PointSolutions is designed for instructors and organizations that need robust polling, flexible delivery modes, and dependable desktop workflows, including offline-capable use cases. It supports both desktop and web experiences, making it a strong fit for users who want PowerPoint polling, anywhere polling, self-paced delivery, and web-based live or scheduled sessions.
What is PointSolutions?
PointSolutions combines a locally installed desktop application with a web experience for course-based polling and reporting. The desktop app supports PowerPoint Polling, Anywhere Polling, and Self-Paced Polling, while the web experience supports Live Polling and Scheduling.
It is best suited for:
- Users who want robust polling options across desktop and web
- Instructors who rely on PowerPoint-based delivery
- Teams that need offline-capable desktop workflows
- Organizations that want advanced reporting, demographic analysis, and flexible course setup
Delivery Options
PointSolutions supports multiple polling modes depending on how and where you teach.
Desktop Experience
PointSolutions Desktop supports PowerPoint Polling, Anywhere Polling, and Self-Paced Polling. The PowerPoint workflow lets instructors build polling slides directly in PowerPoint. Anywhere Polling runs on any application, and Self-Paced Polling lets participants complete a test in real time at their own pace.
Helpful resources:
- PointSolutions Desktop: Building a PowerPoint Polling Presentation
- PointSolutions Desktop: Running an Anywhere Polling Session
- PointSolutions Desktop: Running a Self-Paced Polling Session
Web Experience
PointSolutions Web supports both Live Polling and Scheduled Polling. Live Polling lets instructors start a session from selected course content, while Scheduling allows content to be assigned for a defined start and end time and can automatically notify rostered participants.
Helpful resources:
Advanced Features
PointSolutions includes several advanced options for instructors who want more control over polling and reporting.
Gamification and Team-Based Activities
PointSolutions supports competition-based workflows through demographic assignment questions. Demographic answer options can be used as teams for competitions, making them useful for gamified activities and team-based engagement.
Helpful resource:
Demographic Questions and Reporting
PointSolutions offers demographic questions and reporting tools that allow instructors to group participants and compare results across demographic filters. Its Demographic Comparison Report can display counts or percentages across questions in a session.
Helpful resources:
- PointSolutions: PointSolutions Desktop Demographic Question
- PointSolutions: Demographic Comparison Report
Reporting and Results Export
PointSolutions Web includes course and session reporting, including export options for the course gradebook and session results in CSV format.
Helpful resources:
PointSolutions Web: Exporting Reports
Course Setup and Attendance
PointSolutions supports both LMS-connected and flexible course workflows.
LMS-Synced Courses
Instructors can connect available LMS courses directly to PointSolutions from the LMS tab during setup.
Helpful resource:
Web Attendance
PointSolutions Web supports participant attendance on mobile devices, and attendance results can be exported for review and editing in Excel. The support article also notes that VPN use is not recommended during attendance because it may interfere with location reporting.
Helpful resources:
Important Considerations
PointSolutions is especially useful for users who prefer a desktop-based workflow, but there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
- Manual saving is required in desktop workflows. For example, the PowerPoint polling workflow instructs users to save the presentation manually, and self-paced session data must be saved explicitly from the toolbar or Session menu.
- Locally installed software is part of the experience. PointSolutions desktop software is distributed through Echo360 downloads and is positioned as desktop software paired with companion web apps.
- Offline-capable desktop workflows are a key strength. Echo360’s downloads page describes PointSolutions desktop software as providing the flexibility to poll live in PowerPoint or any application and to deliver self-paced assessments, which aligns with its desktop-first deployment model.
Why Choose PointSolutions?
PointSolutions is a strong fit for users who want robust, instructor-controlled polling with both desktop and web options. Its combination of PowerPoint polling, Anywhere polling, Self-Paced polling, live and scheduled web sessions, demographic reporting, LMS connectivity, and desktop software that supports offline use makes it well-suited for environments where flexibility and advanced polling workflows matter.