Episode 122 - 2023 Wrap-Up and 2024 Predictions

CELab: The Customer Education Lab

It'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 customer education, ROI calculations, and live training
• Customer education, digital success, and consolidation in the industry

And much, much more!

Stay tuned for our annual music episode - coming soon!

Summary

• Customer education and AI in the workplace
  • Dave and Adam discuss national holidays and make predictions for 2024.
  • Adam and Dave reflect on 2022, with Adam noting it felt like a continuation of last year's trends and Dave sharing his experience working in a services company.
  • Dave Derington shares insights on customer education and the importance of conferences for consultants.
• Leadership growth and team development
  • Adam reflects on his first year as a VP, sharing insights on his growth and new responsibilities.
  • Adam Avramescu: Leading a program as VP involves managing multiple aspects, from budget to culture.
  • Adam Avramescu emphasizes the importance of aligning teams towards common goals and reducing duplication of effort.
• Leadership, customer education, and podcast milestones
  • Adam Avramescu emphasizes the importance of contextualizing titles within an organization and focusing on scope of work rather than just the title itself.
  • Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu reflect on five years of CELab, a podcast they co-host, and highlight milestones achieved, such as reaching 100 episodes.
  • They discuss their approach to the podcast, including externalizing their thoughts and sharing valuable insights with their audience.
  • Adam and Dave reminisce about how they started their podcast, Customer Education Show, while working together at Selma and Cherry Street coffee in Belltown, Seattle.
  • They discuss how their podcast has evolved over time, still focusing on raising the profile of customer education and highlighting challenges faced by leaders in the field.
• Customer education trends and predictions for 2023
  • Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu discuss their podcast, See Lab, and how it has evolved over time, from a DIY approach to a more professional and regular schedule with sponsors.
  • They emphasize the importance of finding and highlighting diverse voices in the customer education industry, and invite listeners to join their forum and share their experiences.
  • Adam and Dave discuss their 2022 predictions, including more economic tumult and the importance of efficient customer education.
  • They reflect on their predictions, noting that growth at all costs is over and sustainable growth is the new focus.
  • Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu discuss the future of customer education, including the importance of proving ROI and the shift towards remote and async learning.
  • They also discuss the impact of macroeconomic factors, such as the pandemic and globalization, on the delivery of live training and the adoption of virtual and hybrid learning methods.
• AI in customer education, ROI calculations, and live training
  • Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu discuss the slow return of live training programs, citing cost-cutting measures and a lack of data to prove their effectiveness.
  • Vendors are not providing meaningful push to revolutionize ROI calculations, and there is a need for better alignment on low-hanging fruit to improve the platform.
  • Adam and Dave discuss the potential of AI in customer education, with Adam highlighting the limitations of LLMs and the importance of taking a balanced approach to adopting new technologies.
• AI in customer education
  • Dave Derington: AI in customer education is being used to train on specific tasks, but there's a need for more structured content and better connection of dots.
  • Adam Avramescu: AI is being sprinkled into existing products, but there's a need for more native AI products that fully address core use cases.
  • Adam Avramescu predicts AI differentiation in customer education, with thought industries sponsoring a robust tech platform.
• Trends in customer education and related fields
  • Consolidation of customer education functions within organizations, with a focus on digital success and community alignment.
  • Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu discussed the future of education technology, predicting that some trends, such as blockchain and Metaverse, will not take off as expected.
  • They also identified areas where education technology is likely to see growth, including the use of AR and VR in industries like healthcare and manufacturing.
  • Dave Derington and Adam Avramescu discuss the future of AI in customer education, predicting more extensions and evolution of existing solutions, but not a full AI LMS in 2024.
  • They expect to see more native AI products solving problems in the learning space, with a potential initial cohort of startups focusing on customer education specifically.
• Customer education, digital success, and consolidation in the industry
  • Automation and efficiency will be key themes in customer education programs next year, with a focus on using AI and workflow tools to drive outcomes and improve productivity.
  • Gainsight's acquisition of a customer ad platform will enhance customer education and proactivity.
  • Gainsight's acquisition of Northpass signals more consolidation between customer success and digital customer success, with CSMs shifting to digital training.
  • A customer success leader reflects on past approaches, acknowledging a lack of investment in scalable programs like customer education and community.
• Customer education and its importance in business
  • Adam and Dave discuss the importance of collaboration between departments in a SaaS company.
  • Candid conversations on customer education, leadership, and resilience.
  • Adam Avramescu and Dave Derington invite listeners to share their thoughts and feedback on the podcast through LinkedIn, with the goal of making the program more relevant and valuable to the audience.
  • The hosts thank listeners for their support over the past 5 years and encourage them to subscribe, leave reviews, and share the podcast with their networks to help expand its reach.