Stop searching blindly: How to use the Help Centre like a pro

Article written by Alex Bon Ami, Help Centre manager at Award Force.

Setting up your first awards program is exciting…that is, until a colleague asks a question you cannot answer. Can you change the submission deadline after launch? Import a list of judges? Export results?

You could email support and wait. Or you could find the answer in under three minutes.

The Award Force Help Centre is built to get program managers to answers fast, whether it is your first day on the platform or you are a seasoned pro.

Why listen to me? I’m the Help Centre manager here at Award Force. It’s my job to ensure that our documentation is up-to-date, accessible and easy to understand for award managers of every experience level. Whether it’s your first day using our tools or you’re a seasoned pro, I believe that good software comes with good help. Award Force is no exception.

Where to start

The Help Centre lives at support.awardforce.com and is organised by where you are in your
setup, not just by product feature. You’ll see guides grouped by what you actually need to
do: get started, configure your entry form, manage users, configure judging, etc. This gets
you to your answer without clicking around.

Most visits to the Help Centre only last two and a half minutes—that’s quicker than ordering a coffee.

What you can find in the Help Centre

Our help centre is packed full of information—around 300 articles—that contain every bit of
information you could ask for.

• Step-by-step guides to walk you through common workflows. Think, creating fields
  and categories, assigning judges to panels, and exporting data. They include easy-to-follow instructions, so you know exactly which button to click and what each option
  means. A great example would be our Review flow configuration article as it breaks
  down a complex feature into easy-to-follow steps.
• Video walkthroughs to guide you through tasks that are easier to see than to read.
  We understand that everyone learns differently and have video tutorials if you prefer
  to learn by watching. I recently updated our Configure a judging score set video to
  reflect the latest features.
• How-tos for edge cases because not every award program is straightforward. What
  if you need to reopen a submission period? Change scoring rules mid-adjudication?
  Add a new judge at the last minute? These answers are in the Help Centre too.
• Troubleshooting steps for when something is not working the way you expected.
  Search the Help Centre for the problem (“judges cannot see submissions” or “can entries be submitted into multiple categories”). Most common issues, like browser caching, have a dedicated troubleshooting article.

How to find answers

If clicking through our setup categories isn’t your thing, the search bar is much faster. Type
what you are trying to do in plain language: “add a new judge”, “change the deadline”, “export results”.

The Help Centre will provide AI-powered quick answers and surface relevant articles.

What if you still cannot find it? The Help Centre covers the vast majority of use cases. But if you hit a wall—or your program has a specific setup you need help with—our client success team is available 24/5 (working hours)! Just click the “Ask a question” link at the top of the page to submit your question.

The bigger picture

A good Help Centre is not just a safety net. It’s key to becoming a product expert and learning Award Force inside out. Find the answers you need quickly—we know just how valuable your time is.

Start now

Head to the Help Centre. Search for something you have wondered about. You will probably be surprised at what is there. And if it isn’t? Let us know! Our mission is to get you the answers you need when you need them most.