What is In-App Guidance?

In-app guidance is the configuration of software used to provide a better experience to end-users while using an application. It’s a better option than traditional in-person training sessions, phone conversations, and email communications because it provides timely assistance within the application itself. As such, it increases user engagement and encourages increased app usage by making information readily accessible to novice users.

Creators of in-app guidance can add and edit commands as they see fit, allowing them to target a specific audience and personalize in-app prompts when and where they are needed. User interaction with the prompts is identified using an orchestration mechanism to determine when to display the prompt again and how long similar prompts should stay onscreen.

How Do I Create In-App Guidance?

In-app guidance is created by using either floating prompts or docked prompts. These fall under two main categories:

Single prompt
Single prompts, when floating, are placed in predefined positions on a page, but can be moved by app users when they block certain features or important parts of the screen. Single docked prompts, on the other hand, are most often fixed at the bottom right corner of a page. Users can’t move them, but they can be maximized to get a better view or minimized or closed when no longer needed.

Walkthrough
Walkthroughs are a series of prompts that provide step-by-step guidance on a new feature or functionality. You can use either floating prompts, docked prompts, or a combination of both for walkthroughs. Some systems are limited to guidance on a single page while others will walk a user through steps across pages and even cross-application.

In-app guidance can also help in-app monitoring by creating custom reports based on “prompt actions.” Some guidance creation platforms offer pre-built dashboards that provide detailed analyses of views, action button clicks, and other engagement metrics.

What is Salesforce In-App Guidance?

First launched in 2019, Salesforce in-app guidance came integrated with the Salesforce platform as an added feature that didn’t require additional installation. It allows the creation of text-based or media-rich prompts that provide direction and guidance to users. It helps create seamless workflows that can help users in the performance of various tasks without moving from one application to another.

Additionally, it allows users to continue where they left off from another application and start where they want on the next application without the need to manually switch applications.

In-app guidance is beneficial because its use involves the understanding of user intent to provide contextualized personalization and relevant content to specific users. It’s currently limited to the Salesforce platform but works across all applications under it. The company uses in-app guidance to do the following:

Onboard new users
Train users
Make universal announcements
Inform users about changes

Is Salesforce In-app Guidance Free?

Salesforce in-app guidance is a recent addition to the Salesforce platform that features informational walkthroughs of features that can be used in onboarding and training. Admins can make use of in-app guidance to create a seamless learning experience for new Salesforce users. It’s not necessary to purchase a license to create or package walkthroughs, but there are certain restrictions on user visibility.

There is also the Salesforce Labs feature that provides free features, which can then be enhanced with additional premium features that require additional licenses to use. A 30-day trial period is also offered so that admins don’t need to start from scratch when creating in-app guidance. The full Salesforce in-app guidance experience is tied to a “myTrailhead” license that costs $25 per user per month, on top of the standard license costs.

There are also digital adoption platforms available that help add value to the in-app guidance experience, like gaining visibility into user journeys, streamlining process efficiency, and increasing overall employee productivity.

The Future of In-App Guidance & Digital Transformation

The greatest challenge of any digital transformation is the user adoption of new technologies. As such, companies have been employing a variety of methods to encourage this and make the transition easier. A digital adoption platform is an ideal solution because it helps personalize the software onboarding process by using multiple learning avenues, emphasizing knowledge retention, and automating repetitive processes.

Modern platforms are often complicated by a myriad of features that can overwhelm new users. In-app guidance help reduce this complexity by providing on-demand and task-based information that aids in training and the performance of fluid workflows. It’s a practical investment in the long term because it makes ongoing learning a scalable process that also helps bring down costs while increasing user adoption.

Updated: December 28, 2021

In-App Guidance