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.
Caroline Tabach [mailto:caroline -dot- tabach -at- gmail -dot- com] mentioned:
> All I can say is that you are not alone in the fact that you do not
> get to meet the customers.
> I have found the Customer support and sales people to be one of my
> best sources of input and am always asking them for comments even
> though they are not the people who are "supposed" to be approving
> documentation.
>
> I even asked them to pass on their FAQs to me, as they reflect things
> that are either missing or not clear in the user guides, but
> unfortunately I did not get far with that.
Sounds like somebody protecting his/her job there.
You could try making a case for whoever has budgetary responsibility for
the Customer Support department (i.e., not the CS manager who is
protecting his empire, but the person who would look good if the number
of calls to Customer Support could be trimmed ... along with the CS
budget that's currently justified by that number of [unnecessary?]
calls... )
Really, you would simply be offering to get some existing company
documentation to the customers' notice _before_ they get frustrated and
cranky and have to pick up the phone. Who could reasonably argue with
that?
Kevin
The information contained in this electronic mail transmission
may be privileged and confidential, and therefore, protected
from disclosure. If you have received this communication in
error, please notify us immediately by replying to this
message and deleting it from your computer without copying
or disclosing it.
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-