How I Pendo Adoption

Conquering the learning curve, one guide at a time

See how Nelnet used Pendo in-app guides to educate users about an important feature name change and prepare them for an upcoming platform overhaul

Problem

Nelnet’s operations team was flooded with customer calls following a product release involving renaming one of their products. They also needed a way to push users to adopt newer versions of their platform by educating them ahead of the change.

Pendo'ing it

Nelnet leveraged Pendo in-app guides to help their users overcome these product learning curves quickly and efficiently—while laying the groundwork for even more seamless feature launches ahead.

Payoff

By using Pendo in-app guides to inform users of product changes and updates, Nelnet significantly reduced their operations call center volume and established processes to improve collaboration between their internal teams.

Liz Feller

In-app help administrator

Nelnet

Nelnet is a technology company, idea incubator, start-up accelerator, and center of educational expertise. Their Business Services division provides payment technology, school administration software, and community management solutions for education and community institutions around the globe.

Pendo’ing it means realizing the power of Pendo and what we can do with it. It’s getting around developer effort. Because with Pendo, it really doesn't take a whole lot to get something out that's beautiful and functional.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Il est difficile de changer les comportements individuels. Il est plus difficile de le faire à grande échelle—disons, pour des centaines de milliers de personnes utilisant un produit que vous avez créé. Mais pas avec Pendo.

When Nelnet rebranded and renamed one of their products in 2019, it had an almost-immediate impact on their users’ experience. With the rename came a re-alphabetization of the Nelnet app’s primary navigation. Their users—who weren’t aware of the change before the update went live—were sent into a frenzy when they couldn’t find the product they were used to looking for.

« [Ces mises à jour de notre plateforme] étaient nécessaires et tout le monde était enthousiaste », explique Liz Feller, administratrice de l'aide intégrée pour les services commerciaux de Nelnet, « mais personne n'a vraiment eu la moindre idée de ce que penseraient nos clients lorsqu'ils l'ont vue pour la première fois sans prévenir. » Elle savait que Nelnet avait besoin d'une solution rapide à ce problème en particulier, et d'une approche plus proactive et plus efficace pour communiquer les modifications et les déploiements de produits à ses utilisateurs à l'avenir.

Small actions, big impact

Feller’s team sprung into action, launching a Pendo in-app guide and custom badge activation to help steer their users towards the correct area of the app—while simultaneously educating them about the name change. “It was something that we were able to get out quickly, match our product, not use developer time, and communicate really easily in-app,” said Feller. “It really spoke to the power of how quickly you can get something done so that your user base is as uninterrupted as possible.” 

It was also easy for the Nelnet team to take the guide down once it had served its purpose, tailoring the guide’s rules to disappear after users had acknowledged it and successfully navigated the new user interface (UI).

Nelnet | Pendo Product Screenshot

Nelnet a également utilisé un guide in-app de Pendo pour encourager l'adoption du produit parmi les utilisateurs. L'entreprise a ainsi lancé un guide présentant côte à côte l'ancienne et la nouvelle interface utilisateur avec un curseur pour passer de l'une à l'autre. Ce guide comprenait en outre un appel à l'action encourageant les utilisateurs à s'inscrire à un webinaire pour en savoir plus sur la nouvelle expérience produit. La consultation du guide déclenchait ensuite l'affichage d'une bannière avec un compte à rebours jusqu'au déploiement de la nouvelle interface utilisateur, afin que les utilisateurs puissent se préparer au changement et ne soient pas pris au dépourvu lorsque la mise à jour aurait lieu.

“[Pendo-ing our product like this] was the first time we were able to show our operations team how much of an impact Pendo could make in a small way,” said Feller. “It encouraged us to talk amongst ourselves, find those pain points, and look at how to communicate and streamline the process for our customers so we can continue to deliver innovative experiences and products.”

Pro tips

  • Break down silos and prioritize cross-departmental collaboration
  • Communicate product changes early and often, leveraging in-app messaging to reach the right audiences, at the right time
  • Encourage your team to reflect on what went well (or not so well) with each release—they’re all learning opportunities