If you are managing your customer's product onboarding and satisfaction, then you know how effective it would be if you could create content that was super personal and customised to fit the individual customer needs. However, today you are creating content with generic information regardless of who your customer is. You do this because you can't differentiate between customers and because it takes too long time. Today, we are solving these challenges for you with a set of features that help you create personalized content at scale. 

## How to create personalized content
As part of our efforts of helping you create content that is tailored specifically to an individual customer at scale, we are introduced Variables. Besides, we are releasing Link to Topic commands, seven new admonition types and few Assistant enhancements. 

### Dynamic content Variables
During our last customer survey, we learned that 84% of customers do not get their needs covered with the conventional manuals. The reason behind this is that content:

- is not provided digitally (more than 80% of customers would prefer digital instructions)
- requires a lot of effort without clear benefits (around 69% of customers expect additional benefits)
- does not provide any specific information about their purchase (about 76% of all customers would prefer purchase and ownership information to be recorded)

Creating content with a conventional output, will in the majority of the cases result in your content never being read, seen or obtained. With Product Assistants, we have solved the problems around how you can create and share digital content at scale. Today, we are also solving how you can dynamically add customer data to any piece of content using Variables. 

With Variables, you can turn any piece of material into highly personal content as it allows you to generate content that contains customer-specific information. Moreover, instead of stating your the product or company name, again and again, you can save time by using Variables. 

![Variables](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/3TiCcwljCumlNwkzi93h3r/41cee31055a664bf5938952f5a9f13b9/variables.gif)

From today you can add Variables to your content from the following three categories:

1. Customer data
2. Product data 
3. Workspace data

Using the "/" command you can easily search for a variable. As demonstrated above, as soon as you hit "/" in a sentence a variable menu will be shown from which you can select the variable you want to add. The below-listed Variables are available:

- Customer first name
- Customer last name
- Product registration date
- Workspace name
- Product name

## Create more with less work

### Admonitions 
We are constantly taking in feedback and adding new components to the editor. With this release, we are also introducing seven new admonition types. 

![New admonitions](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/4qyQx6udHvbTE3PcTDRzOi/24cc1e1dc5654ef3fc7efc8e5fb37f91/Screenshot_2021-01-26_at_15.45.32.png)

With the new admonitions, you now have a large variety of options to provide the right standouts when creating your content. As stated above the new admonition types include Caution, Danger, Import, Note, Info Example and Question. All admonitions designed specifically to provide you with a sufficient amount of communication/warning options. 

### Link to Topic
Instead of you having to create a link the old-school way, where you have to find the link URL, copy the URL, paste the URL etc., we are today also releasing a super fast and easy way for you to add links to any of your Topics. 

![Link to Topic](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/3gbObOuZRliV5IJw1JNGas/ef7bc9483d6e2790b36889becce189db/link.gif)

As demonstrated above, with the "/ + link to a Topic" command you can with ease add a link to an existing Topic. 

## Assistant enhancements
As the final enhancement for this release, we are updating the way Assistants can be installed on a customer device.  

![Install](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/1tOUCSCuPdzmMBMW0HHMHd/703852a6d03d1e6c13d03e1cbfea3702/ezgif.com-gif-maker.gif)

From today, customers can both install the Assistant by clicking on the Install button or by interacting with their device-specific install options.

### Shortcuts
When the Assistant is installed on the device it is now possible to create shortcuts to i.e. Profile, Search or even Chat. 

![Shortcuts](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/6AZlyL8XFSomdgIgh8qiH7/d1e4766311a70a8a01257b5db868e2e8/ezgif.com-gif-maker__1_.gif)

As demonstrated above to add one or multiple shortcuts long press on the Assistant and select the shortcut. From here the shortcut can be added to the desired destination. 

## Thank you for your support!
All features covered in this release is already rolled out and is available in [your account](https://www.layerise.com/auth "Layerise account"). Moreover, all features will be available for all marketed plans.

As always, do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or need a helping hand.


Introducing personalized content

With only a few days left of 2020 we look back at the last 12 months with incredible positivity. As we reflect on our 2020 activities and progress, it impossible not be reminded about the global impact of Covid-19. Just 12 months ago this pandemic that has brought unprecedented changes into our lives, seemed like a fictional scenario. However there is great reason to be positive, the year 2021 is just about to start and we expect an incredible outcome as we plan to double down on all our product features, technical advancements, team and talent. We can't wait 🚀

## 2020 was an unbelievable year
Reflecting on our achievements in 2020, it's clear that we have reached a lot of milestones and further extended the capabilities of our product offering. During the last 12 months, we have continued to grow the number of brands using our solutions, reached thousands of new end-users globally and grown our business by a factor of 10.  

The 2020 achievements further solidify the importance of our offering. During the past year, we have remained focused on building unique after-sale experiences, while at the same time improving our feature offering and enhance our service value. In parallel, we have also commited significant work to ensure that our platform provides best-in-class tools and benefits for brands who seek to make after-sales an important part of their go-to-market strategy. The colmination of our efforts, in conjuction with great customer support, we have established a great premise for achievements throughout 2020.  

Besides, the constant commitment to continuously push updates and improvements, while at the same time enhancing our platform architecture and data portability, has significantly increased during 2020. Not only did we plan a lot of new improvements, but we also saw an increase in inbound request for changes and enhancements. To fulfil our goal of keeping up with the demand and needs, we have closed a [round of external funding in September 2020](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/layerise-closes-eur1-05m-in-pre-seed-investment-accelerate-the-growth "Layerise closes €1.05M in pre-seed investment to accelerate the growth"). This capital has been our fertiliser for 2020 and will help us further expand our milestones far into 2021. 

Finally, while we have released hundreds of updates across our Admin tool and Product Assistant applications, we have also spent considerable time promoting sustainable environmental choices. Throughout 2020 we have remained certain in our environmental efforts, and to this day push then need to minimising paper and ink production and utilisation by providing digital and smart Product Assistants.

### Early days & massive potential 
We have spent a lot of time and effort listening to customer feedback. This has been a source of tremendous insights and has provided us with crystal clear clarity on how large the need is for better after-sales solutions. 

Throughout 2020 we have been investing and measuring the global hardware product market with an after-sales perspective. Due to the speed of technical innovation, easy access to production facilities, global shipping options and access to capital, the rate of new product categories (including variations) has never been higher. Based on our research to date, there are nearly 100.000 brands worldwide who have realised that after-sales activities are not done adequately if done with the conventional apparatus of printed documentation, PDF etc.  

Moreover, supported by insights from our global survey conducted late last year, the trends for 2021 can be themed into the following categories:

- __46% never read the product manual and 92% never open the warranty declaration before using their device.__ Modern customers expect content to be presented in less cognitively heavy manner and with clear benefits. 
- __84% prefer digital instructions (videos, images) and 69% want easily accessible information on their mobile.__ Customers want to access and find the right product information instantly. 
- __35% never get the support they need while 76% are not using all the benefits of their products due to lack of know-how__. For customers, support and product satisfaction is the key driver for brand repurchase. 

### Product changes
There is no doubt that 2020 has been a year that has been driven by our constant urge for product improvements. It's safe to say that our offering and feature set is unrecognisable compared to the offering we have had just 12 months ago. Some of the major product changes have been: 

- [Customer detail pages](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/january-20-product-announcements "January '20 Product Announcements")
- [ The Layierse desktop App (for Mac & Windows only)](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/february-20-product-announcements "Feb '20 Product Announcements")
- [Cusomisation options and user-friendly URL's](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/april-20-product-announcements "April'20 Product Announcements")
- [Improved chat UI & features ](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/may20-product-announcements "May'20 Product Announcements")
- [Content performance tracking](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/june20-product-announcements "June'20 Product Announcements")
- [Topics & Highlights import](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/august20-product-announcements "August'20 Product Announcements")
- [Apps & Zapier integration](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/september20-product-announcements "September'20 Product Announcements")
- [Markdown support](https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/october20-product-announcements "October'20 Product Announcements")

## December product update
With the 2020 recap, we also want to take the opportunity to release a couple of final 2020 product enhancements. This update is particularly important for us as we have been trying to fine-tune our editor for some time, and we wanted to come up with a solution that is incredibly powerful, easy to use but also allows us to be explorative with interesting concepts over the next many months. 

We are very confident in this solution, and one could easily say that we have been keeping the best for the last. In fact, we have been working on the this update for the last several months and are today releasing a completely new and reenvisioned editor.  

### Slash commands 
Today we are releasing a sophisticated editor that allows you to write, customise and insert components fast and easily. Also, the new editor helps you organise and style your content to fit your needs when writing, but also when adding images, tables and even videos.

![Bulleted intro](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/3Xmb6yexvbK1ZkXEjA2eRm/13038c370373a792a4812b094461867b/intro.gif)

The new editor is based on "content components", which is the way for you to visualise your content. In more detail, a component is defined by the type of content you want to add which can be static, dynamic, media-based or fetched from a 3rd party source. As demonstrated above, to use a component you simply need to type "slash + the of the component", e.g. "/ bulleted list".  

#### Component types
There are more than 20 different content components, and are divided up in 4 following categories:

- *Basic* includes i.e. H1, H2 etc. 
- *Media* includes i.e. Table, Image etc. 
- *Standouts* includes i.e. Tip, Warning etc. 
- *App* includes i.e. Google Sheets, Youtube etc. 

##### Basic components
With the Basic components, it's easy to create your content structure. When you start adding your content, the editor will by default consider your material to be an ordinary paragraph but with the help of Basic components you can create one of the following:

![Basic components](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/1svubuFTFggDIFDOowzWrw/dc6098fdbee48ddcc2b5026d61447adb/basic.gif)

- Big heading: Make H1 headline by /h1
- Large heading: Add H2 headline by /h2
- Medium heading: Create H3 headline by /h3
- Small heading: Show H4 headline by /h4
- Check list: Checkboxes for tasks/activities by /check
- Bulleted list: Add Unnumbered list by /bullet
- Ordered list: Insert Numbered list by /ordered

##### Media componentes
As the name represents, with Media components you can add images, videos by also other types of content as tables when establishing product specifications. The available Media components are: 

![Media components](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/7LcPHhAWtx6xWHIZaaqnfk/5b416b55c2fdb3b526c6e9ddbc84aa92/media.gif)

- Image: Insert an image by /image
- Video: Add a video by /video
- Table: Inline table can be added by /table
- Code block: Show code snippets by /code
- Divider: Add page line divider by /divider
- Link: Add a link by /link

##### Standouts componentes
Standouts are very powerful and have a great impact when you need to create attention for certain content. You can add four kinds of Standouts:

![Standouts intro](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/5LPnfN3sOLNLR6hMEIYPB3/60eeec6d625b11ff3c372871235d332e/standouts_intro.gif)

- Info admonition: Adds an info component by /info
- Warning admonition: Add a warning component by /warning
- Tip admonition: Add a tip component by /tip
- Quote: Insert quote by /quote 

##### App components 
Finally, with App components, you can show content directly fetched from 3rd parties. Supported Apps are going to be added constantly, and from today App components include: 

![App introduction](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/1FPYwUYtSYj9VmtZxXcfv3/246e116f462675f371abe9812eb8ac5c/app_intro.gif)

- Google Sheet: Insert a sheet from Google Sheet by /googlesheet
- Lucid chart: Add a Lucidchart page by /lucid
- Youtube: Add a Youtube video by /youtube
- Vimeo: Add a Vimeo video by /vimeo

### Style your content
With the new editor, you can also style your content as you might expect from any other powerful tool.  

![Styling options](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/6unHCi0t1f8BuxE59XhWqf/d69c20367cc2c686308b2ee142be22a4/styling_options.gif)

Highlight the content you wish to style and a styling menu will be presented with the following styling options:

- Bold
- Italic 
- Strikethrough
- Highlight
- Code block
- H1, H2, H3, H4
- Quote 
- Link

#### Customise tables
The new editor also packs a punch when it comes to tables. Not only do we now support cell styling, but we are also supporting variable row sizes which can easily be adapted to your needs. 

![Styling of tables](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/4pyb81DV1MMxpFPZnBcwwe/79fcc14c24b9bcfc17c4c8c4eb1fec0d/tables_styling.gif)

Following table customisations are available: 

- Cell, row & column colour
- Cell text alignment (left, center & right)
- Add row
- Add column  
- Delete row or column 

### Markdown
What about Markdown? Don't worry, the upgraded editor still supports a wide range of markdown shortcuts. 

![Markdown ](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/5jdaI817rq3YeeHvXkqEIk/0bac6afa5158249ec3629c1b2b2601b2/markdown.gif)

To use markdown while creating your content just write your shortcuts directly in line as demonstrated above. Super easy, as it should be. 

## 2021 plan
We are super excited about our 2021 plan. Not only are we heavily investing in bringing amazing talent to our team, but we are also going to increase our product commitments. 

Following the strong product year of 2020, the 2021 roadmap will be equally as progressive yet it will bring even more product enhancements. In practice we will continue pushing our product updates with several enhancements going out every month, each focusing on important areas of our platform. But 2021 will also include major changes that we have been planning and working on for some time. 

We are going to work hard on building solutions that bring customers and brands even closer together with the most powerful after-sales solution on the market. Our data has shown that customers are looking for better ways to gain knowledge about their purchased products. At the same time,  we also know that brands are seeking tools to maximise their content value not only in terms of availability but also customer-product benefits. With this in mind, 2021 will be the year where we push even harder on the advancement of after-sales solutions.

## Thank you for your support!
The new editor will be rolling out over the next few days is expected to be done fully deployed by January 1st 2021. All features, mentioned in this post, will be available for all plans.

The whole Layerise team wants to say thank you! Thank you for your support and trust in Layerise. 2020 has been great, but 2021 will be even more fantastic. We wish you all a great holiday and a magical new years eve. 

December'20 Product Announcements

For the November product update, we will introduce several product usability enhancements. We have always been very focused on providing the best user experience, and since the initial release, and throughout our product growth, we have been measuring the UX performance. As the Layerise product becomes more powerful, certain usability needs arise and become essential for the first-time usage and throughout the feature advancement. For the November update, our focus has been on introducing contextual how-to guides, powerful sidebar assistance, usability design updates and Assistant social sharing. 

## How-to guides
Regardless of the need, we want to make it super easier and efficient to get how-to guides. As a usability philosophy, we want to provide guides and assistance in the most user-friendly manner with the following key targets:

- Context-aware
- Visual guide driven 
- Side-by-side product and guides usage
- Support connected

### Sidebar 
To achieve the key targets above, we are introducing a powerful guide driven sidebar feature. The sidebar is available for all and is accessible through the main navigation. 

![open_guide](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/5MuExHonVPqdyx6cDj5TNy/e55c3405c5945eded271e79d5a933c43/slide_out.gif)

A sidebar is particularly powerful when used to display information based on user need or a particular need driven event. As evident above, the Layerise sidebar will be displayed on the right side and will be slid out upon request. The sidebar will always take hierarchical preference allowing for a side-by-side engagement with the guide and a Layerise product features simultaneously.    

#### Contextual guides and assistance
The sidebar guides, assistance content and features will be dynamic depending on several factors: 

- The product page/section the sidebar is requested from
- The user product onboarding stage
- What features are available or enabled
- Account plan

The contextual prioritisation will enable an easier guide overview and provide a list of guides that are particularly interesting or important. Moreover, depending on the user advancement level, certain advanced guides will take the priority against entry-level information. 

#### Search for particular guides
Regardless of what you need to do the guides will be presented to help you out. However, some times it's necessary to search for a particular guide. 

![search](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/6KIYxhBHxOZacYjyYrqtzj/de10170b5a42d818b1eec0160fa607c4/CleanShot_2020-11-30_at_15.23.44.png)

For this use-case we have included an always present search option, allowing you to find the content you need. In the case where no guide is to be found, you can with ease request a guide or assistance from our team. 

#### Visual assistance
Guides are only as good as the support they can give. To establish patterns for easy learning it is crucial to provide a visual guide. This is essential in establishing visuals cues and support while learning how to achieve something particular. Due to this, our guides will be including a lot of visual assistance. This will in most cases be presented as captioned or audible video, and in other cases, use of GIF's and JPG will be applied. 

![video_assistant](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/3F6OkggxHF3fIFUUBxAK9C/7332fe6d5a61a5c0915299f808c5bfad/CleanShot_2020-11-30_at_16.18.43.png)

#### Learn and apply
One last important feature of the sidebar is the cross usage support. The sidebar will follow you around as long as you need guidance. Therefore, you can with ease move between pages or flip between the guides, as the sidebar will remember your progress. 

In certain cases where you are working with advanced features, and are moving around between multiple pages, having the sidebar to help you through a specific process, without you have to switch tabs or windows, is very handy.  

## Design enhancements
With this release, we are also introducing several design enhancements. Improving the user experience with constant design tweaks is something we enjoy doing a lot, and it is with a lot of pleasure that we are releasing updates to a wide range of features. 

#### Easier settings
We have decided to spend some time in making our settings much easier to understand and use. All settings are now consolidated on one page with dedicated navigation. Moreover, regardless of what kind of account type you have, the new settings page will include all the available platform, feature and plan settings. 

![admin_settings](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/38ZvsztgAuPpoDHZeb3B40/8cff095ded8a26fd1d7fed085f50c23a/CleanShot_2020-11-30_at_16.18.59.png)

#### Other design changes 
Other design changes included in this release cover a lot of minor details with the biggest changes found on: 

- Team page 
- Customer list
- Editor

## Social sharing
One of the features that have been often requested by end-user is the ability to easily share specific elements of the Assistants with other product owners. 

![social_sharing_assistant](//images.ctfassets.net/scrf7o05zai3/4Y2DYkd5bUhDzwsfDOgu1M/02fc0cb13abab7e6a7ca876649ec8aa4/2020-11-30_15.40.01.gif)

As evident to the above, we are now ready with a social sharing feature directly from the Assistant. 

## Release date
The release will be rolling out over the next week and is expected to be done by Monday the 7th of December 2020. All features, mentioned in this post, will be available for all plans. 

As always, do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or need a helping hand.