Re: Customer Satisfaction Survey

[Lisa Wright <lisawright -at- mail -dot- utexas -dot- edu>]

Jennifer,
This response is a bit late, but reading through the whole thread 
reminded me of something that I heard Joann Hackos say at a recent talk 
in discussing this very issue.

"Users are not READERS."

This is an important point. For survey purposes, it is important to 
phrase your questions so that they really get to whether the 
documentation is USED. Do they try to look something up when they have a 
question? Etc.

Asking the right questions can really help get you beyond the idea that 
"no one reads the documentation." Perhaps they don't sit down with it 
over a cup of tea, but they might well be using it. You'll never know if 
you ask the wrong questions!

You might also ask people to explain how they benefited specifically and 
how their jobs were made easier through use of your documentation. This 
would possibly require some open-ended questions, but since value is 
sometimes hard to quantify, you could capture otherwise elusive information.

I'd like to applaud you looking at this as an opportunity and trying to 
make the most of it. I'd also ask if management is open to additional 
measures, such as new procedures documented, departments served, etc. 
Remember to save every complimentary e-mail!

Lisa

Jennifer_Gidner -at- Dom -dot- com wrote: