Capping a year of expansion, Web Manuals International (Booth X115), developer of aviation-focused digital documentation solutions, is releasing at EBACE 2018 two additions to its digital applications portfolio: a new customer portal dashboard and an updated release of its document-authoring tool. Web Manuals’ digital documentation applications replace paper manuals with quickly and easily updatable and distributable digital versions, and the new dashboard and authoring tool will “really break down the barrier for new customers to get into the Web Manuals family,” said Martin Lidgard, CEO and founder of the Swedish company.
The customer portal dashboard provides operators and editors with an instant overview of all aspects of their digital documentation-management system, including details on the number of users, documents, and new revisions made, and time spent on each page. Current customer service tickets, invoices, and the Help Center can be easily viewed, providing instant access to a range of training and support options.
The seventh version of its regulatory compliance authoring tool software being introduced here will end operators’ reliance on Microsoft Word for creating aviation documentation, Lidgard predicts. Dubbed Hurricane, the upgraded template enables companies to eliminate patching together documents with a hodgepodge of apps. Instead, they can create, for example, one master Operation Manual Part B (OM-B), which can be adapted to any aircraft’s specifications, with any changes made to the master OM-B mirrored across a fleet. This capability makes the tool the perfect multi-aircraft digital documentation solution for business jet operators or aircraft management companies, according to the company.
Meanwhile, through the company's new online store, potential customers can instantly begin a trial of Web Manuals on a self-service basis.
“The modern buyer is looking to primarily educate themselves on their own, and once they’ve made a purchase decision, to get support in moving forward and scaling things up,” said Lidgard. “That’s what we’re trying to support and enable with the new functionality.”
The company’s training program, Web Manuals Academy, offers a range of online training with the Web Manuals team, as well as via self-learning through videos and online resources, or in-person training at any of the Web Manuals offices. The company has international support centers in Malmo, Sweden; San Diego, California; and Melbourne, Australia. Further growth is imminent, with a New York office launching this year, and a Singapore base planned for 2019, Lidgard said.
A subscription service, Web Manuals charges clients by the number of editors and users. The charge for each individual who creates documents is €100 per month, and the charge for each with access to the documents, such as pilots and mechanics, is €6 per month. Here in Geneva, Web Manuals is sharing its booth again with AeroEx, the Swiss aviation regulatory and compliance consultancy.
Web Manuals’ solutions are used in both commercial and business aviation, and in the bizav world are aimed at organizations with 20 to 2,000 employees, Lidgard said. The company currently has about 155 customers out of a potential estimated base of 10,000 to 15,000, said Lidgard.
