One of the essential parts of any IT system is the user materials (e.g. user manuals, cheat sheets, training materials, etc.) that go alongside it. Even if users have gone through hours of training, they still won’t be experts, so they will need to go somewhere to get help. If you don’t mind them calling or emailing you every second, then good for you. However, I don’t think that is the case. You should be focusing on managing the project, developing new enhancements or bug fixes, and any other related areas. Creating user documentation will help reduce the number of users needing to speak to a live person. Here are some help materials that you should have for your users:
1. Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are always the ten or so basic questions that your users will have. For instance, how do I reset my password or how to modify my user profile. For those types of questions, you should have a FAQ section that lists all the questions with their corresponding answers. It’s good practice to have them be easy to find, so your users don’t have to scramble around looking for them. If you are building a web-based system, then have a link to the FAQs from the system’s home page. Another good practice is to have an easy way for users to find contact information if none of the questions answer their question. I think the worst is when I’m looking for an answer, and I have to click five links to get to the contact page. Bad, BAD design.
2. User Manual
You should create a user manual that users can access. Even if you create an online help system, you should still consider creating a user manual that has all the steps to any action the user can perform in the system. There was one company that didn’t even have a one-page set of instructions. This wasn’t good. If you have employee turnover, a user manual is a great way to get the new employee up-to-speed.
3. Online Help System
Before users use your product, they should be properly trained. However, we know that this doesn’t always occur. Therefore, you should have an online help system that has all the steps to perform every action. The guides should be easy to follow by anyone, regardless of how basic or advanced of a user he/she is. Also, there should be a search functionality, so that users can quickly search for what they are looking for. To aid this, also have an index that they can go to. Linking to related resources is a plus, so that users can find other how-tos that can aid them in what they are trying to accomplish.
4. Cheat Sheet
Cheat sheets are great for users to find helpful tips and steps without having to scramble around looking at different pages or screens. They also make good training materials. The best way to provide them online is by having them be accessible via the help area. If the user wants, they can have it on a separate window or print it out and have it at arms reach. Make sure that the sections are easy to find by having them be a different shading and text color than the rest of the steps. Using tables will help in providing these distinctions. Do not go overboard and put way too much information on one page. It’s information overload.
5. Glossary
Users should have a way to find the definitions for every technical jargon or business term that you use throughout your documentation. By providing users a glossary, you can help answer any questions they might have about what this and that means. It also shows them that you understand their business processes and rules. You should try to make it easy for them to jump around the glossary. The best ways is by having the letters on top that link to the part of the glossary starting with it. If there are a lot of terms, then you can even break it down even further.
6. User Forum
Having user forums allow users to help one another. This can help you because users can quickly provide answers if they have already encountered the issue. Any kind of crowdsourcing you can add to your system’s help materials ia always a plus. There have been times that I had no idea what I was doing (hard to believe, I know), and I’ve posted on support forums. I get my answer within minutes without having for user support to get back to me. I’ve also returned the favor and helped others find answers.
7. Points of Contact
If all else fails, your users are going to have to contact you. The worst thing is trying to search around to find contact information for a company. Therefore, ensure that the way to find the points of contact are always available on every page. This can be by a single link that will take users to your contact information.
Source: piccsy.com via Joana on Pinterest
Tags: Cheat sheet, help desk system, help materials, online help system, system help, user forum crowdsourcing, user manual
