Case Study: Firefly Learning achieves 6x surge handling and averts a 400% support spike with Pendo

How Firefly Learning managed a 6x increase in product usage during EdTech boom

Firefly Learning, a London-based EdTech platform, saw demand spike overnight when COVID-19 closed schools, driving product usage six to seven times higher than normal and forcing the team to onboard roughly six months’ worth of new users in a single week. The surge strained backend systems and threatened a large increase in support volume, so Firefly needed fast visibility into user behavior and a way to steer users into efficient workflows.

Firefly used Pendo analytics and in-app guides to map user paths, surface where people were getting stuck, and nudge users toward optimal workflows. Targeted guides and messages deflected common Zendesk issues, routed users to the uptime page during outages, and drove a 51% lift in Community Forum visits—averting an estimated 400% spike in support requests. Pendo guides also automated onboarding at scale, helping Firefly onboard new customers quickly while protecting platform performance and user experience.

Firefly Learning

Samantha Benson

Product Ops Lead