TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Customers' expectations vary greatly, depending on past experience:
If they've had TWers before then they may well have a 'level' that
they expect - note that this may be high or low and your aim is to match
it at least!
If they've had no previous experience of TWers then their
expectations could be anything - again these could be high or low
Part of your job when first called in is to set realistic expectations -
for the given job, time and resources you can expect to get...
As Barbara said, they generally expect you to hit the ground running,
know the tools and produce quality documentation that will enhance their
product. From a business point of view, if you meet or exceed their
expectations then the chance of more work in the future from them is
greatly increased.
As to when and why you're approached - it depends. It may be that the
company realizes that the documentation could be better and decide to
call in a professional, it could be it's a large project and they need
some extra effort, it could be a new 'small' project where it's not
worth hiring full time staff to do, etc. The when depends on the company
and their experience. If they have their own TWers or have used TWers in
the past they may well know the benefit of early contact. If not, as
Barbara said, it could be the week before release.
As to how they approach you - could be via your web site, marketing
material you've produced, recommendation etc. Customer behaviour is
again dependent on their experience (good or bad) - from simply letting
you get on with it to micro-managing everything.
It may also be worth at the Intecom site www.intecom.org)which has a
Code of Practice though it's more to do with the Writer-user than the
custome. ISTC also has a Code of Conduct which covers such things as
Professionalism/competence, confidentiality, legal/ethical obligations
etc that members are expected to adhere to in relations with customers.
Damien Braniff | Technical Writer
damienb -at- asg -dot- com
Technical Communications
ASG | asg.com
Waterfront Plaza
8, Lagan Bank Road,
Belfast, N. Ireland BT1 3LR
Tel: +44 (0) 28.9072.3124
Fax: +44 (0) 28.9072.3324
End-to-End Technology Management
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo: http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Your Ad Here! Have a product or service you'd like to get some attention for? Use this space to get the word out! Contact lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com for more details.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
