You might need to employ the skills of a technical writer. A lot of people are in the same boat and don’t even realize it. In business school, you learn a lot about contractors and consultants you will need to be successful such as the following:
- Marketers
- Accountants
- Developers
- Project Managers
The list goes on for a long time. You learn about these professionals and what they can bring to your bottom line. What you probably didn’t hear about in business school is much of anything about technical writing services.
A technical writing service can help you compose and distribute information about your company, product, or service while making the technical aspects of your offerings clear and accessible to the intended audience. These types of details might be more important to the success of your business than you know. Look into contracting a technical writer if you are among the following:
1. Trainer
Onboarding new employees can be difficult without a trainer. And the job of a trainer is all but impossible without details and exhaustive documentation on what is expected from each employee.
As a trainer, you might know all of the ins and outs about the company and all the best practices for doing the job. But that doesn’t mean you are great at conveying those picayune details that can mean the difference between success and failure. Be sure you have a handbook and training materials that were written by a skilled technical writer. From the moment they turn on their computer in the morning to the moment they clock out in the evening, new employees have a lot to figure out. Give them the best chance for success by providing them with training materials with the clear explanations they need.
2. Employer with a diverse workforce
Safety material should receive the skill and clarity provided by a good technical writer. After all, the operation of safety equipment needs to be accessible at a moment’s notice with as little cognitive overhead as possible. When you start opening locations in other countries or hiring people who are ESL, you will have to think about localizing all of your materials. Idiomatic English does not always translate smoothly into other languages. That is where the clarity of technical writing comes into its own. When done right, it is easy to localize and accurately translate.
3. Product manufacturer
If you make a product that you hope to sell, you will need to transmit technical information about the product. That product could be a food item with a list of ingredients, or a medication with information such as side effects and usage instructions. Such products have to have clear product information right on the package for consumers to access at all times.
There is also EULA information that covers the legal aspects of agreeing to use a product or service. That is another kind of technical writing that the makers and sellers of products are usually ill-equipped to do. All products are highly regulated. Precise language is key.
4. Technical support provider
Technical support is part problem solving and part training. If you have a tiered support model, tier 1 is likely reading from a script. Those scripts have to be extremely precise to serve a large variety of customers. If you provide a web page with frequently asked questions, those answers have to be very precise because you are dealing with computers with specifications that are all over the map. What works for one system might not work for a similar system from a different vendor. Communicating technical details makes all the difference for support providers.
5. Inventors
If you have an idea that you want to patent, be sure to hire a technical writer who can present your invention in a way that is clear and that highlights its uniqueness. Patents that are vague or poorly written often get infringed, challenged, and overturned. Protect your trillion dollar idea with a patent application that will hold up in court and stand head and shoulders above the rest.
As you can see, everyone from employers to support teams to inventors could benefit from technical writing services. This only scratches the surface. If you find that you need to communicate challenging content to your clientele or workforce, contracting a technical writer is easier than you think.