Customers will always opt for the path of least resistance. Why wait for an agent’s response when you can self-serve immediately? It’s little wonder customers place such great value on intuitive, guided, and simple help centers. They won’t tolerate a jumble of predetermined questions and irrelevant information. They want the one right answer to their question and to leave as quickly as they arrived. So what’s the best way to deliver a great self-service support experience for your customers? It means making sure your support content consistently delivers accuracy and clarity, whilst drawing on your team’s collective knowledge. In this session, you’ll learn how to eable and empower non-writers to write effective technical content, maintain living resources, like pattern libraries and style guides and use content testing methods that went beyond heuristics and analytics.

1. Help your customers help themselves
Designing self-service
support content:
Support Driven Expo Europe
Monday, 1st April 2019
Crowne Plaza Belgrade, Serbia

2. Richard Ingram
Content Strategist and Information
Designer
@richardjingram

4. More than ever customers are
choosing to self-serve.
Path of least resistance

7. •Conceptual
Introduces and explains concepts
•Task-oriented
Provides step-by-step instructions
•Reference
Intended for consultation, rather
than for consecutive reading
Types of support documentation

8. Activity
Writing support content

9. Scenario:
You and your partner are
representing the customer support
team for a new ‘smart’ tech product.

10. 5 minutes
Task: Write down questions about
using each other’s products
🕑

11. A set of standards for the writing,
formatting and design of documents.
What is
a style guide?

12. 1. Inconsistent style across content.
2. Low quality content.
3. Authors with varying writing styles.
4. Third-party writers not
understanding the house style.
5. Content creators too dispersed or
working in silos.
5 Reasons to create a style guide:

14. Build it organically. Let the
structure be determined by the
content.
Tips for creating
a style guide.

15. Remember it’s a reference
document. Nobody needs to read it
in full.
Tips for creating
a style guide.

16. Set aside enough time to create and
maintain it.
Tips for creating
a style guide.

17. Prioritise content specific to your
context. You can always lean on
established style guides for basics.
http://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org
Tips for creating
a style guide.

18. Remember it’s a living document.
Use a layout that’s easy to add new
content to.
Tips for creating
a style guide.

19. 🕑1 minute
New task: Single-out a question
about your product.

20. 10 minutes
New task: Write a quick support
article that answers the question.
🕑

21. • Start with the main idea
Think about what users want to know right away.
• Be consistent
Use names and labels consistently.
• Be specific
Tell readers what to expect and guide them through the process.
• Make it scannable
Make it easy for users to skim, find what they need, and know what’s
coming next.
• Use simple sentences
Break down longer instructions and descriptions into manageable
bites.
• Use abbreviations and acronyms wisely
If in any doubt, briefly define each in plain language on the first
mention.
Mini style guide

22. How to justify the performance of
our support content.
Introduction to
testing content.

23. Belgrade

25. PayYour Toll Fee

26. PayYour Toll Fee

27. Four elements of
testing content.
1. Create the test plan

28. Four elements of
testing content.
1. Create the test plan
2. Create the test cases

29. Four elements of
testing content.
1. Create the test plan
2. Create the test cases
3. Watch the tests

30. Four elements of
testing content.
1. Create the test plan
2. Create the test cases
3. Watch the tests
4. Analyse the results

31. Four elements of
testing content.
1. Create the test plan
2. Create the test cases
3. Watch the tests
4. Analyse the results

32. 🕑5 minutes
New task: Offer feedback on each
other’s drafts.

33. 1. Do you think the draft article
successfully answers the question?
2. How could it be improved further?

34. 👏
You did it! Great job!

35. List the most common types of
issues your customers contact you
about.
👆 Write, or rewrite, these articles.
First step…

36. Thank you,
Belgrade!
@richardjingram