Raising customer awareness
“Short Codes for Service” video
Before we released short code messaging channels at Salesforce, I partnered with marketing to raise awareness in a fun, approachable way.
Audience:
Challenge:
Solution:
Salesforce admins and implementation specialists
As a business, we want customers to invest in our new product.
As an admin, I don’t understand the use cases or benefits.
Create a simple, engaging video to build awareness and understanding of short code messaging for customer service.
My role & the team:
Me: Scriptwriter, storyboarder,
The team: Product Marketing Manager, Product Manager, Video Producer, Brand Strategist
Timeline:
2 weeks + video production time
My process
Research & synthesis
I had already written help documents for short code channels, but I knew that I couldn't just copy and paste the docs into a video script. I started the project by writing down the main points that I wanted the video to include.
To create a solid script, I did extensive research into short codes. I needed to understand why businesses use them and what technical constraints they have.
As a result, I can tell you way too much about the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Write & visualize
Next, I got to work writing my script. I broke my notes down into digestible pieces, then refined each piece into a sentence. The transformation from written word into voiceover was top of mind. As I wrote, I spoke each line aloud to myself to get a sense of the flow.
One of my goals was for the video to feel relatable, especially to a non-technical audience. To accomplish this, I created a scenario of a hotel. Using the hotel scenario from check-in to check-out, I walked through all of the ways that a business can use short codes to help their customers and streamline their business.
Create a storyboard
After I wrote a rough draft of the script, it was time to storyboard the video. This was the trickiest part of the project for me. It was my first time creating a storyboard for a professional video and I'm not much of an illustrator. I relied on creativity and clipart to tell the story. Here’s an example:
After I’d created a draft, I presented my work to my product manager and product marketing manager for feedback. After a few revisions, I met with our in-house video team to explain my vision. From there, they worked their magic. My favorite part? The homage to Wes Anderson!
Impact
To provide users with contextual help, I embedded it in the short code help documents and in-app help menu. Our product marketing team shared it with customers to drum up excitement for the launch.
It became a popular reference for new hires to learn about the feature. Due to the project’s success, I followed the same process to create a second video: “What’s Up with WhatsApp”
Bonus: Both videos won “Distinguished” awards in the 2020 STC Technical Communications Competition.