In our first edition of a four part Salesforce Winter '21 Release blog series, we take a look at the new features that this release will add to the existing In-App Guidance.
As a user in Salesforce, sometimes things can get a little bit confusing. There is so much amazing functionality available, it can sometimes get just a little bit overwhelming and you forget how to do something. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.
Salesforce realised this and introduced a very helpful tool in Summer ‘19, called In-App Guidance. Don’t panic if you haven’t heard of it, it is all explained in this short video for you. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? An administrator can configure single prompts and walkthroughs to appear on different pages within your Salesforce org. These can contain anything from helpful tips and tricks, to myTrailhead or Trailhead Content, to Help &Training Articles. Basically, any information you think will help your users, you can put it in using In-App Guidance.
Now, I’m not here to tell you about the existing In-App Guidance, I am here to tell you about the new features that are being added to it in the Winter ’21 Release! There are a lot of improvements and new functionalities being added, from colour themes to enhanced content.
Adding In-App Guidance to New, Edit and Clone Pages
I won’t lie to you, when In-App Guidance was first rolled out, the functionality was a little limited. It was only really available on the main pages, which although helpful, meant that a huge chunk of Salesforce was being missed. What if your users needed help creating and editing records, or changing data on cloned records? Well, luckily we can now help our users! We can now add prompts and pop-ups to New, Edit and Clone Pages, allowing us to support our users and provide them with guidance whilst they are inputting our very important data. Not only will this help your users but your data quality should also see an improvement as your In-App Guidance will make sure users are putting the correct data in the correct fields, or provide them with help materials if they are unsure of what they are doing.
Adding Custom Theme Colours to In-App Guidance
This is probably my favourite update to In-App Guidance. Previously your pop-ups and prompts did not have the option of a colour palette. However, with the Winter ’21 Release we can now make your pop-ups and prompts compliment or contrast with your org’s theme colour and branding! You will be able to choose from a colour palette determined by your org’s theme and from there the choice is yours! You can also choose for your In-App Guidance to have either a dark or light colour value, depending on how contrasting you want them to be.
Share a Direct Link to In-App Guidance
For me, this is a really helpful one. What if you are a Salesforce Wiz and the majority of the time you do not need In-App Guidance? That’s not a problem, you can just dismiss the prompts and carry on with your day. What happens though, if you are just having a slightly mad day and you need that In-App Guidance to help you out, but you already dismissed it? Not to fear! You can now share a link which will take you directly to your In-App Guidance. You might want to share this on your Lightning Home page as a custom component, or add it to your Help Menu, making it easily accessible to your users. When they click on the link, it will automatically open the In-App Guidance and your helping hand has been returned to you! Very helpful.
Well there you have it! New and improved In-App Guidance! If you want to explore further into the topic, check out the Winter ’21 Release Notes or test your knowledge with Trailhead!