Q3 2024 - Ensuring evergreen content: Our journey to keeping product content for users fresh
Updated
by
Leigh Hutchens
Ensuring evergreen content: Our journey to keeping product content for users fresh
Introduction
In the dynamic world of Workforce Management (WFM) software, keeping our documentation up-to-date is paramount to our success. Users depend on accurate, current information to maximize the value of our products, and we are fully committed to delivering this. Our Product Enablement team leads the way in providing outstanding user support through our comprehensive and meticulously maintained documentation.
What is evergreen content? Evergreen content refers to information or materials that remain relevant, accurate, and useful over time, regardless of changing trends or updates in the industry. Unlike time-sensitive content, which can quickly become outdated, evergreen content is designed to provide enduring value. In the context of product documentation, this means creating resources that are not only accurate at the time of publication but that also require minimal updates to stay relevant.
By focusing on evergreen content, we ensure that users always have access to reliable information that helps them navigate and maximize the use of our WFM products. This approach enhances user confidence and reduces the need for constant revisions while still allowing flexibility for necessary updates as our products evolve.
The foundation: understanding our users' needs
Understanding our users' needs is the cornerstone of our documentation strategy. It all starts with actively listening and paying attention to the various feedback channels available. Regular feedback, user analytics, and engagement metrics provide invaluable insights into our users' needs and expectations. This user feedback is not just a helpful addition but essential to our process. It shapes our content updates, helps us refine user personas and scenarios, and ensures our content remains relevant and effective.
By closely monitoring these feedback channels, we can identify common pain points, frequently asked questions, and areas where users might struggle. This continuous loop of feedback allows us to create documentation that is not only informative but also intuitive and user-friendly.
Our process: a blend of agility and rigidity
Our approach to maintaining documentation is a well-balanced mix of structured planning and adaptive flexibility. We regularly audit our content to ensure it remains accurate and relevant. These scheduled reviews help us identify and update outdated information, keeping our documentation fresh and reliable.
In addition to these regular audits, we maintain an agile mindset when it comes to updating our documentation alongside our software development. This means that our documentation is revised accordingly as soon as a new feature is developed or an existing one is updated. Collaboration is crucial in this process; product managers, developers, and customer support teams work closely to provide real-time updates, ensuring that our users always have access to the latest information.
Technology at our side: leveraging tools for efficiency
We leverage a range of tools to keep our documentation process smooth and efficient. Content management systems (CMS), version control, and automated alert systems are just a few of the tools in our toolkit. These technologies enable us to manage our content effectively, streamline updates, and maintain consistency across all our documentation.
We are always on the lookout for new, innovative tools that can help us improve our processes even further. By staying at the forefront of technological advancements, we can ensure that our documentation is accurate, up-to-date, and easy to navigate and use.
Quality above all: ensuring accuracy and clarity
Quality is our top priority when it comes to documentation. We employ a rigorous process to ensure that our content meets the highest standards of accuracy and clarity. This process includes peer reviews, technical accuracy checks, and readability assessments.
Following established style guides and standards is another important aspect of our quality assurance process. These guidelines help us maintain a consistent tone and style across all our documentation, making it easier for users to understand and follow. By prioritizing quality, we can provide our users with the reliable, clear information they need to succeed with our products.
Beyond the basics: adding value through documentation
Our goal is to make our documentation not only accurate but also engaging and valuable. We go beyond the basics by incorporating interactive elements, video tutorials, and real-world examples into our content. These additions enhance the user experience, making our documentation more informative and useful.
Localization and accessibility are also major focuses for us. We strive to make our documentation useful for a global audience by providing content in multiple languages and ensuring that it is accessible to users with disabilities. By considering these factors, we can reach a wider audience and provide valuable support to all our users.
Measuring success: analytics and feedback loops
To gauge the impact of our documentation, we track a variety of metrics and analytics. User satisfaction, product adoption rates, and the number of support cases deflected by our documentation are all important indicators of our success. These metrics, combined with continuous feedback from users, help us understand what is working well and where there is room for improvement.
This data-driven approach allows us to refine our documentation strategy continuously. By staying responsive to user needs and feedback, we can ensure that our content remains relevant and effective, ultimately helping our users achieve their goals with our products.
Conclusion: commitment to continuous learning and leadership
We are dedicated to maintaining top-notch documentation in the WFM software industry. This commitment to excellence requires continuous learning and improvement. We are always open to new ideas and feedback, and we encourage our users to share their experiences and challenges with us.
By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, we can stay ahead of the curve and provide our users with the best possible support. Our documentation is a reflection of our commitment to user success, and we will continue to strive for excellence in everything we do.
