Re: Go Completely "On-line"

["David M. Brown" <dmbrown -at- BROWN-INC -dot- COM>]

Mr. Morency--
>
> 1.  The groups thought our manuals were very well written and a huge
>     improvement over previous versions.
> 2.  The groups then said that they rarely used the manuals to solve
>     problems, instead calling our customer support line.

This is so common, it's almost become a comedy routine (like Abbott and
Costello's famous "Who's on first") in Tech Pubs meetings.  You are
definitely *not* alone.

> 3.  When asked why, they said it was easier to call for help.

...also as common as dirt, because it's true.

> 4.  The most surprising revelation was that they unanimously said they
>     would prefer to receive documentation on CD ROM or on the
>     Internet.  They would sacrifice printed material for the ability
>     to do on-line searches for topics.  They claim they would use
>     this media much more than printed manuals [and] wouldn't need to
>     call for support as often.

This is less common, but heard increasingly often as "the web" becomes
more ingrained in our professional and even personal experience.

I'd venture to say that most companies are at least moving toward
paperless delivery, but most still distribute *some* of their
documentation in the traditional form.  "How much" depends a lot on the
audience and subject matter.

--David

 ==============================
  David M. Brown -- Brown Inc.
     dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com
    http://www.brown-inc.com
 ==============================