I’ve said it before and I’ll no doubt say it again; the current state of documentation that generally comes with a new tech product is atrocious. Simple as that.
I’m sorry, but if you cannot buy a product, take it home and get it working without having to download a PDF, watch a tutorial video, go on line to register it and then go through a myriad of steps about extended warranties, online storage and more, then there is something seriously wrong.
These days, at best you might get a “Quick Start” guide, which to make it supposedly usable in different countries has no actual written text, just little drawings with arrows pointing vaguely at some part of a component, button or switch.
There may be, if you’re lucky, printed a link to an online help system, and due to the current fandom of AI, this will usually lead you to talking to Sara, or Mitch or Sonny via a text box who asks all sorts of inane questions more designed to improve the AI than assist the customer.
But all that Sara, or Mitch or Sonny give you most of the time are some doubtful references to help files and a promise to connect you to a real person and let you know you are 12th in the queue if that is not working for you, but stay online as your business is valuable to us.
Today, and I am not going to name the product or the vendor at this time, I have so far spent a good 5 hours trying to get what should be a very simple device working, with so far, no luck.
All that is available is a Quick Reference Guide that actually tells you nothing about setting the damn thing up, just some notes on charging and pairing (which it doesn’t want to do anyway).
How It Should Be Done
Over the years, I have written many tutorials, made tutorial videos and even had a book published on how to use a quite complex piece of software, so I feel I have a little insight into this side of things, and it’s not rocket science.
All you need to do is visualise the customer taking the gizmo out of its box and then step-by-step walk them through the motions to get it to work, all in plain English with supporting legible diagrams as necessary.
But here is the REALLY important part; accept their will be and deduce what mistakes MIGHT be made and allow for that in your documentation to gently reel the customer back to a safe place to start again.
How hard can it be?
I suspect the problem lies in the fact the=at software developers and hardware engineers are being used to create the aforementioned documentation.
Please don’t. Just don’t.
Sure, they know their products inside out, upside down and back to front, but that is NOT the way an end user sees the latest shiny thing from a box just bought at JB, HN or Officeworks.
Hire proper folk who understand documentation and training. It’ll save a lot of grief on the side of the customer as well as valuable (and frustrating) times for your support people.
And that means money saved.