Re: Eliminating Need for Technical Support

[Fabien Vais <phantoms -at- ACCENT -dot- NET>]

Matthew,

You're absolutely right! IN AN IDEAL WORLD, if documentation were perfectly
written, there would be no need for Technical Support.

BUT...

In the same ideal world, if software were perfectly designed, there would be
no need for documentation!

When you buy a mug, or a frying pan, you don't get a User Guide telling you
what the item is for, or how to use it. No one has to tell you that the
little handle on the mug is to pass one or two fingers through and HOLD the
mug upright. No one has to tell you to place the pan on a stove WITH THE
HOLLOW SIDE UP when you use it. These things are obvious because they are
intuitive and quickly learned. Those items have withstood the test of time.

New software that is intuitive (ideal...) would not require any kind of
instructions, even on screen, in order to use. Thus, if it is simple to use,
no need for documentation, and certainly, Technical Support won't be getting
any calls!

So, there are in my opinion two main reasons why documentation often has
such a bad name:

1. Lousy technical writers have been writing those manuals in the past. This
is slowly changing. Better (or excellent) tech. writers are now taking over
the industry, so things are slowly getting better.

2. Because of lousy software design, even the best technical writers have a
very hard time simplifying the interface and user functions of the software.
I've had arguments with software designers about their interface, and all
too often, I'm told that it would be too complicated to simplify things that
much, and that that's the way it's going to be....for now! The classic "for
now!"

I hope this has helped, Matthew. In many cases, all we can do is our best to
provide the clearest possible documentation. Unfortunately, in some cases,
this will still not be enough to stop people from calling Technical Support.
Therefore, I feel we still have a lot more work to do for the next few years
at least.

Fabien Vais
phantoms -at- accent -dot- net

At 08:34 AM 6/19/97 -0400, you wrote:
>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!
>********************************************************////////////
>
> TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
>to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
>   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
>  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
>browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
>
>

 TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html