This article explains what a Teachable Moment is in SMARTFENSE, how it is added to a simulation campaign, which user actions can trigger it, and what its delivery options are.
The best moment to learn
Teachable Moments allow you to raise user awareness at the exact instant they perform a risky behavior. This increases the message assimilation level and promotes the adoption of safe habits.
- Predefined content: SMARTFENSE includes a wide gallery of predefined Teachable Moments that is constantly updated and growing.
- Custom content: as with the rest of the components, it is possible to edit predefined content or create new content from scratch.
Each Teachable Moment includes a final validation question and feedback after the user's response. Both have components editable from Settings > Simulations > Teachable moments.
How to add a Teachable Moment to a campaign?
Teachable Moments are not sent independently. They are added to a Phishing, Ransomware, or Smishing simulation campaign at the time of scheduling, within the Derived actions section.
To add a Teachable Moment:
- From the main menu, go to Campaigns > Calendar.
- Click the New campaign button.
- Select the desired simulation: Phishing, Ransomware, or Smishing.
- Click the More options button.
- In the Derived actions section, choose the option: Add Teachable Moment.
- Select the Topic of the Teachable Moment.
- Define the end-user action that will trigger the Teachable Moment.
- Select the Delivery mode of the Teachable Moment.
Actions that can trigger a Teachable Moment
The available actions depend on the type of simulation campaign.
In Phishing
- Click on the Phishing link received by email.
- Enter data on the Phishing page.
In Ransomware
- Click on the Ransomware download link received by email.
- Open the downloaded Ransomware.
- Run the Ransomware and cause a successful encryption.
In Smishing
- Click on the Smishing link received by SMS.
- Enter data on the Smishing page.
Teachable Moment delivery options
When the user performs the action that triggers the Teachable Moment, the content can be delivered in three ways:
- Show instantly in the user's web browser: the Teachable Moment is shown immediately in the browser, at the moment the user performs the action.
- Show instantly in the user's web browser and, at the same time, send the Teachable Moment by email: the user sees the content in their browser and, at the same time, receives the same content in their email inbox.
- Select a date after the campaign expiration to send all corresponding Teachable Moments by email: delivery occurs at the end of the campaign, by email, to all users who triggered the Teachable Moment. The selected date must be after the campaign's expiration date.
Validity or expiration of a Teachable Moment
Teachable Moments do not expire. They remain always available and can continue recording interactions even after the campaign ends. This allows, for example, the post-campaign email delivery option to remain effective outside the campaign period.
In the case of Ransomware simulations:
- The Teachable Moment is integrated within the scenario file.
- When the file is opened, the Teachable Moment runs and is recorded in the platform.
- This happens even if the campaign has already ended.
How to analyze statistics correctly?
Since Teachable Moments can keep recording interactions outside the campaign period, it is recommended to filter the information to obtain consistent data:
- Go to Campaigns > Calendar or Campaigns list.
- Find the campaign and access View campaign details.
- In the Users assigned to the campaign tab, export the corresponding data.
- Apply filters in the downloaded file:
- Filter the opened emails considering only up to the desired date.
- Then, filter the opened Teachable Moments.
This way, the statistics will align with the period you want to analyze.
💡 Best practices
- Define the Teachable Moment Topic aligned with the risk you want to reinforce (for example, phishing or smishing) to improve message relevance.
- Use the Show instantly in the user's web browser option when the goal is to maximize immediate impact on behavior.
- If you need to reinforce learning, use Show instantly in the user's web browser and, at the same time, send the Teachable Moment by email so the user retains the content in their email.
- If your strategy requires consolidating results at the end of the campaign, select Select a date after the campaign expiration to send all corresponding Teachable Moments by email and verify that the date is after the expiration.
- Customize Teachable Moments from Settings > Simulations > Teachable moments to adapt the validation question and feedback to your organization's language and policies.