Help! My User Manuals are Unusable!
Posted by Beth Hrusch on Thu, Aug 13, 2009
Does your business need a good technical writer? Ever wonder what a good technical writer can do for you? If you are in the tech industry, or offer products that may baffle those with varying degrees of tech savvy, these are questions worth asking.
Without a technical writer, either on your team or outsourced, you may not be reaching everyone in your market, and your sales will reflect it. Wikipedia defines a technical writer as "a professional writer who designs, writes, creates, maintains, and updates technical documentation-including online help, user guides, white papers, design specifications, system manuals, and other documents."
In other words, this is a writer who explains your products and services to your customers. Everyone who has ever purchased an item that came with little or no helpful instruction, or who tried in vain to get clear and usable information about a tech product before purchasing, understands why technical writers exist.
A tech writer doesn't have to be an expert in the field. In fact, sometimes this is an advantage, as those in the business tend to write for themselves (or those who already get it). One of the ways you can tell that a technical writer is worth the money you pay is if he can make a complicated subject clear to the reader without sacrificing the accuracy of the information.
Freelance technical writers are a valuable asset to almost any business. They can:
1. Increase sales- customers who feel that your documents make life easier for them will not only buy from you, they will recommend you to others.
2. Improve efficiency- by creating documentation that is clear and informative, they eliminate a lot of customer service issues.
3. Polish your image- they make you look good. What a tech writer develops for you can make you look like an authority to customers.
Having a technical writer on hand, who can discern your customers' needs and predict their questions, may not only increase your sales but save you a lot of grief down the line.