus on:
The challenges and opportunities of scaling...2025-02-081h 11
The Digital CX Podcast: Driving digital customer success and outcomes in the age of A.I.Scaling Customer Education for Digital CS with Adam Avramescu of Personio & the CELab Podcast | Episode 077Adam Avramescu, Vice President of Customer Education at Personio and co-host of the CELab Podcast, joins the show to share his thoughts on the evolving role of customer education in digital customer success. He and Alex dive into the challenges of content curation, scaling personalized experiences, and the growing importance of integrating education with broader customer experience strategies to drive engagement and advocacy.Chapters:00:04:04 - The love-hate relationship with social media 00:05:55 - Life as an expat in Amsterdam 00:07:10 - What "engagement" means in customer education 00:08:53 - Bringing teams together to scale CX ...2024-11-0546 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 141 - Rethinking Customer Education Strategy: The Power of Active ListeningIn 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.
The value of slowing down and creating space for deeper conversations
The discussion covers several key topics, including:
The limitations of relying on generic frameworks and maturity models
The importance of understanding the specific business problems and opportunities
Techniques for effective active listening, such a...2024-10-0350 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 140 - Dan Ennis - Bridging the Gap - Collaboration Between Digital Customer Success and Customer EducationAdam 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.
Adam Avramescu and Dan Ennis discuss the role...2024-09-1947 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 136 - Mini - Who's Going To Arrest Me When I Get My Certification Program Wrong?Certification - it's a challenging and sometimes contentious topic for Customer Education professionals. At CELab, we hear this question come up quite a lot. Chances are good that you may be asked to create a certification, or decide that you want to offer one.
So how do you get started? Should you even be trying to build such a program? In this "mini" episode, Adam Avramescu answers that question down including:
Setting up certification programs, legal basis, and terminology
Certification programs for complex software jobs
Validity and fairness in certification exams
Creating certification programs without high...2024-07-2624 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 127 - Brian Oblinger - Community and Customer Education are Better TogetherListen in as we explore the ever-evolving intersection of community management and customer education with Brian Oblinger. Brian is a seasoned veteran in community management, and shares invaluable insights drawn from his extensive career, underscoring the power of learning from past endeavors. Our discussion ventures beyond the surface, examining how industry giants have leveraged platforms like North Pass to foster innovation in digital customer education, ultimately enhancing product engagement and retention.
We tackle the strategic and technical challenges of creating a frictionless user experience across learning management systems and community forums, sharing practical steps for incorporating single...2024-03-0750 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 125 - Julie Dirksen - Designing Learning for Behavior ChangeEver wonder how the minds behind world-class customer education programs construct the experiences that not only stick but also spur action? That's exactly what we’re talking about in this episode with instructional design virtuoso Julie Dirksen. Julie, David, and Adam navigate the transformative power of digital customer training - with Julie's insights, gleaned from her years of experience, and books including "Design for How People Learn" and "Talk to the Elephant." The episode peels back the layers on why industry giants like Walmart and Freshworks are betting big on modern, engaging learning platforms to foster customer retention and en...2024-02-0853 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 124 - Sharon Castillo - Why Good Accessibility is Good Customer EducationHave you ever considered how an overlooked design choice could shut out a swath of eager learners? Imagine excluding twenty-five percent of adults from your training programs. That's the staggering possibility we tackle in Episode 124, as we welcome our friend Sharon Castillo to the show! Sharon is a Customer Engagement and Education Leader currently working as Sr. Director of content Strategy and Enablement at Okta.
Making training accessible is more than a box-ticking exercise; it's a strategic imperative that opens the door to a diverse audience, ready to engage with your product. Our conversation not only sheds l...2024-01-2547 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 123 - CLOWN LABWhat can Clown Core teach us about Customer Education? Every year, Adam and Dave take some time to clown around and have a little fun.
So have you ever stumbled into a musical rabbit hole so deep, it turned into a blueprint for revolutionizing customer education? That's exactly what we did in our latest auditory adventure, as we celebrate our annual fun episode by drawing parallels between the unorthodox methods of the enigmatic band, Clown Core, and the innovative strategies in customer training. The discussion pirouettes from the band's chaotic yet captivating performances to how digital education p...2024-01-1634 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 122 - 2023 Wrap-Up and 2024 PredictionsIt's the end of 2023! This year we experienced the continuation of the economic trends we saw in 2022, watched complex and troubling geopolitics unfold, experienced more tech layoffs and a difficult fundraising environment, and witnessed the continued rise of AI. It’s been a hectic year so we want to take this quiet moment to reflect on it and consider what’s ahead.
We cover a lot in this end-of-year extravaganza including:
Customer education and AI in the workplace
Leadership growth and team development
Leadership, customer education, and podcast milestones
Customer education trends and predictions for 2023
AI in c...2023-12-2855 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 120 - Barry Kelly - Thought Industries - The Headless LMS and the Future of LearningAre you prepared to transform the way you perceive learning and interaction with technology? We're thrilled to share fascinating insights from Barry Kelly, CEO of Thought Industries, on the future of customer education. Barry, with his remarkable understanding and vast experience, guides us through a diverse array of topics, including the astonishing potential of AI and natural language processing in the learning industry, as well as the concept of ‘headless technology.’
Barry is the co-founder and CEO of Thought Industries, a company dedicated to revolutionizing learning experiences through technology. He brings over a decade of experience in the...2023-11-3052 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 119 - Alessio Artuffo - Docebo and AI-Powered Customer EducationWe're always excited to talk with leaders about their platforms and roadmap - and this episode is no exception. You'll want to join us to learn how Docebo is leading the way with AI-powered Customer Education and Enablement.
Meet Alessio Artuffo, a man with a fascinating journey from Italy to Athens, Georgia, who's been instrumental in transforming Docebo, an open-source tech entity, into a full-fledged SaaS company. As the President and COO of Docebo, Alessio has unique insights to share about the challenges of building an international business and the specific strategies needed to make that trans-Atlantic l...2023-11-1643 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabCELab - Ep 118 - Sourabh Bajaj - AI and Customer EducationIn this episode, Sourabh Bajaj, an expert in AI, explores the role of artificial intelligence in customer education. He discusses his background in AI, its early use in the postal service for handwriting detection, and its emergence in computational chemistry. Sourabh highlights how AI is revolutionizing jobs, enhancing creative tasks, and automating mundane tasks. He also discusses the complexity of AI from a customer education perspective, its implications on privacy, data security, and bias, and the need for guardrails in its usage. Practical uses of AI in customer education, its role in capturing and storing knowledge, and the evolution...2023-11-021h 04
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 117 - Strigo and the Next Generation of Virtual Instructor Led TrainingInstructor-led training has always been a core part of the customer education program. With COVID hitting in 2020 there was a strong shift to VILT (Virtual Instructor-Led Training), companies started using whatever tools were at hand to deliver remote training, accepting lower engagement and effectiveness as a given. But it shouldn’t be like this. In a world where every problem has software built to solve it, remote customer training is no different. In this episode, we want to introduce a new approach to the challenge of VILT customer education. A solution built solely for the purpose of live product tr...2023-10-191h 00
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 116 - Treion Muller - The Rise of the Mutant LearnerWhat is a Mutant Learner? In this episode of the CELab podcast, we welcome #1 International Best Selling Author Treion Muller to the show to talk about his recent book, "The Rise of the Mutant Learner". At the core of his book may be some deeply valuable approaches to the challenge posed to all of us as Customer Education leaders. Specifically, how to learn and lead effectively in the digital age.
You’ll hear about the evolution of education, the rise of mutant learning, and the role of AI in this evolution. Muller shares his experience of breaking free...2023-10-0559 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 115 - Shellie Grieve - Cohort Learning in Customer EducationIn this episode, Dave Derington chats with Shellie Grieve, the Director of Collaborative Learning at ServiceNow. You’ll hear about the landscape of cohort learning and its role in customer education, the impact of the pandemic on traditional training programs, and the importance of overhauling them to be more targeted and scalable. Grieve shares her journey from her STEM background to her current role and the need for innovation in virtual program design. The discussion also covers the role of gamification in learner engagement, the potential of video assessments in job readiness, and the broader skill development needed for su...2023-09-2154 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 114 - Alessandra Marinetti - Change Management and its Role in Customer EducationIn this episode, Adam Avramescu takes a deep dive into Change Management with Alessandra Marinetti - Global Head of Education and Enablement at Asana. Change Management is, as Alessandra shares - "the ability to enable people to see things differently, and to do things differently". If you're in #customereducation and #customersuccess, take an hour out of your day and join Adam and Alessandra as they answer questions such as:
What is change management and how does it work?
The difference between change management and marketing.
Building the mindset and creating a buzz around change management.
The importance of ha...2023-09-071h 13
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 113 - Caitlin Wood - Scale Success and the Role of EducationIn this episode, Caitlin Wood, Senior Director of Customer Success and Enablement at Ironclad, dives into the intricate world of customer education and success. She elucidates the unique structure of Ironclad's education program, the role of their Learning Experience Design and Training Delivery teams, and their revolutionary approach to digital success. The conversation also delves into the potential pitfalls of siloed customer education teams, the impact of pricing on customer experience, and the emerging concept of customer education as digital success. The episode explores the importance of collaboration and alignment between customer education, digital success, and product teams, providing...2023-08-2456 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEp 112 - Nick Mehta and Steve Cornwell - Digital Customer EducationThis is an episode you won't want to miss - the future is now! Customer Education has a seat at the table and a critical impact on business. In this episode, we talk with Nick Mehta - CEO of Gainsight, and Steve Cornwell, CEO of Northpass about the recent acquisition of the Northpass platform into the Gainsight family. We talk about Digital Customer Education as well as Digital Customer Success and build upon last year's CELab podcast with Nick Mehta called “Customer Education and Enablement is the Core of Customer Success” Join us for this incredible discussion!
You’l...2023-08-1752 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 111 - Instructional Design 101 - Mayer's 12 PrinciplesIn this episode, Adam reviews Dr. Richard E. Mayer’s 12 Principles for Multimedia Learning in our Instructional Design 101 series. Dr. Mayer's research focus is determining how people learn (i.e., the science of learning) and how to help people learn (i.e., the science of instruction). His research concerns the intersection of cognition, instruction, and technology. Here we will apply Mayer’s 12 research-based principles - around the cognitive theory of multimedia learning - as they relate to the design of online instruction.
You’ll hear a little bit about each of Mayer’s 12 Principles, from not overwhelming the lear...2023-08-1030 min
The Visual LoungeCustomer Education ManifestoWhat’s the secret to effective customer education? On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Adam Avramescu, VP of Customer Education & Engagement at Personio, explains the principles behind his Customer Education Manifesto and how they can help your business reach positive outcomes for retention, expansion and lifetime value. Plus, he shares his route into the industry, how videos and images play a role in customer education and how to gauge success. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:06 – Adam’s first steps into customer education 5:22 – Success in customer education 10:09 – Using images and videos 13:19 – What...2023-08-0946 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 110 - Navigating the Learning Management Systems MarketplaceIn this podcast episode, host Dave Derington speaks with John Leh, CEO/Lead Analyst at learning tech research/consulting firm, Talented Learning. Talented Learning provides independent research and analysis on learning management systems (LMS), focusing on extended enterprise or learning systems as a business. John shares his experiences in the evolution and specialization of the learning systems marketplace.
The conversation explores the difference between customer education platforms and employee learning solutions, emphasizing the importance of aligning learning systems with the specific needs and objectives of the learners. John also touches on the necessity for rapid product changes...2023-07-2757 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 108 - Stephanie Pellegrino - Landing a Job in Customer Education - Part 2Welcome to Part II of an important discussion between host Adam Avramescu, VP of Customer Education at Personio, and Stephanie Pellegrino, who leads Customer Education at Gong. Adam and Stephanie give an unfiltered view into...2023-06-2954 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 107 - Landing a Job in Customer Education - Part 1 - with Stephanie PellegrinoWelcome to Part I of a candid discussion between host Adam Avramescu, VP of Customer Education at Personio, and Stephanie Pellegrino, who leads Customer Education at Gong. You’ll hear about the macroeconomic changes in the market and how they affect us in Customer Education, insights on acing customer education job interviews,
Adam and Stephanie give an unfiltered view into the industry as hiring managers. They talk about the importance of ‘selfless listening’, meaningful conversations for successfully pivoting into the customer education field, connecting with industry professionals, and engaging in informational chats before the interview. The episode also hig...2023-06-2349 min
The CX Impact PodcastAdam Avramescu, VP Customer Education: Showing Customers the Art of Possible | S02E06How does your business onboard, engage and retain customers in a frictionless and even invisible manner?
In this episode, GemSeek’s Managing Director, host of the CX Impact Podcast and author of the book “The New Customer Experience Management”—Ivaylo Yorgov, digs deeper into how B2B and B2C companies look at the concept of customer education. What are the best practices, which teams ensure customers are well-aware of how to use a certain product or a service, last, but not least—how to measure the impact of customer education, are just a fraction of the topics of this conversati...2023-03-0650 min
Helping Sells Radio310 Dave Derington joins ServiceRocket to reinvent technology services with customer educationWhat can I say? Dave Derington, co-host of the number one customer education podcast, CELab, has just joined ServiceRocket as director of customer education. We recorded this podcast on his first day. It's part of his onboarding. More about Dave:* His podcast (with co-host, Adam Avramescu), CELab: https://customer.education* On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derington/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit helpingsells.substack.com2021-11-0939 min
CELab: The Customer Education LabEpisode 64 - The Scale Engine
Photo by Eduardo Buscariolli on Unsplash
In Adam Avramescu’s book, “Customer Education – Why Smart Companies Profit by Making Customers Smarter”, he first introduces that, “Customer Education is your scale engine for Customer Success” (p 11). This concept – the Scale Engine – is novel in that it channels the fundamental challenge of many rapidly growing Software-as-a-Service businesses: All your processes need to scale as the business grows. That includes how you educate your customers!
Dave speaks here on some of his early experiences in the field of Customer Education where he was embedded at Gainsight, building foundational programs. We as a community reali...2021-06-2556 min
Gain Grow RetainCustomer Education in the Software Space w/ Dave Darrington and Adam AvramescuThis week, Dave Darrington and Adam Avramescu of CELab joins us to discuss Customer Education in the Software Space.
If you want to join the discussion with thousands of other customer success leaders, join Gain Grow Retain: http://gaingrowretain.com/
This podcast is brought to you by Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach...
Jay Nathan LinkedIn
Jeff Breunsbach LinkedIn
2021-05-3149 min
Product LoveAdam Avramescu joins Product Love to talk about customer educationAdam Avramescu does Customer Education at the company, Checkr. Don't know what customer education is? Well, maybe you should invest in it. Adam truly advocates for the importance of customer education - it's seriously profitable, and it makes your customers stay and love you. So why not? Check out this week's episode of Product Love to learn more about it.2019-02-1341 min
Helping Sells Radio104: Adam Avramescu Wrote the Book on Customer EducationAdam Avramescu is back on the show for the third time to discuss his new book, Customer Education: Why Smart Companies Profit by Making Customers Smarter. Adam offers some important advice. If you are thinking about building a customer education function, Adam wants you to ask yourself, "What is your customer education charter?" This matters because education can make a direct contribution to any and all steps in the customer journey. And when you are starting out, you don't want to try to address everything. You want to pick one of the steps, then go make friends with the t...2019-02-1350 min
Helping Sells Radio101: Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu Customer Education is a Pillar of Customer SuccessCustomer Success has taken the world by storm. And customer education is a pillar of customer success, says Dave Derington, Director of User Enablement of Azuqua and Adam Avramescu, head of customer education and training at Checkr. Think about it. Customer success is all about figuring out how to keep customers happy and get them to use more of our products. If that is customer success in a nutshell, then Dave and Adam argue that customer education is the answer to those questions. Said another way. Education sells more product. It brings more customers back. It fosters loyalty. It...2018-12-1945 min
Helping Sells RadioEpisode 4: Adam Avramescu from Optimizely helps you become an optimizerThis week Adam Avramescu, Head of Customer Education at Optimizely, joins Helping Sells Radio to discuss optimizing web experiences. A/B testing, Bloom’s Taxonomy, how to educate customers on a product they don’t actually have to use (perish the thought), and what’s happening at the Bay area Customer Education MeetUp. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit helpingsells.substack.com2016-02-0233 min