In our last post, we made the case for why you should use a tool when building tech walkthroughs. Now you might be trying to figure out which tool makes the most sense for your business. Solid.
In this post, we’ll cover what product features you should be watching out for.
1. Speedy, Intuitive Authoring
You know how it goes. When your team releases new tech, you need support materials immediately. Otherwise, your frontline will be bombarded with support questions they aren't prepared for.
Don't leave your staff high and dry.
A tool designed specifically for building walkthroughs will cut your development time down to a few minutes — even if you know squat about code — so you can release your walkthroughs at launch and save $$$.
2. Challenge Creation
Imagine you’re in your car, driving a friend home after a night out. (Stay with me on this.) You have your eyes on the road and your buddy is giving directions.
You don’t have to think. You just turn when they tell you to.
Fast forward. It’s a week later and your pal invites you over to watch the big game. You hop in your car and suddenly… you’re lost.
Why? The first trip didn’t challenge you so you didn’t retain it.
The same principle applies to technology walkthroughs.
Guided tours are helpful when they’re in front of you, but they don’t actually teach you anything. You just follow a blinking light around a screen.
Challenge-based tours make you think critically about the content so you remember and apply it. Plus, the reward of a perfect score motivates users to play walkthroughs multiple times.
Look for a tool that lets you build both.
3. Organization Options
The ideal tool organizes content into categories like Netflix does.
Netflix is currently suggesting titles for me under the subgenre “Food Shows.” They know I just binged every episode of Sugar Rush and am searching for more dessert-based content to take its place. Well played, Netflix.
My point is this: When you categorize your content, customers/members can easily find the materials that are most relevant to them. Categories also show users similar, or recommended, content that will motivate them to explore your site and product further.
4. Ability to Deploy Walkthroughs in Multiple Places
When evaluating tools, keep an eye out for the ability to build once and publish everywhere.
Look for a content management system that allows you to deploy walkthroughs to both your internal training portal and customer/member facing site simultaneously. This way, your frontline staff can get trained on your tech and your clients can get the support they need.
5. Accessible for Phone Channel and Customers/Members
About a month ago, I was having some problems with my computer. It was overheating and slow, and it refused to connect to my printer.
So I did the sensible thing and called tech support—and it sucked.
Our conversation went something like this:
Tech Support: Do you see a grey box on your screen?
Me: Um… no?
Tech Support: Has your computer synched with your printer?
Me: Uh... I don’t know?
We were both frustrated. We couldn’t see each other’s screens, so it was tough to pinpoint exactly what was wrong. I had no reference for what I should be seeing or where I should be clicking.
If my rep had sent me a link to a walkthrough, it would have ensured we were both looking at the same thing. I could have quickly figured out what my screen was supposed to look like, and we could have walked through the solution together.
6. Easy (and Fast!) Updates
Apps are constantly updating.
You want a tool that can easily build, modify, and roll out updates as new versions of your app are released—without needing to bother IT.
A good tool will be nimble enough to update all instances of your demos. So if you have identical demos on your client-facing support site and employee training portal, you can manage updates for both from one spot, keeping your support materials consistent.
The Bottom Line
Look for a tool that is easy for anyone to use throughout the entire lifecycle of your tours, from your initial build to all future updates. The ideal tech walkthrough tool will support both staff and customers/members as they learn and explore your tech.
