CSE Team Member Onboarding
Overview of CSE Onboarding
Onboarding for Customer Success Engineers at GitLab is a guided, methodical process to ensure new team members have the knowledge and skills they need to engage customers effectively at scale. This page provides an overview of what to expect during your onboarding journey, including learning objectives, live session details, milestones, and how your manager and buddy will support you along the way.
As a CSE, your onboarding experience is a blended learning journey that includes a self-paced role-based learning path on Level Up, live virtual skills sessions, and the GitLab Revenue Academy program including an in-person regional graduation event.
View the CSM Handbook homepage for additional Customer Success-related handbook pages.
Learning Objectives for CSE Onboarding e-learning
Module 1: CSE at GitLab and Call Shadowing
- Demonstrate understanding of GitLab basics
- Express the Customer Success vision
- Describe the role of the CSE and how it fits within the broader Customer Experience organization
- Complete the following certification: GitLab Certified Git Associate
- Express understanding of the DevSecOps lifecycle
- Demonstrate ability to set up a GitLab demo environment
Module 2: CSE Deep Dive
- Describe the rhythm of business for a CSE
- Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of CI/CD
- Apply understanding of CI/CD in customer scenarios
- Complete the following certification: GitLab Certified CI/CD Associate
- Demonstrate customer readiness by completing a role-play exercise
Module 3: Technical Deep Dive
- Explain best practices for customer onboarding
- Examine reference architecture
- Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of GitLab Agile Project Management
- Complete the following certification: GitLab Project Management Associate
- Demonstrate customer readiness by completing a role-play exercise
Module 4: CSE Best Practices
- Formulate comprehensive understanding of DevSecOps adoption
- Identify how to request and track CSE engagement
- Differentiate rules of engagement for the CSE and other account team members (AE, SA, CSM, RM, etc.)
- Apply use of Gainsight for health monitoring, CTAs, and engagement tracking
- Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of GitLab Security
- Complete the following certification: GitLab Security Specialist
- Demonstrate customer readiness by completing a role-play exercise
Module 5: CSE Onboarding Conclusion
- Explain CSE escalation processes
- Identify recommended CSE meeting workflow
- Discuss customer readiness with your manager
- Complete Revenue Academy prework and role-based learning path
Live Instructor Led Skills Workshop Sessions
As part of Revenue Academy Component 3, CSEs attend four role-based live virtual sessions. These sessions are 90 minutes each and run on a rolling monthly rotation. Session 0 is shared across all Customer Experience new hires.
Session 0 — One CX: Roles, Customer Journey and Overview
Audience: All CX new hires (CSM, CSA, CSE, RM, PS Engagement Manager, PS Technical Architect, PS Project Manager)
Format: Watch and AMA — approximately 60 minutes of async pre-watch followed by a 30-minute live AMA session
What this covers:
- The One CX model and how all roles connect across the customer journey
- Success Tiers overview — Self-Guided through Signature, and what each tier means
- Professional Services and Education Services overview — what is available and when each applies
- Win stories illustrating what strong CX collaboration looks like in practice
- How to work with PS, CS, and Renewals as a team
Pre-work: Watch the CX Roadshow recording (linked in your cohort Slack channel) before the live AMA session.
Session 1 — Scaled Engagement and Webinar Delivery
Format: Live demo and practice delivery
What this covers:
- What scaled engagement means at GitLab — the CSE+ vs. CSE vs. CSM model, when each applies, and the On-Demand tier framing
- CSE webinar calendar walkthrough — what is available, how to plug in as a new hire, and what good looks like
- Anatomy of a CSE-led webinar — structure, facilitation approach, and how to handle Q&A at scale
- Practice delivery — you will facilitate a 5-minute segment of a sample webinar topic and receive group feedback
Session 2 — CSE Operating Rhythm, Tools and Health
Format: Live demo and hands-on walkthrough
What this covers:
- CSE operating rhythm — what a typical week looks like and key recurring activities
- Engagement request process — how customers request CSE support, what CSE does with the request, and SLAs
- Gainsight for CSEs — health scores, CTAs, utilization monitoring, and how CSEs track engagement
- The CSE+ model — what it is, how accounts are assigned, and coordination with the Renewals Manager for revenue retention
- Hands-on practice navigating a sample Gainsight account, finding a CTA, and logging an engagement
Session 3 — Customer Onboarding and Adoption Best Practices
Format: Workshop — scenario-based
What this covers:
- CSE onboarding model overview — out-of-the-box programs, cohort structure, and day 21 and day 90 touchpoints
- First Order onboarding — the CSE’s role in proactive First Order engagement and coordination with the Account Manager
- Adoption health monitoring — how to identify risk early, when to escalate vs. handle independently, and the connection to the Renewals Manager
- Scenario practice — working through a real-feeling First Order customer profile to practice applying the above
Milestones and Onboarding Roadmap
Expectations for Manager Support During Onboarding
Month 1
- Schedule recurring 1:1s and confirm the new hire has access to all role-specific tools and appropriate Slack channels
- Provide guidance on who the new hire should schedule coffee chats with during their onboarding journey
- Review and discuss company policies: PTO policy, Family and Friends First culture, and CREDIT values
- Discuss team-specific expectations and review organizational structure
- Align on a general plan to get customer-ready, including who to schedule onboarding role-plays with
- Ensure the new hire is meeting expected milestones from week to week
- Identify skills to be mastered and resources available to accomplish each learning objective
Month 2
- Check in regularly — ask about challenges with GitLab’s async culture and discuss any general concerns
- Share constructive feedback on role-plays completed during the onboarding learning path
- Ensure onboarding milestones are met and required courses and certifications are on track
- Align on whether the new hire is on track to be customer-ready and identify any additional support needed
- Discuss best practices and rules of engagement for CSEs
Month 3
- Decide on a regular cadence for ongoing 1:1s
- Prepare the new hire for taking over assigned customers and accounts
- Shadow customer calls where possible and provide structured feedback
- Confirm that all mandatory onboarding activities have been completed, including Revenue Academy and the role-based learning path
- Discuss how performance will be formally evaluated
Beyond 3 Months
- Provide regular feedback on performance
- Partner with the team member to develop an individual growth plan for the coming year
- Discuss the following topics in depth over the coming months — covering what good looks like, common pitfalls, and how success is measured:
- Cadence calls
- Success plans
- Executive Business Reviews
- Customer escalations
- Customer enablement
- Gainsight hygiene
Expectations for Buddy Support During Onboarding
Month 1
- Nurture a welcoming environment for the new hire
- Establish a recurring 1:1 to check in on progress with onboarding activities
- Provide assistance with any barriers or difficulty understanding concepts covered in the learning path or Revenue Academy
- Connect the new hire with members of the broader team to build their network
- Share helpful tips and resources that will be valuable during onboarding and beyond
Month 2
- Provide opportunities for the new hire to shadow your customer calls and assist with note-taking
- Debrief on calls and share constructive feedback
- Align with the new hire’s manager on ways you can provide additional support
Month 3
- Co-lead calls with the new hire until they are ready to take over customer interactions independently
- Share constructive feedback on their approach and facilitation style
- Inform the new hire on how you can continue to support them beyond the formal onboarding period
Graduation from CSE Onboarding
To be considered graduated from your CSE onboarding journey, you must have:
- Completed the GitLab Academy eLearning prework and passed all knowledge checks
- Attended all GitLab Academy sessions, including the Value Selling workshops (attendance is mandatory)
- Attended all four role-based live skills sessions
- Attended the in-person regional graduation summit and passed the stand-and-deliver capstone assessment
- Completed your role-based learning path on LevelUp
- Attained the following certifications:
- GitLab Certified Git Associate
- GitLab Certified CI/CD Associate
- GitLab Certified Project Management Associate
- GitLab Certified Security Specialist
- Completed all role-play activities and discussed feedback with your manager and onboarding buddy
Continuous Enablement
For high-level information on ongoing enablement initiatives for the Customer Success Engineer team, refer to the CS Enablement Corner and the CS Development Handbook.
You will receive calendar invitations for the Customer Success Skills Exchange and Field Enablement Spotlight sessions. Customer Success Skills Exchange is a biweekly series and Field Enablement Spotlight runs weekly. Both cover topics relevant to the field — please join and participate actively.
Resources
- CSE New Hire Onboarding Guide
- CSE Onboarding Learning Path on LevelUp
- Revenue Academy Handbook Page
- Customer Success Enablement Issue Board
- CSE Onboarding Feedback Issue
- #customer-success Slack channel
Feedback
Your feedback on the onboarding process is important to us and we welcome your thoughts and ideas about how we can improve in the future. Please share your feedback in the CSE Onboarding Feedback issue or by reaching out in #field-enablement-team on Slack.
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