Is it fair to say that you have a crappy website if you need the digital equivalent of a Sherpa to guide people through it? Probably not, since I’m sure we all have our stories to share of trying to navigate a website and missing a fairly obvious marker. I have called companies many a time to yell at customer service reps, only to realize later that I neglected to click a button on the site that would’ve taken me to the next page. Good luck trying to call Comcast back to apologize to one of their 10 bazillion customer service reps.
Earlier this year, WalkMe debuted as—literally—a guidance system that layers on top of a Web page to “walk” Web users through. The Tel Aviv-based company announced Thursday that it has raised $5.5 million in a funding round led by Gemini Israel Ventures, with help from Mangrove Capital Partners and Giza Venture Capital.
The service works by following a user’s activity and guiding them on to the next step. For example, the user enters her screen name, and a balloon tip will pop up telling the user to enter her password next. It seems silly, but think of how many times you’ve tried to download a program or set up an account on a website and you’ve had to resubmit pages because you forgot to add your maternal grandmother’s date-of-birth, or your childhood dog’s zodiac sign.
The tip bubbles–called Walk-Thru’s–are layered on top of the Web page, so users don’t have to download any add-ons or players, and they’re “interface aware,” which means they can self-adjust with dynamically changing Web pages.
“WalkMe is a disruptive system that can fundamentally change the way online services engage with their users online,” said Eran Wagner of Gemini Israel Ventures, in a statement. “WalkMe’s ability to increase visitor clarity, satisfaction and conversion while dramatically reducing help-desk costs, makes it a no-brainer for a business of any size.”
In April, WalkMe raised $1 million in seed funding. The company could not be reached for comment.
“After launch we experienced exponential growth and at this point we had to decide whether we want to grow organically at a slower pace or to receive more funding so we can meet greater demand,” said WalkMe President Rafi Sweary. “We decide on the latter. We believe this will allow us to make a real impact on the world.”
