How to use Automated Emails to Motivate, Remind, and Engage

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Knowledge Guru administrators can choose to turn on a carefully crafted series of emails that players trigger with various in-game activities. These auto emails are designed to foster repeat play, acknowledge significant accomplishments, and gently nudge inactive users.

Motivate Players

Motivational emails are designed to engage players who have gone at least a week without playing. They may need a reminder to come back and continue their adventure. A player won’t receive the same motivational message twice, and won’t receive them less than seven days apart. Once a player has completed their game or has received six motivational messages, the system will stop automatically sending them to that player.

Players also receive a motivational email the first time they are passed on the leaderboard.

Reward Players

Knowledge Guru will also send out unique reward and progress emails when a player has achieved a milestone. Depending on the game type, these could include the following:

  • The completion of a World (Quest)
  • Finishing the first Daily 3 mini-games (Drive)
  • Achieving the top spot on the global leaderboards

How to Enable Automatic Email Reminders

We encourage using automated emails to help keep players engaged with your learning objectives. This is something you can easily enable or disable as the Game Author.

Follow the steps below to enable automatic email reminders:

1. Expand the Implement option within left-hand navigation pane, and select Automated Emails.

2. Select REMINDERS ENABLED from the drop-down menu.

How to Let Learners Log In With Salesforce.com

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Knowledge Guru allows your learners to log into their games with their Salesforce.com account. Once learners validate their account credentials, they can log in with Salesforce and see all games registered to their Salesforce email address.

Desktop

From the main login page

  1. Players go to kguru.co/login or theknowledgeguru.com/login and click LOGIN WITH SALESFORCE.
  2. Players enter their Salesforce username and password.
  3. If it is their first time accessing Knowledge Guru from Salesforce, they will authenticate the connection.
  4. After authenticating, players see a list of their assigned games.

From an individual game login page

  1. Players go to their game link (kguru.co/GAMENAME or theknowledgeguru.com/GAMENAME) and click LOGIN WITH SALESFORCE.
  2. Players enter their Salesforce username and password
  3. If it is their first time accessing Knowledge Guru from Salesforce, they will authenticate the connection.
  4. After authenticating, players see a list of their assigned games.

Mobile

From the app login page

  1. Players open the Quest or Drive app
  2. Players tap LOGIN WITH SALESFORCE on the login page.
  3. Players enter their Salesforce username and password
  4. If it is their first time accessing Knowledge Guru from Salesforce, they will authenticate the connection.
  5. After authenticating, players see a list of their assigned games.

How to Invite Learners to Play on Mobile Devices

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Are you launching a Knowledge Guru game that learners will play on their smartphones? If so, using these two links will make the process easier: kguru.co/GAMENAME and kguru.co/apps.

1. If players will type the game link into their mobile browser, use the kguru.co short link

All Knowledge Guru games can be accessed using either the full link (Example: theknowledgeguru.com/sellingskills_quest) or the short link (Example: kguru.co/sellingskills_quest). If players must type the link in themselves, sending the send the short link so it is easy for them to do so. This is especially useful when you display the link on a PowerPoint slide in a live event.

The mobile registration pages for Quest and Drive games automatically direct players to download the appropriate app after registering.

2. If you’d like players to download the app BEFORE attending a live event but do not yet want them to register for or log into the game, use the kguru.co/apps page

The mobile-first page kguru.co/apps has links to download the Quest and Drive apps from iOS or Google Play. You can send this link out prior to a live training event so that players have already downloaded the app before they arrive.

If you will pre-register players before they play:
  1. Instruct players to download the appropriate app (Quest or Drive) at kguru.co/apps.
  2. Instruct players to log in with their email address and the default password that you set for them.
If players will self-register:
  1. Instruct players to visit your game URL on their mobile device: kguru.co/GAMENAME.
  2. Players fill out the form to register.
  3. After registration, Knowledge Guru will provide a link to download the appropriate mobile app.
  4. Players download the app, open it and login with their credentials.

For implementation tips tailored to your needs, speak to your Knowledge Guru Specialist.

 

How to Use the Live Leaderboard in Knowledge Guru

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Every Knowledge Guru game has a Live Leaderboard. You can display this leaderboard on-screen in a live event or send it out to players via email so they can check scores without logging in. The live leaderboard refreshes automatically as people play.

The Live Leaderboard includes between four and seven unique leaderboards, depending on the number of custom registration fields you have created. They appear in the following order:

  1. Overall Top Scores
  2. Top Scores Since X Date (use the instructions below to set a date)
  3. Registration Field 1, if applicable (For example, Location vs Location)
  4. Registration Field 2, if applicable (For example, Supervisor vs Supervisor)
  5. Registration Field 3, if applicable (For example, Job Title vs Job Title)
  6. Today’s Top Scores
  7. Perfect Scores

You can view the Live Leaderboard for any Knowledge Guru game using the following link structure:

www.theknowledgeguru.com/<GAMENAME>/leaderboard

To customize your “Top Scores Since X Date” leaderboard, do the following:

  1. Log into the Knowledge Guru game shell you wish to edit: theknowledgeguru.com/login/
  2. Select IMPLEMENT from the left-hand menu, then click LIVE LEADERBOARDS 
  3. Enter the date when your player group will start playing into the text box. The format is mm-dd-yyyy.
  4. Click UPDATE.

Usage Suggestions

  1. If learners are playing Knowledge Guru in a classroom setting, display the live leaderboard on-screen as they play and give a prize to the top performer.
  2. Include the live leaderboard link in promotional emails to learners so they can quickly see the top scores.
  3. Use the “Top Scores Since X Date” leaderboard when you plan to take multiple groups of players through a game over a long period of time. This way, players can see how they compare to other players in their group and not everyone who has ever played the game.

Implementation Tips for Quest and Legend

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Our implementation pack includes timelines, tips, templates and images you can use to implement and promote your game.

Download Here

To maximize the playing – and learning – experience of Knowledge Guru’s Quest and Legend games, you need to do two things well:

  • Spark learners’ interest so they take action to login or register to Knowledge Guru and get started. If learners will play Quest on a mobile device, they will also need to download the mobile app.
  • Provide clear directions on how to access Knowledge Guru and get started with Quest or Legend.

How to Spark Interest

Think about your target audience. How many of these are true for them?

  • The game is “required” by someone, and someone will be verifying their completion.
  • They enjoy games and are intrigued by playing.
  • They are competitive – and like visible evidence of a competition, such as a leaderboard.
  • They love anything that gives them more information about themselves and how they are improving over time.
  • They want quick hits that reinforce key knowledge or skills that improve selling abilities.

Take time to assess players’ starting motivation – and be honest about what that motivation is likely to be. Your answers can help guide you in planning your implementation and choosing the best strategies for your audience. If the sole motivation to play is “because we have to,” you need to put more thought into your strategy. If Motivators 2-5 above exist for them, you need only make sure you provide clear directions on how to access Knowledge Guru – and make sure you repeat those directions so everyone “hears” you. If most of these motivators are absent, your strategy will need to go further.

Pre-launch message ideas

  • Plan a series of three to four provocative emails to serve as teasers. Use short, creative subject lines that will appeal to your targets. Teaser subject lines could include:
    • Complete your Quest and unlock knowledge.
    • Are you a Guru?
    • Join the ranks of the masters.
    • Climb to the top of the leaderboards
  • Include visuals of the Quest or Legend app in your messaging, particularly leaderboards or the dashboard. People respond better to visuals than to lots of text. Keep text portion of your message short and provocative.
  • If game-based solutions are new to your organization and people are skeptical, consider offering prizes to underscore the significance of playing. The leaderboard makes it easy for you to award prizes for various things such as top scorer over a given time period, best department or another custom grouping. This keeps players on their toes throughout your play period. Prizes do not have to be big ones.

Once the game launches

Send a clear message that explains how to gain access to Quest or Legend. Here’s a sample you can modify:

Subject: Start your quest for knowledge on <Your topic here>

Dear Learner,

You’ve heard about it; today it’s available! Begin your Quest for knowledge on <insert topic> now. Get started in three easy steps:

Step 1: Use the URL provided to register for the Quest game and create a Knowledge Guru account. Knowledge Guru is the platform that powers the Quest game. Here’s the URL:

·       <Insert game URL here.> It will be something like: kguru.co/YourGameName/

Step 2: After registering, you will be automatically directed to a link where you can download the mobile app to your phone. This app lets you access Quest on your phone for maximum ease of use.

Step 3: Start playing to build mastery. Replay levels as often as you like to earn a three-star rating and move up on the leaderboards.

Be prepared to resend a variation of the message 1 or 2 more times to ensure all learners see the email. Monitor Knowledge Guru’s analytics to verify that players are getting registered and playing.

Throughout the active play period, monitor player progress. Acknowledge players’ efforts and recognize top scores and engaged players.

Share out final results. Use the reporting capabilities within the Game Administration tool to share relevant results, including the learning objectives your group did best and worst at.

If you have some form of regular learning communication tool, use it to profile top performers and acknowledge their efforts.

7 Steps to an Effective Knowledge Guru Implementation

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Our implementation pack includes timelines, tips, templates and images you can use to implement and promote your game.

Download Here

You already developed and customized your Knowledge Guru game. Now you need a plan to launch it, promote it, and measure it.

Consider these tips for a successful implementation:

1. Make it mandatory.

Your employees’ time is limited, and most of them only have the energy to focus on the activities that are truly essential to their jobs. Our experience shows us that the organizations that are most successful require that their employees play Knowledge Guru.

2. Blend into a curriculum: use as part of a learning solution.

Organizations have the most success when Knowledge Guru games are part of a larger blended curriculum or strategy. Make sure your Legend or Quest game works with the other solutions in your curriculum to drive your learning objectives.

3. Use the game as a reinforcement tool (most of the time).

Furthermore, we find that Knowledge Guru works especially well as a reinforcement tool. Send your game out to learners after they have completed an eLearning course or instructor-led session to help them remember content covered in the training. Most organizations position Legend or Quest games as either a reinforcement tool or a first exposure to content that will be covered in greater detail later.

4. Offer incentives and/or provide sufficient motivation.

We recommend providing prizes and rewards to your employees for completing your Legend or Quest game. Encouragement from senior leadership can be even more effective.

5. Create a communications strategy around the game.

Incorporate some sort of multi-part communications strategy to get the word out about your Legend or Quest game. This could include many things, such as a series of emails or even a collection of advertisements placed throughout your company intranet site.

6. Use reporting and adapt the training.

Identify a specific learning objective that your learners are missing as a group, then adjust your Legend or Quest game to better focus on the weak process step. Take advantage of the data you gather from your learners and act quickly to adapt their training and processes.

7. Gather insights via surveys.

Consider surveying your learners after they complete your Legend or Quest game. Surveys can reveal many valuable insights that impact future games you create.

Play KGuru Drive & KGuru Quest on a Smartphone – Game Author & Player QuickStart Guide

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We’ve made it simple for your learners to play your Knowledge Guru games on their smartphones. Let’s dive into how it works.

Game Author: Invite players to your game by sharing your game’s URL

As a Game Author, whenever you make your Knowledge Guru game live you’re immediately given your game’s unique URL that you can share out in an invitation email. This is how players know where to go to play. With Drive and Quest games, players who arrive at your link on their iPhone or Android smartphones will be able able to register for your game and then download and launch either the KGuru Drive or KGuru Quest app.

Player: Download, Login, and Play

Once a player has registered for a Drive or Quest game, they will be able to tap a link to download (or launch if it is already installed) the KGuru Drive or KGuru Quest app where they can login and see a list of available games. That’s it, they’re all set. On-the-go learners will never need to access a computer to play Knowledge Guru Drive or Quest. Every interaction and screen has been optimized for the mobile experience. The apps also feature push notification support so players can select to receive notifications when it’s time to come back and play a new topic.

You can direct players to download the Knowledge Guru apps from our ‘apps’ page.

Click Here

 

How to Make a Game Live So Players Can Access It

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Once you have created the topics, objectives, and questions for your game you are now ready to make it live. Making it live is a simple task, but there are also some other things to consider when you are making your game ready for players. You also decide what kinds of email reminders your players will be receiving. It is important to know that Knowledge Guru will auto-generate email reminders to players who quit mid-game and then do not return after 5 days.

Follow these steps to make your game live so players can access it:

Quick Steps List

Steps for making your game live (ONLINE):

  1. In the authoring tool, select the IMPLEMENT option in the left-hand menu.
  2. Select the GAME ACCESS submenu item.
  3. Click the dropdown and change your game from offline to online. You will also see your game’s URL.
  4. For quick access, click the OFFLINE button below the left-hand menu to change the game to ONLINE status.

Click through the slide show below to see the steps in action.

How to Export A SCORM Package

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The optimal way to experience a Guru game is via the web application. However, sometimes the organization requires tracking of completion via an LMS. With Guru, you can generate a SCORM package of your game, export it, and provide it to an LMS administrator for upload into your LMS. The game play itself will be the same for players. What will be missing are the leaderboards and any opportunity to see how other players are doing.

On the administrative side, you replace the robust reporting and analytics in Guru with the much more limited reporting typical of an LMS. The game is no longer communicating with the web application database so no reports can be generated from it.

Quick Steps List

  1. Select the IMPLEMENT option in the left-hand menu.
  2. From within IMPLEMENT section, select SCORM Packager.
  3. Make sure your game is ready to export. It must have at least one objective and a question set for each topic you have created.
  4. Click BUILD SCORM 1.2 PACKAGE or BUILD SCORM 2004 PACKAGE.
  5. A link to a zip file will appear. Click the link to download the file.
  6. Once you have the file, you can provide the SCORM package to your LMS administrator for uploading to your LMS.

Be aware

Request a test package from us before trying to load a full game. Use the test package to verify that the game is communicating with the LMS and functioning as expected. Guru is SCORM 1.2 and 2004 conformant. If your LMS requires SCORM, you should always run a test before sending out your course.

Click through the slideshow below to see the steps in action.

 

How to Use a Legend or Quest Game as Part of a Live Event

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Using a Knowledge Guru game as a part of a live event or workshop can enhance the experience. You – or whomever is facilitating the workshop – can display a live leaderboard so players can see their progress – and compete for high point awards. The leaderboard auto-refreshes every 30 seconds throughout game play.

To use a Legend or Quest game in a live event, you need the URL for the live scoreboard. The event facilitator can copy the URL into a browser and project the score board.

Here’s how you locate the scoreboard URL. A live scoreboard is available for both the Quest or Legend game types:

Quick Steps List

  1. In the authoring tool, select the IMPLEMENT option in the left-hand menu.
  2. From within IMPLEMENT, select Live Leaderboards. The URL is located here. Click it to access the Live Leaderboards.

Click through the slideshow below to see the steps in action.