Work instruction software empowers businesses to provide clear, digital guidelines for their teams, ensuring workers complete tasks efficiently and consistently. In this article, I compare 7 of the best work instruction software options on the market so you can determine the perfect fit for your needs.
As a manager or business owner, you often find yourself neck-deep in standard operating procedures (SOPs), user guides, and documentation. This is particularly true for the manufacturing, field service, healthcare, and retail industries.
Managing workflows and keeping track of multiple versions of documents—and ensuring they reach the right people—can get quite cumbersome. Any mistake can lead to compliance issues and inconsistent work, leading to legal trouble and a damaged reputation.
Thankfully, work instruction software can help. It simplifies these tasks by providing a centralized platform for creating, managing, and sharing your work instructions with your team, saving time and ensuring consistency and compliance.
In this article, I’ll review 7 of the best work instruction software options available, guiding you through their key features to help you pick the best fit for your needs.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one work instruction software
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Good for enhanced search
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Good for the manufacturing industry
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What to Look For in a Work Instruction Software
While compiling my list of the best work instruction software, I focused on platforms with the following key features.
Must-have features
First, I made sure they had these core work instruction features:
- Content creation and editing to enable straightforward creation and editing right within the software.
- Standardized templates to allow for quick, consistent creation of instructions across all operations.
- Distribution and accessibility features to ensure effortless distribution and access, even to remote teams.
- Version control for tracking changes and recording different versions of work instructions to manage updates effectively.
- Compliance management features like access control and electronic signatures.
I also made sure the software offered:
- A user-friendly interface for smooth navigation.
- Affordable pricing for businesses of all sizes.
- Cloud functionality to allow accessibility from any location.
Finally, I checked for specific features that make work instruction software great:
- Real-time collaboration to allow multiple users to create and edit work instructions simultaneously.
- Multimedia support so you can add images, videos, and diagrams to instructions.
- Automated workflows for easier approval and distribution.
- Integrations with enterprise resource planning (ERP), product lifecycle management (PLM), or quality management systems (QMSs) to ensure your work instructions are consistent with the data in these systems.
- Surveys and polls for collecting and managing user feedback and supporting continuous improvement.
- Advanced search capabilities to ensure users can find specific work instructions and other information easily.
- Advanced analytics to monitor work instruction use and effectiveness.
The 7 Best Work Instruction Softwares of 2024
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one work instruction software
Key Features
Checklists and digital forms creation
Ability to assign tasks with work instructions
Multimedia integration
Digital surveys and polls for feedback
Secure knowledge base
Customization options
Pros
Mobile app for on-the-go accessibility
Affordable for all businesses
Free trial and free plan available
Offers additional work management features
Cons
Needs internet or wifi access to work
Connecteam is an all-in-one employee management software that doubles as a work instruction platform. It has comprehensive features for creating, managing, and sharing step-by-step guides and procedures.
Why I chose Connecteam: The software lets you quickly create workflows with customizable, easy-to-understand forms and checklists to ensure operational efficiency. You can also assign tasks and include instructions, deadlines, images, and more.
Below, I review Connecteam’s standout features for work instructions.
Boost compliance and efficiency with digital forms and checklists
With Connecteam’s digital forms and checklists, you can ensure your employees follow your work instructions correctly and consistently. Create custom forms and checklists from scratch or build them using pre-made templates. Then, add instructions, images, videos, and other elements to your checklists. You can even require employees to digitally sign forms and checklists before submitting them for approval.
Connecteam provides tons of templates for different industries, including manufacturing, retail, construction, healthcare, restaurant, and field services. There’s also a variety of regulatory compliance templates, such as HIPAA, OSHA, and GDPR compliance checklists.
The software will alert you when employees check off list items and submit forms. You’ll also get a real-time view of completion status from within your admin dashboard.
Streamline workflows with intuitive task management
With Connecteam, you can easily integrate work instructions into task management to assign tasks with clear instructions.
Create new tasks in seconds, set due dates, attach files or multimedia, and break tasks into sequences so employees follow work instructions in the correct order.
You can then assign tasks to specific employees or groups and monitor their progress and completion from your central admin dashboard. With a real-time view, you can ensure employees follow the provided work instructions accurately while complying with standards.
One feature I find incredibly useful is the task-specific communication channel that enables employees to comment or ask questions about the assigned task. This 2-way communication ensures that you can quickly make changes if any work instructions are unclear.
Knowledge center to store procedures and instructions
Connecteam’s employee knowledge base is like a digital library for your work guides and procedures. You can securely store all your important documents—like safety checklists, SOPs, company policies, and even existing work instructions—in one secure place. Your team can quickly find and read these documents anytime, anywhere.
You can even create work instructions right in the knowledge base using Connecteam’s rich text editor. Create and style text with bold, italics, bullets, and more—and incorporate hyperlinks or add visuals.
Connecteam also lets you set custom user access permissions to protect sensitive or confidential files, ensuring only authorized individuals can view and edit them. By giving others editing permissions, you can collaborate with your workers to add or update work instructions in real time.
Moreover, everything syncs to a highly secure private cloud, protecting your data and ensuring your team always has access to the latest versions of files. What I love most is that Connecteam offers unlimited storage—store as much as you want for life.
Collect feedback with digital surveys and polls
Whether you want to refine your work instructions or measure employee understanding, Connecteam’s survey and poll tools provide an easy way to collect feedback.
You can create custom surveys using various question types, like multiple-choice or open-ended questions. When you’re short on time, just use a template. You can instantly send the surveys or polls to your team, and they can access them anywhere on their mobile devices.
You can then monitor responses in real time and make timely decisions based on their feedback. For example, after implementing a new safety procedure, you could create a survey to see how well your team understands the new guidelines.
Should the feedback indicate confusion, you can refine and clarify those sections of your work instructions, ensuring everyone is on the same page and can perform their tasks safely and efficiently.
And much more
Beyond these features, Connecteam offers a ton more—from employee scheduling and employee time clock to time off management, event planning, employee training and onboarding software, and everything in between. It’s a truly comprehensive workforce management solution!
Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Get Started Now!
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
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ABB Electronic Work Instructions — Good for enhanced search
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Key Features
- Rich text editor
- Workflow management
- Searchable database
- Multi-language support
Pros
- Integration with ERP
- Accessibility control
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Limited features on mobile apps
ABB Electronic Work Instructions is a software platform designed for businesses to develop, manage, and share electronic work instructions (EWIs).
Why I chose ABB Electronic Work Instructions: It offers a text editor that enables you to embed text, images, videos, and tables. With the workflow feature, you can send instructions to the appropriate parties for review and approval before making them available to other workers. The platform also lets you track your workers’ engagement with instructions.
One feature I found especially useful was the searchable database, which helps you locate specific instructions based on title, keyword, or task. However, shortcomings I noticed were the platform’s steep learning curve and lack of features within its mobile apps.
Learn more about ABB Electronic Work InstructionsPricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Poka — Good for the manufacturing industry
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Key Features
- Multimedia content support
- Library of templates
- Drag-and-drop editing
- Version control
Pros
- Intuitive interface
- Good customer support
Cons
- Is primarily designed for the manufacturing sector
- Has limited customization options
Poka is a connected worker platform for manufacturers.
Why I chose Poka: It helps create, manage, and deploy visual and step-by-step instructions for complex tasks and processes. You can design standardized work instructions using various templates and a drag-and-drop editor.
Poka also allows you to add visual aids like images, videos, and annotations for clarity. The platform tracks changes to ensure version control—a function I look for in all good work instruction software platforms.
However, while it provides extensive tools for creating and deploying work instructions, Poka’s primary focus on manufacturing makes it less suitable for other industries. I also would have liked to see more customization options.
Learn more about PokaPricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Epsilon3 — Good for real-time synchronized procedures
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Key Features
- Real-time synchronization
- Offline run capability
- Version control
- Search-friendly database
Pros
- Versatile and flexible
- Interface with different sources
Cons
- Complex to set up and learn
- Limited to specific industries
Epsilon3 is a software suite that includes a work instruction solution. It supports the entire lifecycle of a project, from integration and testing through live operations.
Why I chose Epsilon3: I was impressed by the fact that Epsilon3 lets multiple teams or workers use and update procedures simultaneously, syncing all changes instantly. It supports work instructions, including checklists, training and test plans, business workflows, and standard operating procedures.
Another notable feature is its offline run capability, which lets you save work and sync it once you’re reconnected to the network. It also has a version control system, which includes tools for approvals, edits, and tracking changes between revisions. There’s a search-friendly database, too.
However, I found Epsilon3 somewhat challenging to use. And since the software is tailored to businesses in complex engineering, testing, and operations, it may not be the perfect fit for other companies.
Learn more about Epsilon3Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Scribe — Good for small and medium-sized businesses
Available on
- Web
- Windows
- Mac
Key Features
- Automatic documentation
- Step-by-step instructions with multimedia support
- Pages feature for complex guides
- Workflow functionalities
Pros
- Easy to use
- Relatively affordable
Cons
- Lack of advanced communication tools
- Limited customization
Scribe is an AI-powered work instructions software solution that helps teams document and share workflows quickly and easily.
Why I chose Scribe: It makes documenting digital tasks quick and easy. After downloading and installing the software, it can record your screen and automatically turn your actions into a step-by-step guide called a “Scribe.” You can edit the guide to add or change details, like pictures or descriptions.
In addition, the Pages feature allows you to combine multiple Scribes into single guides. This can be useful for creating onboarding guides, training materials, and SOPs. Another aspect of Scribe that I really appreciated is its free browser extensions for Chrome and Edge.
However, I noticed it lacks advanced team communication and collaboration tools. Also, Scribe’s templates have limited customization.
Learn more about ScribePricing
Starts at $12/user/month, for minimum 5 users Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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Tango — Good for interactive walkthroughs
Available on
- Web
- Windows
- Mac
Key Features
- Screenshot capture and annotation
- Rich text editor
- Version control
- Blur tool
Pros
- Easy to use
- Free Chrome extension
Cons
- Lacks mobile functionality
- Offers limited customization
Tango is a digital instruction platform designed to streamline and standardize procedural instructions across various industries.
Why I chose Tango: Much like Scribe, Tango creates shareable, step-by-step guides by capturing your actions on the screen with screenshots. You can use these guides, known as “Tangos” or “Workflows,” to document work processes and create digital work instructions.
I appreciate how easy it is to use the platform to create guides. The rich text editor lets you format your work instructions and incorporate multimedia elements like images and videos. Plus, Tango allows you to blur sensitive information it captures in its screenshots—a function I found makes the platform stand out.
Though Tango is very user-friendly, I was disappointed it doesn’t offer a mobile app, so you can’t create or access work instructions on the go.
Learn more about TangoPricing
Pro plan starts at $16/user/month, billed annually Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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Zingtree — Good for conditional branching based on inputs
Available on
- Web
- Windows
- Mac
Key Features
- Interactive work instructions
- Conditional branching
- Version control
- Knowledge base
Pros
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Integration with third-party tools
Cons
- Relatively expensive
- No offline access
Zingtree is a no-code decision tree software solution, meaning you can create work instructions and interactive decision trees without programming. A decision tree is a visual representation or flowchart that displays a series of choices and their potential outcomes or actions.
Why I chose Zingtree: Its work instructions can use “conditional branching” to guide your employees through the correct steps based on their responses to questions and prompts. With conditional branching, each next step depends on the previous answer.
With Zingtree, you can include images, videos, and attachments to make your work instructions more engaging. Additionally, the platform provides analytics and version control capabilities, a task manager, an interactive knowledge base, and automated workflows.
One downside I found is that Zingtree lacks offline access and customization options. Plus, it’s quite expensive compared to other work instruction tools.
Learn more about ZingtreePricing
Business plan starts at $50/user/month for 5 users; contact vendor for enterprise pricing Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Work Instruction Softwares
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Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Contact vendor for price
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Contact vendor for price
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Starts at $12/user/month, for minimum 5 users
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Pro plan starts at $16/user/month, billed annually
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Business plan starts at $50/user/month for 5 users; contact vendor for enterprise pricing
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Best all-in-one work instruction software
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Good for enhanced search
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Good for the manufacturing industry
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Good for real-time synchronized procedures
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Good for small and medium-sized businesses
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Good for interactive walkthroughs
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Good for conditional branching based on inputs
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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Web, Windows, Mac
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Web, Windows, Mac
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Web, Windows, Mac
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What Is Work Instruction Software?
Work instruction software refers to digital tools that help businesses create, manage, and share detailed task and process instructions. It’s also known as visual work instructions software, EWI software, or digital work instructions software.
The software is vital for the manufacturing and customer service industries since it promotes consistency and reduces errors. However, work instruction software can benefit all industries, ensuring streamlined operations and standardized practices.
How Does Work Instruction Software Work?
Work instruction software typically provides users with a centralized platform for creating, managing, and delivering step-by-step instructions for completing tasks and processes.
You can create instructions for tasks or processes directly within the app using pre-made templates and integrated text editors. You can also import instructions you’ve made elsewhere. Some software lets you add pictures, diagrams, or videos to your instructions.
With your work instructions in one place, your workers can easily access the information. Most work instruction software makes updating your work instructions easy, too, and automatic syncing ensures that updated information is available to your workers right away.
The Benefits of Work Instruction Software
Here are some benefits of digital work instruction solutions:
Improved accuracy, efficiency, and consistency
Work instruction software enables you to create clear, easy-to-follow instructions. With detailed visuals, there’s less chance of employees making mistakes, so they get things done right from the start—and will carry out tasks the same way each time. Also, there’s a better chance that tasks will meet defined standards, further boosting accuracy and consistency.
Less dependency
With standardized instructions, businesses are less dependent on specific individuals who may have specialized tribal knowledge (i.e., institutional knowledge) stored in their heads. Instead, employees can access the information they need directly from the software.
Easier error identification
With digital work instructions, there’s a clear record of which instructions you provided, making it easier to spot issues or discrepancies. For example, manufacturing businesses can quickly review instructions given to operators to determine if machine malfunctions stemmed from operational errors or other factors.
Better compliance
The software helps ensure your employees follow all steps according to industry standards or company policies—for example, by giving them easily accessible compliance checklists. This helps with regulatory compliance.
How Much Does Work Instruction Software Cost?
The cost of work instruction software varies based on its features, scalability, and target users.
The most commonly used pricing models are the per-user-per-month plans and annual subscriptions. For instance, Poka is priced at $23/user/month, while Tango offers a rate of $16/user but bills annually. Zingtree employs a slightly different structure, with a starting price of $50/user/month for its business plan—which is limited to 5 users.
Compared to these solutions, Connecteam is the most affordable work instruction software. It costs just $29/month for up to 30 users. Plus, Connecteam’s free Small Business Plan (for up to 10 users) makes it the most budget-friendly option for small businesses.
FAQs
What is the difference between SOPs and work instructions?
An SOP document outlines the overall process and steps to achieve a specific task. It provides a high-level view of how workers should do tasks. On the other hand, work instructions give detailed, step-by-step guidance on performing a specific task within the SOP. They’re more precise, often including visuals, tools needed, and exact measurements.
Is there free work instruction software with offline access?
Some work instruction solutions help you create guides and SOPs for free. For instance, Connecteam offers a free-for-life plan for up to 10 users. It also allows you to access work instructions, manuals, and guides without an internet connection.
The Bottom Line On Work Instruction Software
Work instruction software helps you create and share detailed instructions for tasks. This leads to increased efficiency, less dependency on specialized knowledge, enhanced compliance, and more.
Many software options are on the market today, and I recommend Connecteam as the best all-in-one work instruction software for businesses and industries of all sizes. It offers rich content creation, customizable checklists and forms, centralized storage for all documents and procedures, and much more—all at an affordable price.