Case study · SaaS HCM company · 2024–2025
I conceived and led a live, multi-day certification event that turned a self-paced, Academy-based certification course into an instructor-led experience. Both years it ran, it produced the highest monthly certification count of the year.
204%
increase in monthly certifications over the prior month at launch (2024)
113%
increase in monthly certifications over the prior month the following year (2025)
Top month
for certifications in both 2024 and 2025, with live attendance well above industry benchmarks
Our newly launched Academy-based certification courses were built on short-form videos and articles. That format suits independent, self-paced learners, but not everyone learns that way.
Many learners absorb material better in a live setting, where they can ask questions in the moment and work through content on a defined schedule. Without that structure, they were less likely to start or finish a certification. We needed a way to reach them and build momentum behind the new certification courses, without rebuilding the curriculum from scratch.
I proposed a live certification event to complement the self-paced video courses. Instead of writing new curriculum, we translated the existing video scripts into webinar scripts and delivered them over several days in 90–120 minute sessions.
The first year covered two certifications: a compensation fundamentals course and one of our flagship products, whose video scripts I had also written.
A tiered format that builds day by day
The flagship product course already had beginner, intermediate and advanced tiers. I mirrored that structure across three days, with each day building on the one before. Exam links went out at the end of the matching day, so learners could certify while the material was fresh.
Built-in engagement
Regular sample questions drawn from the exam kept the audience active and surfaced confusing topics, which we clarified live through chat and Q&A.
Built-in engagement
I created guides covering key points and topics, built from the webinar transcripts, as an exclusive incentive to attend live.
Working within the tools we had, then scaling once the model was proven.
2024 · Zoom
Zoom couldn't handle registration for a multi-day, multi-level event. I built a simple Asana intake form that asked which certification level each registrant wanted, then imported registrations into the right webinar days so everyone got invites for exactly the sessions they needed.
2025 · Goldcast
We moved to Goldcast, which supports multi-day events and sessions natively. Learners chose their own sessions and the manual registration work went away. We kept all existing content and added certifications for two more products using the same tiered method.
Compensation course
I sourced SMEs from across the organization to lead specific topics, coached them on training techniques and audience engagement, and gave design-centered feedback on their supporting content and deliverables.
Promotion
I owned Live Certification Week from idea to delivery.
Concept
Identified the gap for live learners and proposed the event
Program design
Created the tiered, multi-day structure for content across levels
Content
Wrote the flagship product video scripts and led their adaptation into webinar scripts
Presenters
Decided which presenters would lead each topic
Slide design
Designed or co-designed the accompanying slide decks
Registration
Devised the Asana intake workaround for Zoom's limitations
Study guides
Proposed and built attendee-only guides from webinar transcripts
SME coaching
Sourced and coached presenters on delivery, engagement and content design
In both 2024 and 2025, the event month was our highest certification month of the year.
2024 · Launch year
+204%
monthly certifications over the prior month
Compensation course + flagship product
2025 · Second year
+113%
monthly certifications over the prior month
Compensation course + 3 products
Attendance
In 2025, the share of registrants who attended live came in well above the industry benchmark of roughly 40%.
Engagement
Academy student activity spiked during the 2025 event week.
Meet learners where they are.
Adding a live option to self-paced certification courses reached a different audience and multiplied certifications.
Reuse before you rebuild.
Adapting existing video scripts delivered a new format without new curriculum.
Let structure do the work.
A tiered, cumulative schedule let each learner commit only the time their goal required.
Solve for today's tools, then scale.
A simple Asana workaround launched the event on Zoom; Goldcast removed the manual work once it was proven.
Build a repeatable model.
The same method extended to two more product certifications in year two.
Rebecca Kavalchuck, MBA
Customer Education, Enablement & Professional Services leader
rebeccakavalchuck.com
kavalchuck.rf@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/rebecca-kavalchuck-mba
I'm looking for my next role leading customer education, enablement or professional services for a SaaS company. I'd love to hear about your team and what your customers need to learn.