We built an API-based platform to solve the challenge of automating direct mail with your customer data and the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can do with Lob. But, we were finding that some of our users were still stuck on the runway when it came to executing direct mail campaigns.
Our suite of products is evolving to meet the needs of more diverse users and becoming more sophisticated in terms of mail creation and production. This means our API documentation and product resources needed to evolve too to support our non-technical users and enhance their experience with Lob’s platform and products.
To better serve our users and ensure their intelligent direct mail programs are performing, driving ROI, and meeting delivery requirements, we needed to make sure our product documentation was easy to find, easy to understand, and actionable; and that’s why we’re announcing our new Lob Help Center.
With our new Help Center, you can unlock your potential with Lob and get the most out of your investment in the channel with expert-level guidance in an intelligent, self-service platform. With a more intuitive and organized layout, you can quickly find the help you need when it comes to our suite of products, troubleshooting issues, or getting started with direct mail and Lob.
Our new Help Center better aligns with one of our core values: To curate experiences for our customers.
Before, our product documentation was redundant and repetitive as it was separated into three different websites: an API documentation for technical users, design guides and best practices for mail creatives, and a technical support page that was overwhelming to sift through. For teams new to direct mail as a channel or to automation using APIs, our documentation lacked details to fully understand our products, incorporate direct mail into existing business workflows, and how to rinse and repeat for better results. It was time to consolidate all of this information into one comprehensive central hub and match how users utilize our products.
Not exactly sure where the information you’re looking for lives? No problem. Type your question into the search bar at the top right of the site to instantly find results matching your needs. As you type, the Help Center surfaces articles and specific sections that match your search terms to help you find what you’re looking for or refine your search. No more scrolling through pages of irrelevant results (or hopping between different sites) to get the answer you need.
Depending on where your team is in the direct mail automation journey, you may have very different needs and levels of familiarity with the channel or our platform. We structured the Help Center so you can get the information you need by starting from the very top page, or skipping to the parts you need. On the left-hand navigation bar, you’ll find all the different categories of help documentation available.
The main categories include:
Under the ‘Print & Mail’ section, there are nested topics that loosely corresponds to the steps taken by senders of direct mail campaigns to send mail with Lob, which are:
At the top header bar of the site, there are quick links to other important sites that are helpful to build your Lob integration, browse creative examples, or get your questions answered.
In any given article, you’ll see on the right-hand side an anchored table of contents so you can quickly drop down to the appropriate section to answer your question. This table of contents will also highlight as you scroll. These sections are also anchored in the URL. So, if someone else on your team has the same question, you can easily share the link with them and send them to the right section, or you can export the page contents itself as a PDF.
Not only did we surface popular developer documentation and make it easier to find and navigate in the Help Center, we’re also featuring more developer-focused content, including quickstart guides and new product use case guides. For those constrained for time and engineering resources and seeking to leverage third-party integrations into existing tech stacks, we also have a new library of walkthroughs and integration overviews to make your experience with Lob even better (and faster too).
From ACS to ZIP+4, our comprehensive glossary defines the terms you might come across in the direct mail space. Whether it’s Lob-specific terminology or industry-wide wording, our glossary will help you understand what you need to know to feel comfortable with print production and related processes.
Can’t wait to check it out? Head on over to the Lob Help Center and take a look around, and give us your feedback at the bottom of any page. Also remember to periodically revisit the site as we’ll be adding more product topics and direct mail best practices in the coming months with the roll-out of new product features.
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