Objections to outsourcing
This page discusses objections that purchasers sometimes make.
Our software is very simple
If your software is simple, the objection may be a valid. You probably have no reason to produce user guides for your customers. At most, perhaps all they need is a brief 'getting started' guide of a few pages. Possibly, only a splash screen with simple instructions is sufficient. There is no point in producing user documentation if it is not required.
Our software is very complex
The follow on from this is, "and it would take a long time for an outsider to understand". Your choice is simple:
- Let that one outsider understand your software, and then produce a clear user guide
- Let all your customers struggle, and then make sure that your service desk people find the time to answer their questions.
We suggest that the first option is the cost-effective solution.
We do not have got the financial resources
That is looking at the problem from the wrong perspective. What is your expected return on investment? Imagine if you could cut your support costs in half. Would it then be worth investing in a good user guide? Only you can do the numbers.
Do you send expensive glossy brochures to your potential customers, telling them how good your software is? One alternative is to send them a user guide instead, and show them the quality of both your software and your support.
Our customers never read the user guide
Ask why they do not read the existing user guide. Possibly, it is not helpful. Possibly, it does not answer their questions, so they stop looking, and call your service desk instead.
However, anecdotal evidence shows that some customers do not read user documentation. One possible solution is to charge them for each telephone call to the service desk if their question is answered in the documentation.
Anyone can write—our staff write the user guides
Superficially, this appears to be a valid objection, but it has significant flaws:
- Anyone can write in the same way that anyone can paint or play a musical instrument. That does not mean that they are good at it.
- Constructing a user guide is much more than only writing. A large part of the job is asking questions and structuring the content.
- Marketers, software developers, trainers, and other staff members are experts in their field. Usually, they are not experts at designing user documentation.
