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Subject:Eliminating Need for Technical Support From:Matthew J Long <mjl100z -at- MAIL -dot- ODU -dot- EDU> Date:Thu, 19 Jun 1997 08:34:45 -0400
In terms of technical writing, I am just a little wet behind the ears
(where does that stupid cliche come from anyhow?), so please forgive the
following. It may contain naivity and idealism!
Do you think that it is possible that the need for technical support for
software be eliminated or at least reduced if the documentation were
written well enough?
There are so many people who just say "Oh" when I tell them I am a tech
writer, and raise there eyebrows as if to say "you're that guy who wrote
the manual that made it _harder_ to figure out how to program my VCR." It
seems that everyone has his/her horror story when I reveal my occupation.
It makes me wonder how much of the problem is really "user error", as we
call it in my office, as opposed to how much is actually problematic,
perhaps, poorly written and designed documentation.
I signed up with a new ISP, and they sent me my install package. I read
through the directions and found inconsistencies as well as things that
just didn't exist on the screen. Fortunately for me, I was able to figure
it all out since I have technical skills and knowledge, but I wonder about
the novice. This company is in desperate need of a documentation overhaul.
I called their tech support people just to make sure I had everything
right. They told me that the instructions they had sent me were wrong and
had been wrong for quite some time. The guy I talked to seemed to think
that they weren't going to take any steps to remedy the problem either.
How frustrating that must be for customers, not to mention tech support.
Anyhow, the point of my little story here is that I believe that it is
possible for *most* (not all) people to grasp the how-tos if it is
explained clearly enough in the documentation. What do you think?
Thoughts? Comments?
////////////////////////////**************************************
Matthew J. Long
Technical Writer
mjl100z -at- mail -dot- odu -dot- edu
matt -dot- long -at- justice -dot- usdoj -dot- gov
-When you can't be eloquent, choose brevity!
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