Brewing Success: How We Perked Up Learner Engagement

A Caffeinated Approach to Customer Education

The start of a new year is always filled with promise—a time when people set goals, embrace fresh challenges, and commit to personal growth. At Sendoso, we saw this as the perfect opportunity to re-engage our learners in Sendoso University, our self-paced e-learning hub. We knew our learning platform was packed with valuable knowledge, but many learners have only scratched the surface. They had logged in, maybe started a course, but had not completed a certification. We wanted to change that.

But how do you motivate busy professionals to carve out time for learning? The answer was right in front of us—coffee. A small but mighty motivator, coffee fuels productivity and helps people power through their to-do lists. And so, the Sip Your Way to Success campaign was born, combining the promise of skill-building with the joy of a well-earned caffeine boost.

Brewing Up the Perfect Campaign 

Our goal was simple: encourage more learners to complete a certification while reinforcing Sendoso University as an essential resource. But instead of just sending reminders, we wanted to create an engaging experience—one that felt like that first sip of morning coffee.

We identified three key groups we wanted to engage:

• Learners who had logged into Sendoso University but never completed a certification
• Learners who had started a certification but hadn’t finished
• New customers who joined Sendoso in the the past three months who have not yet engaged with Sendoso University

We crafted a two-part email series, sent through Marketo, encouraging these learners to uplevel their skills. The emails hinted at a potential reward—without making it the focus—so that participation felt more like a personal win rather than a transactional exchange.

This was the first email sent to admins, encouraging them to complete their admin certification. 

When learners completed their certification, an automated email via Gainsight-Marketo integration congratulated them and invited them to claim a well-deserved treat: a coffee-themed gift bundle.

We used Sendoso’s Party Link feature to streamline the process. Learners who completed their certification could click the link in the email and fill out a short form. Once submitted, we manually verified their completion before approving the Party Link, ensuring they received their well-earned gift.

This email congratulates learners on completing their certification and invites them to claim their gift.

Fueling Learning with Every Sip

To keep things fun and relevant, we designed two coffee-inspired rewards:

• Bundle for the Admin Certification: A sleek, non-branded Fellow mug, a coffee frother, and two packets of Starbucks VIA instant coffee, all packed in a branded box with white crinkle paper.
• Bundle for the Sender Certification: A branded Sendoso mug and two packets of Starbucks VIA, delivered in a branded box with white crinkle paper.

The bundles weren’t extravagant, but they were intentional—practical, delightful, and a tangible reminder of their accomplishment.

Sipping Our Way to Success: The Results 

The response blew us away. Our initial goal was 30 certification completions, but we ended up nearly doubling that number with:

What We Learned (Besides that Everyone Loves Coffee)

1. Timing is Everything – The new year was a perfect moment to launch a campaign focused on professional growth.
2. A Small Incentive Can Have a Big Impact – The coffee bundles weren’t about the monetary value; they were about creating a moment of celebration.
3. Automation is Key – By leveraging Marketo and Gainsight integrations, we created a seamless experience that felt natural and engaging.
4. Community Drives Engagement – Seeing organic LinkedIn posts proved that achievements are more meaningful when shared and celebrated.

Final Thoughts

The Sip Your Way to Success campaign wasn’t just about completing certifications. It was about creating a positive learning experience—one that felt rewarding, motivating, and fun. By tying learning to a small, enjoyable ritual like that first morning sip of coffee, we made it easier for users to take that next step. Looking ahead, we’re excited to build on this momentum, finding new ways to inspire our learners to keep learning, growing, and—of course—sipping their way to success. 

For customer education, success, and experience teams, this campaign is proof that small, thoughtful incentives can drive meaningful learning outcomes. Whether it’s coffee, exclusive perks, or another creative reward, there are endless ways to encourage engagement and celebrate achievements.

If you're a Sendoso customer, connect with your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to explore how you can run a similar campaign. Don’t know who your CSM is? Reach out to us here and we will help you get started. 

Not a customer yet? Reach out to our sales team to see how Sendoso can fuel engagement in your programs.

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