Help Centre

Need help? We're here!

Our team of experts are ready to help you on your journey to excellence.  

Before you contact us, check out these resources:

Setup - Getting access

Creating an account

1. Navigate to Homepage: Go to the GoHandbooks homepage https://gohandbooks.com
2. Locate Sign-Up Option: Look for the "Sign Up" button/link on the homepage, button right of your screen.  Click on it.
3. Fill in the Form: Once you click on sign up, a registration form will appear. Here, you need to enter your business information:
   • Business/ organization name
   • Type
   • Size of team
   • First name / last name
   • Email address
   • Create a Password: Choose a strong password
4. Complete ReCAPTCHA: Complete the reCAPTCHA verification process. This is usually a checkbox to confirm you're not a robot, or it may involve selecting images that match a certain criterion.
5. Submit the Form: After filling in all the required fields and completing the reCAPTCHA, click on the "Create Account" button to submit your registration.
6. Confirmation: Once the form is complete you will be taken directly into your GoHandbooks site.

Verify your email

1. You and your invited members will need to verify your email.
2. Go to your email account
3. Click on the email from GoHandbooks, be mindful it may go to your Spam folder.
4. Click the link for verify email
5. Follow the steps to verify your email.

Log in

1. Navigate to the GoHandbooks homepage at https://gohandbooks.com.
2. Click on the 'Login' button located in the bottom right.
3. Enter your email address, password, complete the reCAPTCHA verification,
4. Then click 'Log In' to access your account

Forgotten / Change password

1. Access the Forgot Password Page:
   • From the GoHandbooks login page, click on the "Forgot password" link.

2. Enter Username or Email:

   • You will be redirected to a page where you need to enter your username or email address associated with your GoHandbooks account.

   Complete reCAPTCHA Verification:

   • Complete the "I am not a robot" reCAPTCHA verification by following the on-screen instructions.
3. Submit Your Request:
   • After completing the reCAPTCHA, click on the "Submit" button.
4. Check Your Email:
   • GoHandbooks will send you an email titled "Replacement login information for…" This email confirms that a password reset request has been made for your account.
   • this meal may go to your spam, please check if you don't receive and email.
5. Use the Password Reset Link:
   • In the email, you will find a link that you can use to reset your password. This link is valid for one-time use only and expires after one day.
6. Set Your New Password:
   • Click on the password reset link in the email. You will be taken to a page where you can set a new password for your GoHandbooks account.

Handbooks - Books and book pages

Creating books

1. To create a book after signing in, you'll land on the homepage of your GoHandbooks account. Here, you'll find all the books you've created displayed at a glance.
2. To start a book, click on the "Add a new book" button located to the right of your screen. You'll then need to fill in the following fields:
   • Book name
   • Short description
3. Additionally, you have the option to customize the colours of your titles and background. We recommend using different colours; not only does this create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, but it also helps distinguish between books, making it easier to find them.  
4. Your short description should succinctly outline the contents of your book. For instance, if your book is titled "People," your short description could be "Employee directory" or "About us."
5. Click "Create book" to save and continue.

Organizing books

As your handbook grows, you might need to rearrange the books for better organization or ease of use. 

1. To do this, simply click on the bookshelf icon located next to the Handbooks tab. Here, you can drag and drop your books into any order you prefer. Remember to click "Save" when you're done.
2. Alternatively, you can click on "Show row widgets" at the top right. This option allows you to adjust the order of books based on their importance or priority instead of manually dragging them.

Creating pages

1. To add a page to a book, first select the book you want. Click the “+ create page” button.
2. You will be redirected to a page where you can:
   • Enter a Title for the page.
   • Choose or change the book and parent item.
   • Assign a weight for the page.
3. Proceed to create the content of your page in the editor.
4. Alternatively, if you have a procedure saved elsewhere, you can import it:

• Copy the content from your saved procedure.
• Paste it into the editor.

5.  You can also upload attachments:

• Click “select image” to add a new file.
• Navigate to your saved images and choose the ones you want to upload.

6. After importing files or adding content, remember to click Save.

7. Always save your work before navigating away from the page.

Accordion tool

Organize content: Accordion tools help you structure content into sections that can be easily navigated. Each section has a title that users can click to expand and reveal more detailed information.

Save space: By default, only one section of content is expanded at a time, while others remain collapsed. This helps conserve space on the screen or page, especially useful when dealing with a large amount of information.

Enhance user experience: Users can quickly scan through the accordion headers to find the specific information they are interested in. This improves user experience by reducing clutter and allowing for intuitive navigation.

Focus attention: Accordion tools allow you to highlight key information by placing it in the expanded sections. This helps guide users' attention to the most important content without overwhelming them with too much information at once. 

1. Access the tool: Click on the menu located at the top right of the text editor and select the accordion tool.
2. Create row tile.
3. Enter row content. 
4. Preview and save.
5. Update as needed: As your content changes or evolves, revisit the accordion tool to update information or add new sections as necessary.

Search tool

Search: 

Located to the far right of the Handbooks tab is our search button. The search tool enables users to input keywords, phrases, or criteria related to the information they are looking for.  Allowing for users to easily find what they are looking for.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks:

This feature enables users to swiftly navigate to specific locations or pages within the browser, providing a convenient method to save and revisit important or frequently accessed content without the need for manual searching or remembering.

To add bookmarks, users can click the 'Bookmark' icon located at the top right of any page. Bookmarks can be managed by deleting them when no longer needed, simply by deselecting the bookmark icon at the top right of the bookmarked page.

Writing your business processes

 Refer to our Best Practices page for details about how you can optimize your handbook content.

About - Describing your organization

Why is this important?

Describing your organization and sharing basic information such as vision, mission, company history, core values, founding story, products and services, and the ideal customer profile with staff is crucial for fostering alignment, engagement, and consistency within an organization. It helps employees understand the organization's purpose and goals, promotes a cohesive culture, ensures consistent brand representation, and enhances decision-making and customer service. By connecting staff to the organization's roots and strategic direction, it also builds trust, transparency, and a sense of belonging, ultimately contributing to the overall success and innovation of the organization.

How is this helpful on a day-to-day basis?

This information can be helpful to staff on a day-to-day basis in several ways:

1. Guiding Daily Decisions

Understanding the vision, mission, and core values helps employees make decisions that align with the organization's strategic goals and ethical standards.

2. Enhancing Customer Interactions

Knowledge of products, services, and the ideal customer profile enables staff to provide better customer service, tailor their interactions, and effectively address customer needs and concerns.

3. Fostering Team Collaboration

A shared understanding of the organization's history and core values promotes a unified culture, enhancing teamwork and collaboration across different departments.

4. Increasing Motivation and Engagement

Connecting daily tasks to the broader mission and vision of the organization gives employees a sense of purpose and motivation, improving engagement and job satisfaction.

5. Consistent Brand Representation

Awareness of the company's brand values and story ensures that all employees represent the organization consistently and positively in all external and internal communications.

6. Supporting Innovation and Improvement

A clear understanding of the organization's goals and offerings encourages employees to contribute innovative ideas and improvements that align with the strategic direction.

7. Effective Problem-Solving

Having background knowledge of the company and its goals provides a context that helps employees resolve issues more effectively and efficiently.

8. Onboarding and Training

New hires can quickly get up to speed with the company's objectives, culture, and operations, leading to a smoother onboarding process and faster integration into the team.

By incorporating this information into their daily work, employees can perform their roles more effectively, contribute to a positive workplace culture, and drive the organization's success.

How to populate my About section

There are 3 sections to the About:

1. General
2. Situational
3. Basic

Only the team administrators can populate and edit the About section. 

By clicking on the About link on the LEFT menu, you will be able to click on the EDIT tab about the About profile to fill in or update all the sections.

Team - Inviting and managing team members

Adding users

1. Navigate to your GoHandbooks page and click on 'Team'.
2. Your profile will appear on the right-hand side.
3. Locate the 'Invite New Member' button at the top right of your profile and click on it.
4. Enter the email address of the member you wish to invite.
5. Click 'Send Invitation’

Editing and removing members

1. Click on 'Team' to view your team members.
2. In your profile, select the team member you want to edit.
3. Click the 'Edit' button.
4. Here, you can update their photo, first name, and last name.
5. Simply type over names or upload a new photo from your image gallery.
6. Click 'Save Changes' to apply the edits."

Guidelines - The policies that govern your organization

Creating a guideline

1. Click on Guidelines on the LEFT menu.
2. Click "Add new guildeline" button on TOP RIGHT.
3. Enter a Title.
4. Choose a Category.
5. Enter the content of the policy in the Body.
6. Press Save.

Guideline categories

GoHandbooks is pre-set with the following guideline categories for you to organize your policies into:

• Operational Policies
• Financial Policies
• Human Resources Policies
• Health and Safety Policies
• IT and Data Security Policies
• Compliance and Legal Policies
• Marketing and Communication Policies
• Fundraising and Donations Policies (for nonprofits)
• Program and Service Delivery Policies (for nonprofits)

Please contact us if you would like to suggest changes to this list of categories.

Guideline categories & policies to consider

Here's an extensive list of policies organized by our guideline categories:

1. Governance Policies

• Board Governance Policy
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Board Meeting Procedures
• Bylaws
• Ethics and Conduct Policy
• Governance and Leadership Policy

2. Operational Policies

• Administrative Procedures Policy
• Procurement and Purchasing Policy
• Document Retention and Destruction Policy
• Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy
• Office Management Policy
• Volunteer Management Policy

3. Financial Policies

• Budgeting and Financial Planning Policy
• Financial Reporting Policy
• Internal Controls Policy
• Investment Policy
• Fraud Prevention Policy
• Financial Reserves Policy
• Accounting Policies and Procedures
• Asset Management Policy

4. Human Resources Policies

• Employment and Hiring Policy
• Code of Conduct
• Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy
• Leave and Time Off Policy
• Compensation and Benefits Policy
• Performance Management Policy
• Termination Policy
• Employee Training and Development Policy
• Employee Privacy Policy
• Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Policy

5. Health and Safety Policies

• Workplace Safety Policy
• Emergency Procedures Policy
• Health and Wellness Policy
• Occupational Health and Safety Policy
• Incident Reporting and Investigation Policy
• Pandemic Response Policy

6. IT and Data Security Policies

• Data Protection and Privacy Policy
• Cybersecurity Policy
• Acceptable Use Policy
• IT Asset Management Policy
• Network Security Policy
• Backup and Recovery Policy
• Password Management Policy
• Social Media Use Policy

7. Compliance and Legal Policies

• Regulatory Compliance Policy
• Whistleblower Protection Policy
• Anti-Money Laundering Policy
• Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy
• Legal Document Management Policy
• Intellectual Property Policy

8. Marketing and Communication Policies

• Social Media Policy
• Branding and Marketing Policy
• Public Relations Policy
• Crisis Communication Policy
• Media Contact Policy
• Website Privacy Policy

9. Fundraising and Donations Policies (for nonprofits)

• Donor Privacy Policy
• Gift Acceptance Policy
• Fundraising Ethics Policy
• Sponsorship Policy
• Grant Management Policy
• Fundraising Event Policy

10. Program and Service Delivery Policies (for nonprofits)

• Service Standards Policy
• Client/Beneficiary Rights Policy
• Program Evaluation Policy
• Volunteer Services Policy
• Accessibility Policy
• Community Engagement Policy

This extensive list of policies covers various aspects of organizational operations, governance, compliance, and service delivery.

Browser - Quick access to your handbooks

Chome extension

1. Navigate to the Chrome Store:
   • From your home page, click on "Add extension" located in the upper right corner. This action will direct you to the Chrome Web Store.
2. Add to Chrome:
   • Once you're on the Chrome Web Store page, find and click on "Add to Chrome" on the right-hand side.
3. Confirm the Installation:
   • A pop-up window will appear. Click on "Add extension" within this window to proceed.
4. Accessing the Extension:
   • The extension will now be added to your Chrome browser.
   • To use it when needed, you can:
     • Search for "extensions" in your browser's settings.
     • Or, click on the extensions icon (menu icon) in your browser and select "GoHandbooks" from the dropdown menu.

Firefox plugin

1. Open Firefox browser.
2. Go to the GoHandbooks website.
3. Sign in to your GoHandbooks account.
4. Look for the "Add Plugin" option at the top right of the page.
5. Click on "Add Plugin."
6. You will be redirected to the plugin page. Click on "Add to Firefox."
7. A pop-up will appear asking for your confirmation. Click on "Add."
8. Another pop-up will appear with terms or permissions. Read through them and click "OK" or "Agree" to proceed.
9. To view the plugin after installation, click on the "puzzle piece" icon located at the top left corner of your browser window.

Billing - Issues or pricing options

If you require further assistance, wish to provide feedback, or have best practices to share, please feel free to contact us