Many companies pride themselves on being customer-first organizations. They often include this messaging into their business plan, their values, and even their marketing. Walking the walk as a customer-centric organization depends on a myriad of factors, but there’s one piece of the puzzle that’s often undervalued, or overlooked entirely:
Technical documentation is often treated as an afterthought. Mistakenly considered a low-priority task, it’s typically thrown together in the small window of time between product development and product launch by engineers and developers who would — frankly — rather be spending their precious time working on their next concept or design.
That’s unfortunate, because creating clear, concise, well-planned technical documents provides your customers with a host of benefits.
When potential customers have access to comprehensive technical documents, they have the information they need to support them in their buying decision. In fact, if your documentation is good enough, customers are often able to make the right decision without having to have a lengthy sales call.
And when those longer sales conversations do need to happen, your technical documents play an important role here too.
If sales staff have access to the technical information they need, they can talk about the product’s features and benefits in a way that’s truly helpful, easily tackle any questions, and guide the customer towards the right purchase for them.
The result? A sales process that feels seamless, engaging, and far more pleasant for both your sales reps and your customers.
No matter how easy-to-use or intuitive we may believe our products may be, assuming that customers feel the same is a trap that many tech companies fall into.
Again, it’s technical documentation to the rescue. When customers have access to manuals or user guides that clarify complex topics, give clear instructions for use, provide comprehensive troubleshooting information, and help users achieve their goals, their overall experience of using your products skyrockets.
They can make full use of your products’ features, solve whatever problem prompted their purchase in the first place, and feel supported by your organization, all without ever having to pick up the phone.
If a customer does have to contact your organization post-purchase, ensuring your customer support agents have access to clear documentation gives you the edge yet again.
When they have the information they need to understand the complexities of the product, they can help customers troubleshoot with ease—and without having to engage in a ton of back and forth with engineers and developers to get the answers they need.
If sales staff have a comprehensive understanding of your products, how they work, how they connect, and how they complement each other, they are better prepared to do their job well. They have the information at hand to identify and recommend add-ons or other complementary products to enhance the customer’s experience and to help customers get the most out of their purchases.
Comprehensive product knowledge in the sales department and customer service will be a huge boost to both the customer and your bottom line.
Speaking of your bottom line, good technical documentation can significantly lower the cost of acquiring new customers as your company grows. You can onboard new customers and roll out new products without having to hire an army of customer support or professional services people.
Fostering trust in your brand often depends on transparency across the organization, from how you display pricing to how you talk about your processes. And providing clear, detailed technical documentation is yet another way that you can bring customers into your world and connect with them on a deeper level, strengthening your relationship in the process.
Clearly, for organizations that want to cement their customer-first credentials, creating exceptional technical documentation is a great place to start—not only will it help your customers feel supported, it’s also a great way to differentiate your business from the many who fall short when it comes to providing their customers with the information they need.
If you’re worried yours doesn’t quite make the grade, we’d love to help. Our team of technical writers has the knowledge and experience required to create technical documentation that is clear and comprehensive and that will provide your customers with the superior service they deserve.
Get in touch to find out how we can help.