In a perfect world, we would introduce new software to our teams and they’d adopt it like ducks take to water. But digital adoption can be tricky. This is where a Digital Adoption Platform can be a valuable resource. In this guide, we walk you through everything you need to know about Digital Adoption Platforms. You’ll learn what they do, common features, popular platforms, and more.
A Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) helps employees use digital tools by providing support within the applications themselves.
These DAPs help businesses develop and deploy new applications faster and more effectively.
DAPs help organizations improve product adoption and user engagement. This is important for several reasons:
DAPs work by integrating with existing enterprise applications. Once integrated, DAPs can provide users with in-app guidance and contextual self-help resources.
A DAP can guide users through new software features or help them when they are having trouble with a specific task.
DAPs also provide administrators with insights into user adoption and engagement. Administrators can use this information to identify areas where users are struggling and to make improvements to the software experience.
Interactive walkthroughs and guidance
Contextual self-help resources
In-app analytics and reporting
Training videos, step-by-step guides, and articles (for example, links to knowledge base articles)
Inline help
In-app communication
A DAP is useful in a number of areas, including:
Let's say that you have an employee learning a new CRM. Here's how the DAP would assist them:
Here are some real use cases for individuals who utilized a digital adoption platform:
Ultimately, the best DAP for your organization will depend on your specific needs and budget. When you choose a digital adoption platform, it is important to carefully consider the features and functionality offered by different DAPs before making a decision.
Here are some factors to consider when choosing a DAP:
Below is a list of popular DAP vendors. But let’s get this out of the way: as a Digital Adoption Platform, we know we have some bias. However, we have no problem telling potential customers that they’d actually work better with a different vendor. There are several great products on the market, and we understand that it’s all about what works best for you.
So, with that out of the way, here are the pros and cons of the most popular digital adoption platform software:
WalkMe offers its users a comprehensive set of features, including interactive walkthroughs, contextual self-help resources, and in-app analytics. It’s also highly scalable for organizations of all sizes.
We have heard from users that it can be complex to set up (users must go to a “builder school” to figure out how to use it). Time to launch can be long as you learn the tool. Price is also a concern, as this is one of the more expensive tools on the market.
VisualSP is one of the more affordable DAP options. It comes with a comprehensive set of features, including interactive walkthroughs, contextual self-help resources, and in-app analytics. It’s easy to use, quick to launch, and users get hands-on support. Although VisualSP can work on any web enterprise application, it has a strong team of Microsoft 365 experts and comes with several out-of-the box Microsoft 365 resources. If your company uses Microsoft, then you should definitely consider this DAP.
One possible drawback of VisualSP is that it only works for users who are already working in the Microsoft ecosystem (as that is how they are automatically activated). If your organization is on the Microsoft stack of applications (Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365), this shouldn’t be a problem. It’s also worth noting that VisualSP does not work on desktop applications (with the exception of Microsoft Teams).
You can try VisualSP for free here.
Pendo provides its users with a user-friendly interface and powerful analytics capabilities. It is mainly targeted to work on websites and web-based applications for external users.
Some find that it has limited features and can get expensive as organizations grow.
Whatfix includes a wide range of features, is easy to use, and allows you to segment users. It also comes at an affordable base price.
Users have noted that it’s not as scalable as some other digital adoption platforms and it can be complex to set up and configure. It can also get expensive as you start adding internal applications that you want to support with it.
The implementation timeline for a Digital Adoption Platform will vary depending on the size and complexity of the organization, as well as the complexity of the tool you are using. However, a typical DAP implementation timeline might look something like this:
At VisualSP, we provide a Quick Start Guide to help users hit the ground running. We’ve found that VisualSP users can launch in as little as two weeks.
Measuring the impact of a digital adoption solution is important to ensure that it is delivering the desired results. There are several ways to measure the impact of a DAP, including:
Looking for a simple calculation? Here’s a quick and easy way to calculate ROI on a DAP. VisualSP customers have access to analytics that give them a clear picture of how effectively the tool is working for their team.
VisualSP also makes deployment of Microsoft Clarity a seamless process, giving you greater analytics into how users are navigating with your various web enterprise platforms. This can help you identify areas where you could provide greater support through your DAP.
In addition to these quantitative metrics, it is also important to collect qualitative feedback from users to get a better understanding of how the DAP is impacting their experience. This feedback can be collected through surveys, interviews, and focus groups.
By measuring the impact of a DAP, you can make sure that you are getting the most out of your investment and that the DAP is helping you achieve your goals.
Selecting and implementing a Digital Adoption Platform may seem like a daunting task, but it’s well worth it. DAPs help users learn and use software applications faster and easier by offering interactive walkthroughs, contextual help, and other resources. This can lead to increased productivity, improved job satisfaction, and reduced training costs.
If you are serious about improving digital adoption in your organization, then a DAP is a must-have.
