Documentation not as important anymore?

[Anatole Wilson <awilson -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM>]

Here'a a quote from a magazine called Newsbytes.  It's about an industry
study conducted by Sentry Market Research:


 " Looking back further into industry history, Walsh observed that,
 ten years ago, documentation was the most important feature to
 software buyers. Today, though, corporate concern over documentation
 is far outweighed by interest in support, with 72 percent of
 respondents rating support, service and training as "very important,"
 and only 47 percent doing so for documentation.
   Ease-of-use, the number one feature last year, with "very
 important" ratings from 66 percent of survey participants, is
 slightly behind support this year with a 71 percent score. "

The obvious conclusions are that the customers don't really understand
what they need (if they read the manuals they wouldn't need so much support),
and that they're obviously not making the connection between good
documentation and ease-of-use.

So what do we do, as technical communicators, to get customers to make
these connections? A manager or exec readin this study might conclude
their money is better spent on a couple of people answering service calls
rather than on writers, designers, online help-building software, and
printing costs.



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Anatole Wilson                       "We are all interested in the
Sr. Assoc. Information Developer     future, for that is where you
IBM, Santa Teresa Labs               and I will spend the rest of
                                     our lives."
awilson -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com                 --Griswell Predicts,
all company disclaimers apply          "Plan 9 From Outer Space"
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