It’s nearly time to roll out your newest product, but you still need to create user guides. You don’t have technical writers on staff, but that one marketing writer is great. Surely they can easily switch gears to technical writing. All writing is the same, right? You need the documentation ASAP, so you give them an incredibly tight deadline. You still need at least bare bones marketing to maintain a presence, so they need to do both jobs. Your writer is known for rising to the challenge while maintaining quality work. However, writing such technical information is new to them and a struggle. The project takes much longer than you planned and still needs several revisions at deadline, frustrating your writer and slowing your marketing efforts to a crawl. You decide to release the current guide with your product, then hear complaints about unclear instructions. Finally, your writer edits the manual enough to be somewhat helpful to your customers, but by then your credibility is damaged.
Instead of putting your writer, reputation, and bottom line through this drama, hire an outside technical writer (TW). Your documentation will be written by someone with experience in technical documentation, your marketing will continue to flourish, and you will save money. Learn more about why outsourcing your technical writing makes sense.
Create clear and accurate documentation
Technical writers are trained to create clear, efficient, and accurate technical documentation. They excel at turning complex technical information into easy-to-read language, creating documentation that is accessible to a wide audience. TWs often use Plain English or the more specialized Standard Technical English. This ensures that even people not familiar with your product can learn how to use it. They write a variety of documentation, such as operator manuals, employee handbooks, safety manuals, knowledge articles, installation guides, and more. Professional TWs are experts at understanding the specific needs of each organization’s audience and writing from the user’s perspective.
Save time
If you’ve ever created product documentation, you know it’s not a quick process – especially when the writer has additional daily tasks that also need their attention. When you outsource technical writing, your in-house team can focus on what they do best instead of wrangling with documentation creation. The TWs you temporarily hire have experience producing such materials, so the documentation will be completed in a correct and efficient manner.
Save money
Who doesn’t want to save money while obtaining a high-quality product? Outsourcing a TW is a more cost-effective strategy than hiring an in-house writer or using a writer not trained in this specific type of writing. Instead of suffering through the lengthy process of posting jobs, reviewing resumes, interviewing, salary negotiations, and onboarding, temporarily contract a TW with expertise in your industry. By hiring an outside writer with the necessary know-how, your organization can realize significant cost savings.
Develop efficient and bias-free documentation
Your in-house team is too close to projects to look at them objectively. A contracted TW has no attachment and is more likely to focus on need-to-know information rather than nice-to-know details your team thinks are more important than they are. An outsourced TW is unlikely to have biases against employees or think their contribution to the project is most important. Instead of concentrating on each part of the product, a TW takes a more holistic approach, addressing information most important to the user.
Use professional formatting
TWs know how to create professionally formatted documentation, making it easier for users to find the information they need. In fact, experienced TWs create a myriad of documentation types using a variety of styles, helping you improve the quality of your documentation. Proper product documentation is also as much a part of your branding as your logo, website, and online representation, so you want to ensure it looks and reads just as well as those elements.
So, next time you need to create or update your user guides, policy manuals, or other documentation, try contracting a reliable and experienced TW. They will save you time and money while delivering a superior product. Your team will thank you for not adding that work to their already full workloads.
Still not sure? Check out our technical writing services and contact MATC Group today to learn how we help clients create a variety of documentation, on time and on budget!
Related Blogs
Technical Writing in a Multi-Team Agile Environment
Technical Writing is Team-Oriented: Here’s Why
How to Effectively Work with SMEs as a Technical Writer
Resources
Harris, Joel Mark. “Why Hire a Technical Writer.” GW&CO. 2/29/20. Accessed 7/11/23. https://ghostwritersandco.com/why-hire-a-technical-writer
ONEIL. “Five Reasons You Should Consider Outsourcing for Your Technical Documentation Needs.” LinkedIn. 7/6/23. Accessed 7/11/23. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-reasons-you-should-consider-outsourcing-your-technical-documentation
