UserGuiding

What is UserGuiding

UserGuiding is a software platform that helps businesses improve their product adoption. It allows companies to create interactive, in-app experiences for their users without needing to write any code. The main purpose of UserGuiding is to guide users through a website or application, show them how to use features, and help them understand the product's value quickly. This is achieved through tools like product tours, onboarding checklists, in-app messages, and feedback surveys. The company was founded in 2017 and provides a complete solution for user onboarding, feature adoption, and user engagement. It is designed for product managers, marketers, and customer success teams who want to improve user experience and retention.

UserGuiding Features

UserGuiding offers a range of features to create a complete in-app guidance system. Here are the key features:

• Interactive Product Tours: Create step-by-step guides that walk users through your application's key features. This helps new users learn the product faster.
• Onboarding Checklists: Build checklists that motivate users to complete important setup actions. Users feel a sense of accomplishment as they complete each task.
• Hotspots and Tooltips: Place small beacons or information bubbles on specific elements to provide contextual help or highlight new features without being intrusive.
• In-App Messages: Use modals, pop-ups, and banners to announce new features, share important updates, or promote special offers directly within your app.
• Resource Centers: Create a self-service help widget inside your application. You can add your guides, help articles, and links to your knowledge base, reducing support tickets.
• NPS Surveys and Feedback Collection: Launch Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys and other feedback forms to understand user satisfaction and gather insights for product improvement.
• Segmentation and Personalization: Target specific user groups based on their behavior, role, or other attributes. This allows you to deliver relevant messages to the right users at the right time.
• Analytics and Reporting: Track the performance of your guides and checklists. See completion rates and user engagement to understand what is working and what needs improvement.

UserGuiding Pricing Plans

UserGuiding offers several pricing plans designed for different business sizes and needs.

• Basic Plan: This plan is ideal for startups and small businesses that are just starting with user onboarding. It includes a limited number of guides, checklists, and core features for one product.
• Professional Plan: Aimed at growing companies, this plan offers more guides, advanced features like segmentation and A/B testing, and access to more integrations. It supports more monthly active users.
• Corporate Plan: This is the top-tier plan for large enterprises. It includes unlimited guides, premium support, advanced security features, and custom solutions tailored to the company's specific needs.

UserGuiding Free Plan

UserGuiding does not offer a permanent free plan. However, it provides a 14-day free trial that gives you access to all the features of the Professional plan. During the trial period, you can build and publish guides, create checklists, collect feedback, and analyze user behavior. This allows you to fully test the platform's capabilities and see its impact on your product adoption before committing to a paid subscription.

How to use UserGuiding

Getting started with UserGuiding is a straightforward process that does not require technical skills.

1. Installation: First, you need to sign up for an account. Then, you install the UserGuiding container code (a small JavaScript snippet) into your web application's header. This is a one-time setup.
2. Download the Chrome Extension: UserGuiding's builder works as a Chrome extension. After installing it, you can navigate to your own website or application to start creating content.
3. Create Your First Guide: Using the no-code editor, you can click on elements in your application to add tooltips, modals, or hotspots. You can customize the text, colors, and buttons for each step.
4. Set Targeting and Publish: Once your guide is ready, you can define which users should see it. You can target users based on their location, device, or custom user properties. You can also set when the guide should appear, for example, on a specific page.
5. Analyze and Iterate: After publishing, you can go to the UserGuiding dashboard to see analytics. Check how many users started and completed your guide. Use this data to make improvements and create more effective in-app experiences.

Pros and Cons of UserGuiding

Pros:

• No-Code Editor: It is very easy to use for non-technical team members. You can create complex guides without writing any code.
• All-in-One Platform: It combines user onboarding, feature adoption, feedback collection, and analytics in a single tool.
• Fast Implementation: You can set up the tool and publish your first guide in a matter of minutes.
• Good Value: Compared to some competitors, UserGuiding offers a comprehensive feature set at a more affordable price point.
• Helpful Customer Support: Users often report positive experiences with the customer support team.

Cons:

• Limited Customization on Lower Plans: Advanced customization options for styling and branding are sometimes restricted to higher-tier plans.
• Analytics Could Be Deeper: While it provides good basic analytics, it may not be as powerful as dedicated product analytics tools.
• Performance Impact: Like any script that runs on top of your website, it can sometimes have a minor impact on page load times.

UserGuiding integrations

UserGuiding integrates with a variety of popular tools to help you connect your data and automate workflows. Key integrations include:

• Analytics Platforms: Connect with Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Woopra, and Amplitude to send guide interaction data to your analytics platform for deeper analysis.
• CRM and Marketing Automation: Integrations with HubSpot and Intercom allow you to sync user data and create more personalized onboarding experiences based on user segments from your CRM.
• Customer Support Tools: Integrate with tools like Intercom and Zendesk to display help articles in the Resource Center or trigger guides from chat conversations.
• Collaboration Tools: A Slack integration can send you real-time notifications for new NPS responses or user feedback.
• Data Warehouses: Use Segment or Google Tag Manager to easily manage the UserGuiding installation and pass data between different tools.

UserGuiding Alternatives

• Appcues: A popular and powerful product adoption platform. Appcues is known for its robust feature set and is often used by larger companies. It can be more expensive than UserGuiding.
• Pendo: Pendo combines in-app guidance with strong product analytics and user feedback tools. It is a great choice for data-driven product teams but is a more complex and costly solution.
• WalkMe: An enterprise-grade digital adoption platform that supports web, desktop, and mobile applications. WalkMe is extremely powerful but has a steep learning curve and a high price tag.
• Intercom: While primarily a customer communication platform, Intercom offers a 'Product Tours' add-on. It is a good alternative if you already use Intercom for support and want a simple tour functionality.

UserGuiding API

Yes, UserGuiding provides a REST API that allows developers to programmatically interact with the platform. The API can be used to send user identification data, trigger guides or checklists for specific users, and sync information between UserGuiding and other systems. To use the API, you need to obtain an API key. You can find your unique API key in your account settings under the 'Developer' or 'API' section after logging into your UserGuiding dashboard.

Here is a basic example of how to identify a user using a cURL command:

curl --request POST \
     --url https://api.userguiding.com/v1/users \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --data '{
  "userId": "user-123",
  "properties": {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john.doe@example.com",
    "plan": "premium"
  }
}'

UserGuiding Affiliate program

UserGuiding offers a Partner Program that allows agencies, consultants, and influencers to earn commissions by referring new customers. While specific commission rates can vary, SaaS affiliate programs typically offer a recurring percentage (such as 20-30%) of the revenue for each customer you refer. To join, you usually need to fill out an application form on their official website's partner page. Once approved, you will receive a unique referral link and access to marketing materials. Payments are typically made on a regular basis, for example monthly, through platforms like PayPal or bank transfer, once you reach a minimum payout threshold.