NoCamels: WalkMe Guides You Through Complicated Websites
AUGUST 30, 2012 –From bank transfers to shopping, almost everything today can be done with the click of a mouse. Or to be more accurate, most things can be done online with half a hundred clicks of the mouse. We all know what it’s like getting stuck in the labyrinths of complicated websites. WalkMe, an Israeli startup, is helping businesses by guiding customers through sites. The founders describe their service as a “GPS for website navigation.”
“The idea came from my colleague, whose mother always nags him to help her with her online bank account. We thought that it is unbelievable that there are no tools to help her figure it out on her own,” described co-founderRafi Sweary. Businesses can now upgrade their sites by adding WalkMe’s step-by-step walkthroughs to explain complex aspects.
How does it work?
Companies can either integrate the WalkMe API directly to their website, or more commonly, add lines of code. No technical expertise is required to use the system. The development platform, which is available as a web browser plug-in, gives full control over content, design, placement and functionality of each step of the guide.
“We suggest that our customers identify the most commonly asked questions or issues that users face while on their website, or whatever lesser-known product they’d like to push and based on this create walkthroughs,” says Sweary. Once this is decided, a “Walk Thru” balloon, which lists the different walkthroughs available, is generated. On a banking site, for example, the “Walk Thru” options could include “money transfers” or “change mailing address.”
Once an option is selected, the user is guided through each step with any number of instruction balloons, according to the company’s choice. A trigger, such as adding text or clicking the correct button, moves the user from one instruction balloon to the next.
Website owners also receive WalkMe’s analytics service so they can add, remove, or update walkthroughs as necessary – based on users’ behavior.
“The beauty of the system is that it not only gives the online service provider a better end-user experience, but it is giving the service an easy way to help its customers. Unlike video tutorials, which are our biggest competition, the Walk Thru system knows where you are at each moment and you don’t have to do one thing while watching another,” explains Sweary.
