The Advantages of a Solid User Documentation Strategy
It appears that more and more businesses are emphasizing the importance and advantages of a solid user documentation strategy
It appears that more and more businesses are emphasizing the importance and advantages of a solid user documentation strategy. User documentation is also known as a knowledge base, and it can become one of the most powerful allies in ensuring that your brand remains successful for many years.
Some of the best user documentation examples include Slack, Google, KnowAll, and DigitalOcean. If you are someone who is looking for inspiration when creating someone, consider looking at the aforementioned websites and use them as your source. But why should you bother with user documentation in the first place? This article will remove any doubts you might have.
Advantage #1 – Customer Satisfaction
A business will not last long if the customers are not happy. Most brands are investing heavily to guarantee the happiness of their customers.
In-depth user documentation will give people an alternative to calling customer support. Not everyone is eager to make a phone call due to anxiety, health problems, and other factors. Also, there is no certainty that they will get a quick response via email or direct message on the website.
Meanwhile, providing customers with an FAQ page, video tutorials, or insightful articles will give them the opportunity to find answers to the questions.
When creating a knowledge base, make sure that you put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer. Use plain language as industry jargon is not helpful for an average person. Adding visuals like infographics will also add more weight.
Advantages Of User Documentation Strategy
#2 – SEO Improvements
Improvements to search engine optimization are one of the most overlooked things of user documentation. You stand to gain a lot. For example, if you were to develop a forum and let users have discussions there, naturally-generated content through questions and answers would help a lot towards reaching even higher positions in search engines.
Of course, a solid SEO strategy with long-term plans ought to be a must for an ambitious brand, but every little bit helps when you are in a competitive industry, and positions change almost daily.
Advantage #3 – Brand Awareness
Raising brand awareness takes a lot of time. Businesses do everything they can and cooperate with influencers, rent billboards to advertise, run commercials on TV, and sponsor athletes or other celebrities.
Word of mouth also plays a prominent role in determining whether a brand can expect to grow in terms of recognition. More often than not, a period of stagnation starts when you reach a certain point. And breaking out of that stagnation could prove impossible in some cases.
A good knowledge base will not go unnoticed. Customers will realize that you have put a lot of effort and share their experience with others. It can even turn into a snowball effect where more and more people find out about your brand thanks to all the positive messages.
Reaching this point is difficult, but not impossible. If you are set to become one of the leading brands in your industry, raising brand awareness will be important.
Advantages Of User Documentation Strategy
#4 – Support Team Productivity
Customer support will grow together with your business. More and more people will join. You may end up in a situation where quick turnaround rates are necessary 24/7, and not responding to customers immediately will damage the brand’s image.
User documentation works as a means to reduce the workload on your support team and a source that those who are still relatively new can use to learn as well.
The workload of customer support reps would be too much if every customer had to rely on them. But the availability of sources on the business website helps both your customers and employees.
Advantage #5 – Authority in the Niche
The goal of becoming an authority in the industry is not achievable for everyone. But brands that have reached this point worked hard. Every piece helps, and user documentation is no exception.
Information and sources that are insightful. Stand out from your competition will show how mature you are as a brand. People will pick your business over others when they see that you are clearly putting more effort into ensuring that the customers are happy and have a plethora of different sources that are available all the time.
Advantages Of User Documentation Strategy #6 – Information Available in One Place
Having it all in one place will help both customers and employees who work in the customer support department. The latter especially since there will be times when an issue could prove too difficult to handle on their own. But if there is already an answer to a similar problem, employees can access them. This way, everyone stays on the same page.
Conclusion
The advantages provided in this article should be more than enough. To convince everyone who is hesitating to create user documentation. The benefits are clear, and if you have dreams of becoming a recognizable brand, a solid knowledge base is inevitable at this point.
