Zoom's first virtual sales onboarding
Transforming a one-week, in-person event into a global 6-week program for 2,000+ new hires.
Transforming a one-week, in-person event into a global 6-week program for 2,000+ new hires.
Role
Lead Program Manager
Goal
Scale sales onboarding from a one-week, in-person event to a global 6-week virtual program without losing the human touch.
Timeline
2020 – 2022
Scale
2,000+ new hires, 7 segments
When I took over Zoom's sales onboarding in April 2020, the pandemic had just made Zoom a household name, and hiring spiked to ~10x typical volume. Our lean enablement team had to scale onboarding without losing the human touch. We reimagined it in weeks: from a one-week, in-person event to a global 6-week virtual program with segment-specific learning paths, custom tooling, and intentional culture moments.
Onboarding used to be a four-day, in-person program for 20–40 people. The pandemic sent hiring into overdrive. We were welcoming classes of 150+ at a time. Our lean team had to design custom learning paths for seven sales segments and deliver a memorable experience at scale, without the hallway conversations and in-person touch that had always defined the program.
We had to reimagine everything in weeks.
We started by working with leaders to outline what was necessary vs. nice-to-have, then turned that into a real blueprint: an audit, a live training proposal, and close collaboration with leaders and subject matter experts. As the weeks took shape, we organized everything into a cohesive theme we called Basecamp.
We ran an audit and built the first content repository, a single place for session schedules, subjects, presenters, decks, and recordings. From that we created the LMS journey process so new hires had a clear path through self-paced and recovery content, not just the live schedule. The spreadsheet that held LMS trainings became the backbone we could point to and iterate on.
We started to explore tooling like Airtable to manage the journey and give new hires a custom view into the many trainings they would have to navigate. We had WorkRamp at the time for LMS trainings but were reaching a pain point with its capabilities and weren't sure if it would be the right tool for the employee journey.
LMS learning paths and schedules from the audit.
What we designed. A live training proposal that covered everything sales needed, from core product knowledge to demo skills and on-camera presence.
How we used it. A single live-training repository listed every session we wanted to run and became the alignment tool with leaders and presenters so nothing fell through the cracks.
Early program and live schedule planning.
Who I brought in. Sales and segment leaders, PMs, PMMs, and team all-stars as presenters so content reflected how the business really worked. We used those relationships to verify we were covering the right trainings and to give a visible platform to people who wanted to grow.
Why it mattered. Rotating presenters meant varied perspectives on every topic—no single voice dominated and the content stayed fresh while still aligned to sales needs.
Outcome: Sourcing PMs, PMMs, segment leaders, and all-stars meant diverse voices in the room and a path for people who wanted to step up while keeping trainings aligned to what sales actually needed.
How we made sessions accountable. I worked with live presenters to define clear learning objectives for each training and what the learner should be able to do afterward—and to stay true to Zoom Basecamp's objectives: accelerate employee happiness, provide engaging trainings, use innovative learning approaches, and support leadership needs.
From there we built simple knowledge checks and a game plan before each session so every training had a purpose and a way to measure whether it landed.
Outcome: Objectives and knowledge checks—aligned to Basecamp and to each session—kept us accountable and gave facilitators and participants a shared expectation.
How we iterated. I worked with SMEs to tighten decks as the week went on, gave feedback on delivery, and refined content for value based on what we were hearing in real time.
The loop. Short daily Google surveys and end-of-day notes gave us a fast, safe channel for feedback. We used that input to adjust trainings every month and stay closely connected to each cohort.
Outcome: Daily surveys and session notes gave us a safe, fast channel to improve content and delivery and to keep trust high with each cohort.
Content × Operations. I owned content and program enablement; an operations coordinator owned execution. We co-designed the flow and partnered with People Experience so day-one, handoff to sales, and expectations for new hires and managers stayed aligned.
In sync. Cohort planning, cadence and messaging, swag and vendors, and manager updates—content and ops stayed tightly coupled so nothing fell through the cracks.
Who did what. The split by role and ownership is outlined to the right so you can see how we divided the work.
We gave the program a clear structure—intake windows, a six-week arc that worked like a climb from Trek Prep to Zoom Sales Summit—and a shared visual story. Every touchpoint (logos, role characters, training headers, and virtual backgrounds) reinforced that new hires were on one adventure, not a patchwork of sessions.
The high-level journey. A clear arc from Trek Prep to Camp Discovery, Camp Demo, Camp Closer, and Zoom Sales Summit so new hires could see where they were in the climb. Role-specific paths (like Camp Olympus for CSMs and Camp Denali for Sales, plus SE tracks) split off from that journey so each group had a tailored path while sharing the same Basecamp theme.
We built 80+ hours of live and LMS content, tailored to AEs, CSMs, Channel Partners, and Sales Engineers, and created the first intake process: admittance windows and exclusion periods so hiring and ramp aligned.
Intake windows and exclusion periods aligned hiring and ramp.
Outcome: This was a big battle won with leadership. We'd never had an onboarding schedule before. Onboarding was disjointed and sellers weren't ready to sell when given their books. The intake process and structured program changed that.
Journey maps and session visuals showed how the pieces fit together and how the Basecamp theme carried from start to finish.
We illustrated the roles new hires would step into (SE, AE, BDR, ZP Rep, and more) in the same Basecamp style so the journey felt personal and recognizable.
Every virtual session used consistent headers so the experience felt like one program, not a patchwork of decks.
We designed themed virtual backgrounds (seasonal, scenic, and branded) so new hires could show up with a shared look. Cohesive branding through the virtual and online trainings made every session feel part of the same journey.
Basecamp virtual backgrounds — seasonal and themed designs.
We needed to manage the journey at scale across multiple segments. Instead of one giant spreadsheet for everyone to wade through, we partnered with web development to build a custom onboarding website. Each segment had its own view that reflected their specific journey: schedules, resources, and LMS in one place so new hires and their managers could see exactly where they were and what was next.
That foundation let us roll out globally (EMEA, APAC) without proportionally scaling trainers or tooling. The site became the central hub for the entire program.
We developed the live and LMS content that brought the program to life. To make trainings more dynamic and super interactive, we put the team captain at the center as the "ring leader" for each team. Here’s how that kicked off and how three key initiatives fit in.
This was the deck that kept me on track and on auto-pilot during the day so we could make sure the trainings were streamlined and stayed on time for facilitators and participants.
We created a guided deck that "team captains" used daily as a supplemental guide for the virtual classes. It had everything they needed to run the session in one place (agenda, talking points, activities, and links) so facilitators could focus on delivery instead of hunting through spreadsheets.
We formed group cohorts at the beginning of the week so teams could get to know each other better and draft off each other's knowledge. New hires created teams like The Zoomie Bunch and played together on trivia and games throughout the week, building toward a platform pitch at the end of the week as a group activity.
Platform trainings needed to be memorable, not just informative. We used innovative overlays (security callouts, speech bubbles, key messages on the video feed) to turn standard Zoom sessions into dynamic learning experiences. The Basecamp branding reinforced that new hires were part of something bigger.
We brought in Mark Bowden, speaker and author of Winning Body Language, for a video-based training. The session helped reps and support specialists understand how presence, gesture, and posture translate on camera, building confidence and connection in every customer interaction.
We used Kahoot at the end of each live session and Jeopardy (from the Training Arcade) to solidify the day's teachings and score the teams. Daily scores were announced each morning and determined who won swag at the end of the week.
We capped the week with a persona lab as a week ender, a sum of everything they’d learned. Reps dove into Zoom’s most common buying personas (VP of Sales, Head of Recruiting, Director of Customer Success, and more) and pitched to personas from fictional companies like Stark Industries and Dunder Mifflin. By the end of week one, reps weren’t just Zoom fluent. They were buyer fluent.
Beyond structure and content, we focused on the human moments that made Basecamp feel like a place people belonged.
We started each day with Zoom Roulette, a rotating set of prompts (weird or hidden talent, memorable moment, best vacation, favorite holiday tradition, and more) so people could share and participate while everyone joined. It set a warm, inclusive tone and got voices in the room from the first minutes.
Before Basecamp even began, our CEO, Eric Yuan, made it a point to attend and personally meet each new class. We continued the practice monthly, inviting senior leaders like our CRO, CIO, and CMO to share insights and take questions, helping to break down silos and foster transparency from day one.
Virtual yearbooks, themed Zoom backgrounds (per cohort), studio effects, and energizers. Custom backgrounds became a signature, from the Basecamp New Hire badge to seasonal themes, giving each cohort a shared visual identity and a sense of belonging.
We took a team image at the end of each Week 1 and looked for fun ways to test the technology—like aligning everyone's virtual background so the tiles formed one continuous Basecamp image. Small touches that made the experience feel cohesive and intentional.
New hires humored me in my quest to nail the longest virtual TP Pass ever to celebrate our second all-virtual Basecamp.
We captured qualitative data by scoring each training on dimensions that mattered: value, relevance, and engagement. Participants also had space for open notes: questions, requests for additional information, or specific feedback on sessions so we could improve content and address concerns quickly.
Across categories and cohorts, we consistently saw scores of 3.7 and higher, even in cohorts as large as 120. That signal helped us know we were delivering something that landed, at scale.
Outcome: 3.7+ across value, relevance, and engagement, even in cohorts of 120. Qualitative feedback and open notes gave us a direct line to what was working and what to refine.
We ran regular check-ins to keep the program aligned with leadership and to course-correct. 1H Program Vision set the big bets—Learning Hub, Innovation, Global Alignment, and LMS Learning—so everyone knew where we were heading.
1H Lessons Learned gave us a structured way to capture what we’d accomplished, what to double down on, and what to do differently. That rhythm kept the work visible and accountable, and gave us a clear line from strategy to execution.
Measurable outcomes from the program.
2,000+ new hires
Created a repeatable, measurable onboarding for over 2,000+ new hires (and counting) globally across multiple roles and regions.
Streamlined intake and measurable process
First intake process and structured schedule for sales onboarding; clear admittance windows and a repeatable, measurable path from hire to ramp.
85% completion, 90% attendance
Averaged training completion rates of 85% within the first 6 weeks and attendance around 90% on average (tracked through the onboarding portal and LMS).
3.9/5 value, 4/5 relevance, 3.9/5 engagement
Sustained over 12+ months and tracked through weekly survey data.
Scalable globally
Built a scalable program that could expand to new markets (APAC, EMEA) without additional trainer or resource creation burdens.
Hours back into selling
Freed sales leaders and reps from repeated one-off training, putting hundreds of hours back into selling.
What I'd emphasize in an interview: culture at scale takes intention; the details differentiate; and program leadership means owning strategy and execution.
Design every touchpoint so new hires feel they belong; culture at scale doesn't happen by accident.
You can deliver a custom experience without new platform spend; resourcefulness often beats budget.
Small touches—yearbooks, backgrounds, energizers—recreated connection and set the program apart.
Program leadership means owning both strategy and execution: branding, content, tooling, and moments.
If you're interested in exploring more of what went into this work, I've included a selection of materials and supporting assets from the program below.