Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) tool. It's packed with features and functions that allow businesses to handle customer success and product management, predict sales revenues, nurture leads, and increase productivity.
However, all these varied and excellent applications come at a cost. One commonly-cited issue with Salesforce is its steep learning curve. A difficult-to-learn app can be a real issue when you need to train new users.
The CRM software giant recognized this some time ago. As a result, they released a tool called In-App Guidance as part of their Lightning Experience upgrade.
The idea behind In-App Guidance is that it helps train and onboard new users with on-screen prompts and interactive walkthroughs.
Let's explore more.
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| Image by drobotdean on Freepik |
What is Salesforce In-App Guidance?
Salesforce has been around for a long time. It's well-established as the most popular sales and CRM tool. A few years ago, they introduced Lightning, a reworked and much-improved user interface for Salesforce. Part of these changes included the option for an add-on called In-App Guidance.
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| Salesforce In-App Guidance |
In-App Guidance allows Salesforce admins to create prompts and walkthroughs to help train and onboard users. Before the release of In-App Guidance, Salesforce users had to make do with encouraging employee adoption through manuals, webinars, training, knowledge bases, etc.
However, it's generally agreed that product adoption works best when users learn by doing. What's more, users prefer in-app guidance because it provides a better experience and autonomy.
How does Lighting Experience In-App Guidance work?
Salesforce's In-App Guidance allows admins to create content that lives inside their CRM platform. As users navigate the platform, they encounter prompts and walkthroughs that help train them to use the CRM tool.
Salesforce offers admins a few different types of in-app guidance. They are:
Floating Prompts: Floating prompts are a good option for helping users discover and adopt features. Salesforce offers nine preset on-screen locations where a short message can appear.
Targeted prompt: A targeted prompt can be set for any element on the page. When clicked, it brings up a modal window that you can populate with text.
Docked Prompts: Docked prompts are accessible from the bottom right-hand corner of the page. They are the best option for more complex employee onboarding tasks.
Walkthroughs: Walkthroughs allow admins to connect up to 10 different floating, targeted, or docked prompts into a unified product walkthrough experience. Each prompt can be presented in a step-by-step sequence.
Salesforce CRM implementation provides many advantages for modern sales and customer success teams. However, organizations can only unlock the full benefits of the platform with good training and onboarding.
Salesforce's In-App Guidance helps this process, but it also has some drawbacks, especially when compared to alternative DAPs like Usetiful.
In-App Guidance pros
New features adoption: Admins can link new features to Salesforce's training platform Trailhead, facilitating user adoption
Onboarding: New hires can quickly get up to speed with Salesforce CRM
Reactive response: Salesforce users can get help when they need it inside the app
Reduce IT tickets: In-App Guidance enables self-service and reduces IT tickets.
In-App Guidance cons
One prompt at a time: In-App Guidance only allows one prompt at a time, which can be limiting for complex Salesforce implementations
Fixed prompt positions: In-App Guidance offers nine potential placements for prompts; alternative tools link to page elements, which is much tidier and more precise.
Cost: In-App Guidance costs $25 per user on top of your Salesforce licenses
Why using a DAP can help you get more value from your CRM tool.
With the introduction of In-App Guidance, Salesforce acknowledged something others have known for a long time: If you want to increase user adoption and make employee onboarding more efficient, you need a digital adoption tool (DAP).
There are several scenarios where using a DAP can help organizations with CRM tools. For example, if you:
Purchased a new CRM and need to train employees
Need to onboard new hires
Want to increase business productivity
Are trying to improve employee engagement
CRM tools can help drive customer success, sales, leads, and more. If you invest in these tools, you need ROI. And that will only come when your employees use the tools to their maximum capabilities.
Here are the advantages of using a DAP or onboarding solution for your CRM. These benefits are related to other CRM tools beyond Salesforce, like NetSuite CRM, GoHighLevel, Zoho, and more.
#1. Effective in-app training
Digital adoption tools create in-app overlays for your CRM tool. These graphical elements allow your employees to learn by doing.
Tools like Salesforce use complex workflows. Employee onboarding solutions provide in-app guidance, contextual help, and, in some cases, easy access to support documentation, so your staff can quickly get up to date.
#2. Drive down training costs
If you've implemented a new CRM or taken on new hires, they need training to become productive. The problem is that CRM training can cost hundreds of dollars or more per employee — and that's before totting up the cost of lost productivity involved in training days.
Aside from training expenses, in-person training is suboptimal. Employees are overloaded with information and can only absorb so much in one sitting. Too often, training lacks the hands-on practicality that helps employees remember what they've learned.
User adoption tools offer a cost-effective alternative. Employees can access help and in-app guidance when they need it. Training costs can be eliminated by an always-on or on-demand onboarding solution that lets employees learn at their own speed.
#3. Increase employee engagement and retention
Employee engagement is essential. It has a direct effect on employee satisfaction and retention. One of the big aspects that influence how happy an employee is at your organization is how well they know how to use their work tools.
User adoption tools that offer in-app guidance help employees develop necessary skills within your CRM. When employees know how to do their job, they can contribute as part of the team and really feel part of your organization.
#4. Increase user adoption
If you want to get an ROI for your CRM, you need users to adopt the tools. However, that means more than just using some aspects of your CRM; it's also about getting the most out of all the features and functions.
In-app guidance helps users get comfortable at their own pace. Employees have different levels of tech competence. DAPs allow them to build up their competence with your CRM tool gradually.
Usetiful: A Salesforce In-App Guidance alternative
While In-App Guidance has many benefits, it can be expensive for teams with complex Salesforce builds.
Additionally, another situation emerges when you think about software stacks. Most organizations need a collection of tools to achieve their desired workflow. While In-App Guidance can provide assistance within Salesforce, it can't offer employee onboarding for the rest of your stack.
Usetiful offers users a credible alternative to In-App Guidance. It's a great way to help Salesforce employee onboarding while also expanding your in-app guidance across every tool that you use. For organizations with complex workflows, this is invaluable.
Let's explore why Usetiful is the best choice for product adoption.
Why Usetiful provides a better product adoption approach
As we've shown above, Salesforce's In-App Guidance does a good job. But it's limited in some ways. Here is why Usetiful will allow you to do more and further boost your CRM adoption.
#1. Complex workflows
Salesforce didn't build In-App Guidance for complex workflows. It's a straightforward tool for simple in-app guidance. However, the reality is that modern businesses have complex workflows.
Digital adoption platforms like Usetiful are dedicated employee onboarding tools. They are created to handle the complex and varied workflows involved in modern business environments.
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| Employee onboarding on Salesforce with the Usetiful plugin. |
Salesforce integrates with lots of different tools. Usetiful can provide in-app guidance for each one, which means greater user adoption for your CRM and your other important tools.
#2. More versatility
Salesforce has a pretty complex UI. However, In-App Guidance doesn't really offer the best way to get really granular. For starters, it imposes limitations on where you can place prompts. While this is fine for many scenarios, it can leave you a bit short when you want to highlight specific areas of the screen.
Usetiful allows you to "go off the grid" and place tooltips, product walkthroughs, and other user adoption features on elements and wherever you want on the screen. It's an entirely different in-app guidance experience.
#3. More customization and personalization
Lightning Experience is basic and offers some stripped-back templates. However, many of them lack the visual pop to create an employee onboarding experience.
Usetiful is a more flexible employee onboarding solution. You can customize your in-app guidance in several ways, including with your brand's colors.
Good employee onboarding should feel professional and seamless. Usetiful helps you achieve that.
#4. More cost-effective
In-App Guidance charges per user. These costs can be as much as $25 per month.
Using Usetiful for in-app guidance will save you money. It's not just that we're better value than Salesforce's walkthrough software; we also provide a better ROI when compared to other user adoption tools.
Final thoughts
Salesforce is a complex CRM with a notoriously steep learning curve. The company recognizes that, and as a result, they introduced Lightning Experience a few years ago. The add-on provides Salesforce admins with a way to implement in-app guidance to help employee onboarding and drive user adoption.
However, while Salesforce's onboarding solution is good, it has some drawbacks. Most notably, it's expensive, restrictive, and lacks customization.
Usetiful is a great alternative to Lightning Experience. It's cost-effective and manages to do much more than Salesforce's walkthrough software.