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Document version control

Document version control software

Helpable is document version control software that keeps one current version of every procedure and article. Procedures keep each published version with a summary of what changed, articles have a history you can view and restore, and training always shows the latest steps.

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  • One current version
  • Change summary per version
  • Restore older article versions
Article Safe handling of cleaning chemicals in the Helpable editor, marked Published, with collections on the left and a details panel with a Versions tab

What document version control does

Every time you publish a procedure, Helpable saves it as a new version with a short summary of what changed, who published it and when. Articles in your knowledge base keep a version history too, so you can look back and restore an earlier version. Everyone always opens the current version, and read confirmations are stored per version, so you know who read the text that applies today.

  • Every published procedure version kept
  • Article history you can view and restore
  • Read confirmations stored per version

How it works

Four steps from a change to a team that works by the new version.

  1. Edit the procedure

    Change the steps, images or checklists in the editor, then get ready to publish.

    Edit the procedure: how it looks in Helpable

  2. Publish with a change summary

    Write in one line what changed. Helpable saves it as the next version, with your name and the date.

    Publish with a change summary: how it looks in Helpable

  3. Tell the people involved

    Announce the update to everyone assigned to the procedure and ask them to confirm the new version.

    Tell the people involved: how it looks in Helpable

  4. Training follows along

    Lessons that link the procedure show the new version. You can ask people who finished the training to redo it.

    Training follows along: how it looks in Helpable

One current version, with the full history behind it

See what changed, roll out the new version and check who read it.

Every version on record

See each version of a procedure with a short summary of what changed, who published it and when. The current version is marked.

  • Change summary per version
  • Name and date with each version
  • Current version clearly marked

A change everyone hears about

Publish version 2 with a summary, announce it and ask for confirmation in one go.

Know who read the current version

Confirmations are stored per version, so the overview shows who read the text that applies today and who is still pending.

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Combine it

Version control that reaches your team and your training

Keeping versions is the start. Combined with other parts of Helpable, a new version also reaches the right people, the right lessons and your help center.

Where teams use version control

Any document where an outdated copy causes mistakes.

  • Safety procedures

    Change the steps after an incident, publish a new version and ask everyone on site to confirm it.

  • Employee handbook

    Update a policy article and keep the earlier version in the history in case you need to look back or restore it.

  • Public help center

    Prepare an article for a product release and schedule it to publish on the right date.

  • Support processes

    When the product changes, the support procedure gets a new version and the team confirms it.

Who it is for

Teams where an old copy of a document leads to mistakes.

  • Teams on location and at client sites

    Installation, cleaning and maintenance teams who must never work from an old copy on site.

    In practice: Technicians open the installation procedure on site and always get the current version. The old one stays in the history with its change summary, so nobody works from last year's printout.

    See how

  • Shift teams with new and temporary staff

    Hospitality, retail and warehouse teams where rules change and every shift has to know it.

    In practice: A store team works from one current returns procedure. When the rule changes, version 3 gets a one-line summary, and staff who confirmed version 2 are asked to confirm again.

    See how

  • Office and client teams

    Agencies, accountancy firms and real estate offices where several versions of the same document float around.

    In practice: Two account managers stop sending clients different versions of the onboarding checklist. There is one current article, and its history shows what changed and when.

    See how

  • Startups and software companies

    Teams whose product changes often and whose support docs and help center have to keep up.

    In practice: A help center article for a new feature is prepared ahead and scheduled to publish on release day. Support's procedure gets a new version the same morning.

    See how

  • Care, childcare and education teams

    Teams that must show which version of a protocol applied and who read it.

    In practice: After an incident, the medication protocol gets a new version with a summary of what changed. You can show which version applied on which date and who confirmed it.

    See how
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New · Answers

Your team finds the answer on its own in seconds, with the source

Employees ask a question in their own words and get a short answer from your own articles, procedures and documents, with a link to the exact page it came from. You stop being the person everyone asks.

  • Answers come from your own knowledge
  • Every answer shows where it came from
  • Says so plainly when it doesn't know
  • Each person only sees what they may see
Try it free
  • Works with your existing documents
  • You approve every new article

Start with the documents you already have

Upload your handbook or policies. Helpable makes them searchable right away and suggests articles you check, change and approve. Nothing goes live until you say so.

A gap becomes a to-do

When the answer isn't there, Helpable says so and the question lands on your list of things to write down, with no name attached.

What you get with document version control

The parts of Helpable that keep one current version for everyone.

  • Procedure versions

    Every published version of a procedure is kept, with a change summary, the author and the date.

  • Article version history

    Open the Versions tab of an article, view an earlier version and restore it if you need to.

  • Read confirmations per version

    Ask people to confirm a procedure and see per person which version they confirmed, and when.

  • Announce an update

    Tell everyone assigned to a procedure about the new version in one message, with your summary.

  • Scheduled publishing

    Set a date and time for an article to go live, for example together with a product release.

  • Training on the current version

    Lessons that link a procedure always show its current version. You can ask people to redo the training after a change.

Pricing

A plan that grows with your team

Try Helpable free for 14 days, no credit card needed. Then pick the plan that fits your team.

Version history for procedures and articles is part of every plan, from Business up, together with read confirmations per version. Business Plus adds 3 knowledge bases and Business Max up to 10, for separate teams or brands.

Grow when you need to

Add these to Business and up, any time. You only pay for what you use.

  • More people

    Add people one by one as your team grows, for a fixed price per person on every plan.

    $9/month

  • A second help center

    A help center and handbook for another brand, location or client.

    $10/month

  • Only your brand

    Remove “Powered by Helpable” from your help center. Included in Business Max.

    $19/month

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  • Cancel any time
  • Data stored in the EU

Works together with

Questions about document version control in Helpable

Can't find your answer? We're happy to help.

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What is document version control?

Document version control means keeping track of every version of a document, so everyone works from the current one and you can see what changed. Helpable does this for procedures and for knowledge base articles.

How does Helpable handle versions of a procedure?

Helpable saves every published version of a procedure with a short summary of what changed, who published it and when. The current version is what everyone sees.

Can I restore an older version?

For knowledge base articles, yes. Helpable keeps a version history for each article that you can view and restore from the Versions tab.

What happens to read confirmations after a change?

Helpable stores read confirmations per version. After a new version you can ask everyone to confirm again, and the overview shows who read the current text.

Does training update when a procedure changes?

Yes. In Helpable a lesson that links a procedure always shows its current version, and you can ask people who already finished the training to redo it.

Can I schedule an article to publish later?

Yes. Helpable lets you schedule an article in your knowledge base or help center to publish on a date and time you choose.

Is there an approval workflow before publishing?

No. Helpable has no approval workflow yet. Roles (owner, admin, training manager, course creator and member) decide what each person can do.

What does Helpable cost?

Helpable starts at $29 per month for Business, with 3 team members, procedures with version history and read confirmations. Business Plus is $89 per month for 5 members; paying yearly is about 20 percent cheaper.

Can I try Helpable for free?

Yes. Helpable has a free trial of 14 days on Business Plus, and you don't need a credit card to start.

Where is our data stored?

Helpable stores your data in the EU, which helps when clients ask about GDPR. It works in the browser on phones, tablets and laptops, in English and Dutch.

From the blog

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Document version control in Helpable, explained

What document version control is, how it works for procedures and articles in Helpable, which teams need it and how Helpable compares with wikis and file storage.

What is document version control?

Helpable gives your procedures and articles document version control, so everyone works from the current version and you can see what changed. Document version control means keeping track of every version of a document: what changed, who changed it and when. Leave it out, and a printed sheet, a PDF in an inbox and a group chat message soon all say something different.

In Helpable every published version of a procedure is kept with a short change summary, the author and the date, and the current version is what everyone opens. Knowledge base articles keep their own version history, which you can view and restore. For the wider topic of writing down how your company works, see process documentation software.

How to control versions of procedures step by step

Helpable turns every change into a clear new version in four steps. First, edit the steps, images or checklists of the procedure. Second, publish it with a one-line change summary; Helpable saves it as the next version with your name and the date.

Third, announce the update to everyone assigned to the procedure and ask them to confirm the new version with read and acknowledge. Fourth, check the overview to see who read the current text. Lessons that link the procedure show the new version right away, and you can ask people who finished the training to redo it. For articles, open the Versions tab to compare and restore an earlier version, or schedule an update to go live later.

Versions for your handbook, procedures and help center

Helpable uses one approach for every kind of document, so your team never has to ask which file is current. Procedures and work instructions get versions with change summaries. Articles in your employee handbook and the rest of your knowledge base get a history you can restore.

Public help center articles work the same way, and scheduled publishing lets you prepare a change ahead of a release. Read confirmations, training lessons and the search across procedures, knowledge and training always point to the current version.

Version control for small teams in many sectors

Helpable version control fits any team where an old copy of a document leads to mistakes. Teams on location, such as cleaning and facility services and installation and maintenance, keep safety and client procedures current after every change. Teams in hospitality and retail make sure every shift works from the same version.

Office and remote teams, such as customer service, agencies and SaaS companies, update support processes and help articles each time the product changes. Care, childcare and other service companies use it for policies that have to be shown on request.

An alternative to Google Drive, Notion or SweetProcess

Helpable is a good fit when you want version control together with read confirmations, training and a knowledge base in one tool. In Google Drive a file version can disappear after 30 days or 100 newer versions unless you choose to keep it forever. Notion keeps page history for a period that depends on the plan. SweetProcess offers full version history with restore and change proposals that managers approve.

What Helpable brings: version history on every plan, confirmations stored per version, an app in English and Dutch, data stored in the EU and a 14-day free trial that needs no credit card. Compare the details on our pages about Google Drive, a Notion alternative and a SweetProcess alternative.

Which Helpable plan includes version history?

Helpable includes version history for procedures and articles on every plan, together with read confirmations per version. Business Plus adds 3 knowledge bases and Business Max up to 10. Compare the plans on the pricing page and try version history free for 14 days.

Give every procedure one current version

Start with the procedure that changes most often. Publish it in Helpable, add a change summary and see who read the latest version.

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