In-App Guidance
A Salesforce feature that lets admins create prompts (floating, docked, or targeted) that appear within the Salesforce interface to guide users through processes, announce changes, or provide training without external tools.
Definition
A Salesforce feature that lets admins create prompts (floating, docked, or targeted) that appear within the Salesforce interface to guide users through processes, announce changes, or provide training without external tools.
In plain English
“In-App Guidance lets admins create prompts that appear inside Salesforce to guide users through processes, announce changes, or provide training. The prompts can be floating popups, docked panels, or targeted tooltips on specific elements. It's how you onboard or train users without needing external tools.”
Worked example
When Brackenwood Software rolls out a new pricing engine to its 200-rep sales team, the admin uses In-App Guidance to onboard them. A floating Welcome prompt appears on each rep's first login after the rollout, walking them through the new fields. Targeted prompts attach to specific UI elements - "Click here to apply the new tier" with an arrow pointing at the relevant button. Docked prompts at the bottom of the page contain video walkthroughs. None of the rollout requires external training tools; the In-App Guidance lives inside Salesforce. After 4 weeks the prompts auto-retire, transitioning to passive availability via the help icon.
Why In-App Guidance matters
In-App Guidance is a Salesforce feature that lets admins create prompts (floating popups, docked panels, or targeted prompts on specific UI elements) that appear within the Salesforce interface to guide users through processes, announce changes, or provide training. Admins design prompts in Setup, define triggering conditions (like which page they appear on, which users see them), and the prompts appear in context as users navigate Salesforce.
In-App Guidance is one of the most underused features for improving user adoption and training because most orgs default to external training materials and Slack announcements. Used well, it provides just-in-time training right when users need it: a docked prompt explaining a new feature on the Account page, a floating popup announcing a deadline reminder, a targeted tooltip pointing to a button users haven't been clicking. Mature adoption programs use In-App Guidance as a core part of change management, not just an afterthought.
How organizations use In-App Guidance
Used In-App Guidance to roll out a new lead qualification process. Prompts walked reps through the new fields and workflow without requiring training sessions.
Built a library of In-App Guidance prompts for new hire onboarding, replacing static training docs with contextual prompts that appear during real work.
Uses In-App Guidance for change announcements when deploying new features, ensuring users learn about changes inside Salesforce rather than missing emails.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What does In-App Guidance let you do?
Q2. What types of prompts does In-App Guidance support?
Q3. Why is In-App Guidance valuable for adoption?
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