“Our” Users (Sort Of) Help Write Our Documentation

Presenters: Ryan Williams and Adam Evans

• Ryan Williams – Documentation Writer for ExactTarget

• Adam Evans – Documentation Writer for kCura, formerly of ExactTarget

Who is ExactTarget

ExactTarget is a:

• Leading provider of email, social, and mobile marketing platform solutions.

• SaaS provider.

• Rapidly evolving application and platform.

HOW CAN WE HELP EACH OTHER?

Online Help Solution

• Help presented via hosted and cloud-based wiki solutions

– http://wiki.memberlandingpages.com

– http://docs.code.exacttarget.com

– Lexis

• Edited in internal staging environments, pushed to public-facing instances

• Includes an online feedback mechanism

Get In Touch With Us!

• Each page in all environments includes a feedback form.

• Submitting a comment by form sends out a “This page was helpful” or “This page was NOT helpful” email.

• OUR NAMES ARE ON THE FORMS.

• Every email goes to specific author.

• An email message can contain return contact information, random comments about Justin Bieber, etc.

WHAT DO WEDO WITH IT?

Workflow

• User sends the email message.

• We receive the email message.

• We respond in a variety of ways:

– We thank user for recognizing our awesome efforts (it happens sometimes).

– We dig up relevant information for the user.

– We forward the user on to Global Support.

– We make requested corrections.

– We commiserate with user on the state of the world.

You actually change the documentation?

• If mistakes were made, we rectify.

• If there’s a better solution, we verify and implement.

• At CODE@, we actually foreground user code samples and efforts if they’re better than what we initially provided (it happens sometimes).

• Change is easy!

– Quick edits

– Versioned

– Single-sourced information

BENEFITS!

It’s quite rewarding…

• Close contact with users promotes confidence in documentation and product.

• We learn as they learn.

• Even our own employees use the feedback form, which breaks down silos and enhances collaboration.

• Feedback allows a direct response to problem areas in documentation.

• Feedback promotes swift attention to issues.

CHALLENGES!

WHAT DO WE NEED TO WORK ON?

• Getting SMEs into the loop

• Repeat customers

• Incomplete entries

Questions?

• We’ll answer them now!

• No email message necessary – we’re right here!