TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Eliminating Need for Technical Support From:Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- FS -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Wed, 2 Jul 1997 14:11:31 +0800
I said:
> Good documentation reduces the need for technical support, by
> answering most end users' questions without the need for them to
> pick up the phone.
Stephen Blount pointed out:
> The documentation I wrote for the last update was very well received
> by the customers; I have even heard that it was the best that my
> company has produced. Our support calls still increased by 30% in
> the month after the update.
Yes, I gave only half the story. Good documentation reduces 'routine
and repetitive' queries, usually about rough edges in the install
procedure or the product itself, or hidden assumptions about the users
and their work environment.
So why would better docs increase the support load? If the previous
version was too hard to install correctly, many users may have given up
and not used the product at all, hence no support calls. Or maybe they
managed to install the product but only used the bare minimum of
features because it was so inscrutable or difficult to use.
Good documentation helps users to do their tasks successfully, and
encourages them to explore other features of the product that would help
them to do other tasks better. The more they use and like your product,
the more it is embedded in their daily work, the less inclined they are
to change to another product. Happy customers also make for good
reference sites.
Regards
---
Stuart Burnfield "I shot the sheriff
Functional Software Pty Ltd But I did not shoot the deputy" mailto:slb -at- fs -dot- com -dot- au - John Milton 'Paradise Lost'
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
