ShoutOuts: Getting Started Guide
Brief Overview
Now that you are familiar with ShoutOuts from our ShoutOuts Overview article, read on for a guide on how to get started using them.
Unlike step balloons, ShoutOuts are not attached to an element on the page, rather they will appear in a fixed place in the center or around the perimeter of the page. A ShoutOut can be played via a Launcher, Permalink, or Auto Play.
To enable Auto Play, create a rule in the Rule Engine to determine when the ShoutOut will activate. WalkMe will constantly check for the conditions identified in the rule and Segmentation Center and once true, the ShoutOut will automatically play without any active prompt from a user action. All the standard Rules can be used to determine under which conditions Auto Play will activate (i.e. URL, On Screen Element, jQuery, etc).
In addition to Auto Play rules to determine when the ShoutOut should play, set frequency options to determine how often the item should play. The engagement frequency options include: Once, Once a Day, and Always.
Create a ShoutOut
There are 2 types of ShoutOuts available for creation, ShoutOuts using the Visual Designer and Classic ShoutOuts. This guide will focus on the new ShoutOut interface
- In the WalkMe Editor, click the blue plus sign and select ShoutOut
- Name the ShoutOut. (This name will not be visible to your end-users)
- At this point, the ShoutOut Theme Gallery will open automatically, presenting you with a range of template options for your ShoutOut’s design
- Select your chosen template and use it as is! or customize it using the Visual Designer by adding different elements by drag and drop into the ShoutOut canvas:
- You can edit the text of any part of the ShoutOut directly in the ShoutOut preview.
- Click a button in the preview to edit the button’s action. There’re 4 types of buttons:
- X button (can only look like an X and be located at the top right corner)
- Close button (unlike the X button, can look differently and have different text, but the action would be “close”)
- Action Button which includes Open Menu, Play Smart Walk-Thru, Play Resource, Play Action Bot, Play Shuttle, Play Survey, Play ShoutOut, None, Link
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- Remind Me:
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- Remind Me Next Time: The next time the page refreshes and Segmentation conditions are met
- Remind Me After One Day: The next day after Segmentation conditions are met
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- Remind Me:
8. Click the Add New Object button to add additional content to the ShoutOut. Drag any desired elements into the ShoutOut preview.
9. Click the Settings icon to set up Display Conditions:
10. You can choose from the listed Auto Play Rules:
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- Auto Play Rules (RECOMMENDED): Choose conditions to Auto Play the ShoutOut.
- Turn Auto Play Off: Trigger the ShoutOut using a Launcher.
- Auto Play: Play when the user reaches any page of your site.
11. To set up Auto Play Rules, select Auto Play Rules, then click Create an Auto Play Rule:
The Auto Play Rules should always begin with a URL, so that WalkMe only checks the Auto Play conditions on the correct page. The URL rule may be the only rule needed, but you can also add additional rules based on user actions.
12. You can then adjust Replay Settings for the Auto Play Rule.
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- Once a Day: plays the first time the Auto Play rules are true each day
- Once: plays only once
- Always: plays every time the Auto Play Rules are true
13. You can also choose when to Cancel the Auto Play Rules for the ShoutOut.
The Auto Play will stop when the user takes any of the checked actions. RECOMMENDED: Cancel the Auto Play only when the user clicks the Action Button. This will ensure that the user has interacted with the ShoutOut’s linked content before canceling the Auto Play.
14. Click Done to save the ShoutOut settings, and then click Save to save the ShoutOut.
Engagement
In the Engagement tab, determine how the ShoutOut will play:
- Off: ShoutOut can be played via Permalink or Launcher
- Auto Play: ShoutOut automatically displays on pages that have WalkMe installed
- Play according to a rule: Use the Rule Engine to determine when a ShoutOut automatically plays. The ShoutOut will display when the rule is true
- 💡Pro-Tip: You can use Segmentation to play your ShoutOut to only users who meet certain criteria. Learn how here.
- Replay settings: Select how frequently ShoutOut appears. Choose between Once, Once a Day, Always, it is also possible to enable ShoutOuts to not play while a Smart Walk-Thru or another ShoutOut is in progress:
- Cancel Auto Play: Select which user action will cause the ShoutOut to stop showing the ShoutOut
- Launchers: Use a Launcher to play a ShoutOut
- Permalink: Create a link to load a webpage and play a ShoutOut
Appearance
In the Appearance tab, you can arrange the layer order (Z-order) of your ShoutOut on the screen, making sure that your ShoutOut appears correctly, and is not hidden behind other elements.
Select the timing properties of your ShoutOut, if you would like to add a delayed appearance.
Goals
Create Goals related to your KPIs to measure the efficacy of a ShoutOut. Just like Walk-Thrus, ShoutOuts have Main Goals and Milestones Goals. The goals will begin to be checked as soon as the ShoutOut has been played and will continue to track for two hours after.
For example, a ShoutOut that announces remaining days in a trial account with an action button to the upgrade page could have a goal that measures how many users actually upgrade as a Main Goal and visits to the upgrade page as a Milestone. Even if someone does not immediately upgrade upon seeing the ShoutOut, if they decide to upgrade within the next two hours you will be able to track completion.
Publishing & Archiving a ShoutOut
Once you are happy with your ShoutOut, you will want to publish it so your users can view it. Similarly, you may have a published ShoutOut that you wish to to make changes to, you it should be archived.
ShoutOuts in Insights
Track ShoutOuts in Insights. From the ShoutOut dashboard, view how many times each ShoutOut has played, how many times the Action button has been clicked, and how many goals completed.
Segmentation for ShoutOuts
Building Page Blockers using ShoutOuts