Frequently Asked Questions

Manual.to prioritizes simplicity and speed, but it also enables advanced integrations with ERP, MES, IoT, and competence management systems through APIs. While others platforms highlight real-time data exchange, Manual.to delivers on this as well without compromising usability. It integrates with tools like SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, 24Flow, AG5, SuccessFactors, and others. For example, when an MES system detects a machine error, Manual.to can instantly display the exact SOP to resolve it, linked via API. Similarly, it connects to competence platforms to track if workers have read the right instructions before performing a task. All usage data, who saw what, when, and for how long can be exported to Power BI or similar dashboards. This connected ecosystem helps large enterprises embed Manual.to into workflow automations and approval flows, making it a powerful complement to their digital stack.

Yes, Manual.to supports automated authoring for both physical and digital workflows, going well beyond basic screen capture tools like Scribe and Tango. For digital tasks, users can record their screens, and Manual.to will automatically generate step-by-step guides with video and multilingual text overlays. For physical processes, you can record a task using a body cam, glasses, or a smartphone. The platform then uses that footage to auto-generate instructions by analyzing video frames and transcriptions transforming real-world tasks into usable SOPs in real time. This drastically reduces the time it takes to document how-to guides across manufacturing, logistics, maintenance, healthcare, and more.

Yes, Manual.to is fully customizable and brandable to reflect your company’s unique identity. Every customer gets their own branded platform with custom colors, typography, logos, and visual styling that align with their corporate guidelines. Instruction templates can be tailored or automated to match existing formats, ensuring consistency across teams and use cases. This customization is done collaboratively, usually within the first weeks of onboarding, with support from your marketing team if needed. The result is a seamless, branded experience that feels like an extension of your own environment.

Manual.to delivers detailed analytics and reporting designed to support process improvement, compliance, and training visibility. You can track who read which instruction, for how long, whether they confirmed completion, and if checklists were filled out. Each manual has full version history and traceability from creation to publication. These insights can be exported via API to platforms like Power BI, MES systems, or competence management tools for deeper analysis. You can also monitor user behavior, publication status, language usage, and even time spent per step. For Lean, Six Sigma, or regulatory teams, this means connecting instruction usage directly to KPIs like productivity, compliance, and training effectiveness.

Yes, Manual.to provides a robust user rights system that ensures the right people see the right content, with the right level of control. It supports multiple roles, including Readers, Creators, Reviewers, and Admins, each with clearly defined permissions. Access to instructions can be limited by language, department, team, machine type, or location, and these rules are easy to configure. You can assign reviewers to approve content before it goes live, and automate parts of this process using API integrations with other systems like LMS, MES, or HR tools. This role-based access ensures both compliance and clarity, especially in complex or regulated environments.

Yes, Manual.to offers extensive API support for organizations with advanced automation or system integration needs. While not fully public, the platform provides private and partner APIs that enable seamless integration into your existing IT landscape. Manual.to actively collaborates with customers to build and expose the specific API endpoints required for their use cases, whether that’s syncing instructions with an LMS, connecting to an MES, logging read confirmations, or embedding SOPs into a digital workflow. This flexibility makes Manual.to ideal for workflow automation, real-time data exchange, and scalable deployment across enterprise systems.

Visual work instructions are step-by-step guides that use images or video, often with minimal text, to show how to complete a task. These tasks can range from complex industrial maintenance to simple logistics or software steps like activating an email link. The best formats use clear sequences and video to create intuitive, hands-on learning. Today, visual instructions are essential. As experienced employees retire and fewer people enter manual jobs, critical knowledge is disappearing. Meanwhile, global teams bring rising language diversity, making visuals a universal tool. Companies also need to move fast, quickly training new hires and rolling out changes. Visual instructions help standardize processes, reduce errors, improve safety, and ensure everyone follows the same method.

Manual.to eliminates the time-consuming process of manually writing or editing work instructions by enabling real-time, on-the-job content creation. Using wearable or mounted cameras, employees simply record themselves performing a task, explaining it as they go, without interrupting their workflow. This footage is then automatically transformed into a step-by-step guide with short video snippets, translated into multiple languages, and sent to an approver for review. There’s no need for separate video editing, formatting, or documentation steps. This approach allows instructions to be created in the same time it takes to perform the task, making it dramatically faster than traditional methods. The same principle applies to office or software workflows through screen recording. Manual.to’s AI-powered platform ensures that know-how is captured, structured, and shared instantly, even in complex, decentralized environments.

With Manual.to, turning a real-world procedure into a step-by-step guide is fast and intuitive. First, the task is recorded, either using a mobile phone, smart glasses, chest-mounted camera, or even existing CCTV footage. This footage is uploaded (automatically or manually) to the Manual.to platform. There, AI analyzes the video frame-by-frame and transcribes spoken instructions to generate a step-by-step guide with matching video clips and text, automatically translated into multiple languages. The guide then enters an approval flow, allowing managers or designated reviewers to edit, approve, and publish it to the right users. For software tasks, the process is similar: users record their screen while performing the workflow, upload it, and let Manual.to do the rest.

Manual.to accelerates onboarding by supporting every stage of the learning journey with clear, visual, and accessible instructions. New employees can start training even before day one, reviewing task-specific manuals in their own language via video-based guides. During classroom sessions, these same instructions can be shared on-screen or via tablets, with instant translations for multilingual teams. In peer-to-peer training, experienced staff use Manual.to to reinforce the correct standard procedures, eliminating inconsistent knowledge transfer. Most powerfully, Manual.to acts as an on-the-job assistant. Employees can instantly access step-by-step guides via QR codes or system integrations whenever they need a refresher, even months later. This real-time guidance reduces onboarding time by up to 70%, while improving operational KPIs like OEE, downtime, and repair times.

Companies that rely heavily on blue-collar workers with task-specific know-how, where productivity or quality would suffer if that knowledge were lost, gain the most from visual work instructions. This includes businesses with high turnover, seasonal staffing, frequent use of interim workers, or where employees regularly switch departments. These organizations see the highest ROI in reduced training time, lower quality-related costs, and faster time-to-market. Industry examples include manufacturing (e.g. automotive or electronics assembly), logistics (e.g. warehouses with rotating staff), and food processing (e.g. factories with strict hygiene and process standards).

Manual.to improves operational consistency and quality by providing standardized, visual instructions that are always up to date and easy to access. By capturing tasks through real-time video and turning them into step-by-step guides, companies ensure that all employees follow the same procedure, not just how one person remembers doing it. This eliminates the variability that often leads to errors, rework, or inefficiencies. The instructions are automatically translated, ensuring everyone (from new hires to experienced operators) can understand and apply them in their own language. The result: fewer mistakes, less downtime, and higher product or service quality across the board.