Situation: At Ipswitch customers frequently encountered difficulties understanding and using the features of our WhatsUp Gold, powerful network monitoring solution. The existing help resources were scattered across various formats, leading to confusion and inefficiencies in customer support.
Task: As a Senior Technical Writer along with my Documentation team, I was tasked with creating a comprehensive, single-source online help/user guide, using Author-IT, to centralize all user assistance, making it easier for customers to find the information they needed anytime, anywhere, on any device, ultimately reducing the load on our help desk/call center.
Action:
Conducted a thorough analysis of the existing help resources, including user manuals, FAQs, and support tickets, to identify the most common user issues and gaps in the documentation.
Collaborated with product managers, developers, customer support teams, JIRA tickets, Confluence articles and customer feedback/surveys to gather detailed information about the software's features, updates, and user pain points.
Used Author-IT, a robust authoring solution to allow for easy updates, search functionality, and multimedia integration.
Developed a structured outline for the user guide, organizing content into clear, user-friendly categories and sections.
Created comprehensive and concise documentation for each feature, including step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and video tutorials where applicable.
Implemented a review process involving key stakeholders to ensure accuracy and clarity.
Supported the deployment of the online help/user guide on Ipswitch's website and integration with the software's interface, allowing users to access help content directly from within the application.
Monitored user feedback and analytics to continuously update and improve the guide based on user needs and new software features.
Result: The new single-source online help/user guide resulted in a 50% reduction in customer support tickets related to common user issues. User satisfaction surveys indicated a 45% increase in ease of use and understanding of the software. The centralized help resource improved the efficiency of the customer support team, allowing them to focus on more complex issues. Overall, the guide enhanced the user experience and contributed to higher customer retention rates.
Comentarios