Great read. I whole-heartedy agree with the section on “Questions and Answers”. The additional benefit of structuring your help this way is that it becomes much easier for your support agents to use the help in a support situation. A customer asks, “How do I export a document?” The agent just points them to the help page titled “How do I export a document?”
We follow a method we call “Plan Not to Plan”:http://www.bluemangolearning.com/blog/2009/02/plan-to-not-plan. It is a very simple methodology that has worked well for us and our customers. We basically create out help content based on actual questions our customers have.
Another way to improve help is to include lots of pictures. For procedural type help this will dramatically decrease your reliance on your technical writing skills as the pictures will do most of the work.
Disclaimer: I develop a product, “ScreenSteps”:http://bluemangolearning.com/screensteps, that is designed to create image-based help files. So I might be a little biased :).
Glad to come across a topic aimed straight at the heart of one of my dreaded enemies…the help and support files! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind creating them for my client’s sites, I just procrastinate to no end when it comes to implementing them on my own.
For what it’s worth – while I have a meager Help directory that allows clients to view slideshows. I finally broke down and created a “support” form. Currently in the process of creating a Client Portal that will allow them to not only request new services, but also review all documentation related to their account and yes, another, more in-depth, dreaded support request form.
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Back to the Articlegdevore
Great read. I whole-heartedy agree with the section on “Questions and Answers”. The additional benefit of structuring your help this way is that it becomes much easier for your support agents to use the help in a support situation. A customer asks, “How do I export a document?” The agent just points them to the help page titled “How do I export a document?”
We follow a method we call “Plan Not to Plan”:http://www.bluemangolearning.com/blog/2009/02/plan-to-not-plan. It is a very simple methodology that has worked well for us and our customers. We basically create out help content based on actual questions our customers have.
Another way to improve help is to include lots of pictures. For procedural type help this will dramatically decrease your reliance on your technical writing skills as the pictures will do most of the work.
Disclaimer: I develop a product, “ScreenSteps”:http://bluemangolearning.com/screensteps, that is designed to create image-based help files. So I might be a little biased :).
chrismauck
Glad to come across a topic aimed straight at the heart of one of my dreaded enemies…the help and support files! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind creating them for my client’s sites, I just procrastinate to no end when it comes to implementing them on my own.
For what it’s worth – while I have a meager Help directory that allows clients to view slideshows. I finally broke down and created a “support” form. Currently in the process of creating a Client Portal that will allow them to not only request new services, but also review all documentation related to their account and yes, another, more in-depth, dreaded support request form.
Thanks again for the read. Very informative.