There’s a reason why auto service stations have one of the largest numbers of complaints with state attorney generals in every state. Some uphold good business practices and ethics, but most, unfortunately are all about profit and don’t care if they have to lie and cheat to get it. To prove this all one has to do is go to several dealers with the same problem or question. You will get many different answers, price ranges and estimates all for the same problem(s) and almost all recommending unnecessary and unneeded services or repairs.

The most important thing to remember here is to not get scammed. Some services are needed, just check it out and make sure the dealer isn’t just trying to get a high priced and unnecessary service out of you. Get your owners manual and read the section on required services – it will save you money nest time you visit your dealer. Remember their service advisors are constantly trained just like car salespeople to get you to buy regardless of whether you may need it.

It’s no secret that software companies operate in a very competitive space where rivalry is increasingly fierce and where profit margins can be razor thin. New, smaller software companies are sprouting up each month and the leading software companies continually make strong advancements forward leveraging massive cash flow reserves. This cycle makes it difficult for the mid-sized software company to compete because (a) they don’t typically have the cash flow necessary to take giant leaps forward in the industry and (b) because they need to continually move forward to stay ahead of the smaller software companies that are vying for their slot in the marketplace. Consequently, making the jump from an unknown to a mainstream brand can prove to be very difficult for the mid-sized software company.

Finding ways to create new revenue streams and to decrease current costs is imperative to the success of companies caught in this cycle. They need to be thinking on their feet, thinking ahead and thinking creatively, all at the same time. This can be a daunting task, as any software executive will tell you.

Despite all of the challenges that face the mid-sized software market, there are several ways to create these much needed revenue streams and to decrease current costs. New advancements in technology and its use in training and development make generating these revenue streams possible.

Users’ manuals are needed after initial installation and or operation. One of the requirements in the framework is the User Phase. In this stage users come across newer situation in the use of the product. All of those must be anticipated and documented in users’ manuals.

The problem is that only a few manufacturers take the time for this detailed analysis and that is why so many annuals either do not solve user problems or fail because they are too hard to learn and use.

So many users’ manuals fall due to the lack of adequate user scenarios. Writers typically create the instruction books from specifications and beta interfaces. They document how a product works, but not why it works. They explain how to perform tasks in an interface, but not when a user might need to do those tasks. They describe user options in abstract or generic terms, but do not help the user decide which option to choose.

Here is one hypothetical example to support the point. The technical writer has done a very good job of explaining the components of the interface, but nothing about how they relate to users’ real world problems. The data is described as a developer might understand it, but not in terms of what users need to do with it. As a result, the user guide is essentially useless in teaching what is needed to know to create user training.

Common myth is that user manuals and help are inadequate, that they do not really help people. I think this is the biggest reason why. I see real world examples and domain knowledge as the missing span in most user documentation.

That is why I ask this question: When was the last time you learned a new software tool just by reading the user manual or help?

Living in the age of technological boob, consumers have exponentially growing choices to use new products, gadgets and tools in life as well as work, making lives much easier. It is some time overwhelming for consumers to decide which newer gadget to use. Producers, manufacturers and marketers, on the other hand, are doing their best to provide all related information in the form of users manuals, operating manuals and other related bits and pieces of information in order to facilitate consumers to make informed decisions.

A study that crossed my desktop lately says that millions of users read users’ manuals to figure out working of any technical gadget or a tool. Search engines statistics also show people looking for users
manuals online.

Evidence suggest internet savvy users consumers are more likely to locate users’ manuals and read through. Who wants to search old piles of books in dusted cupboards to find a manual for a camera that was bought some years ago when it is available on the click of the mouse? What is more, Internet users base is growing fast and every one (ok almost every one) is turning to the web to find product information before and after purchase.

It is in this milieu that making users’ manuals available online, at a place where everyone can find and read through, is a win win situation for all concerned; there is no other way by which industries can make their manuals available to everyone. Given the changing consumers’ behavior due to the advent of Internet, it is suggested that all futuristic concerns should make their manuals available online much before the launch of the product. This will make a difference in reaching out to the next level.

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