The document discusses the importance of customer feedback in documentation and its impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. It outlines various methods for obtaining feedback, including surveys, usability studies, and user forums, along with their challenges and effectiveness. Additionally, it emphasizes the need to analyze feedback processes and continuously improve documentation based on audience needs and feedback results.

1. Content Feedback Methods DocTrain East October 31, 2008 Mirhonda Studevant & Jennifer Shankle

2. Overview “ Information breeds confidence. Silence breeds fear.” -The West Wing Importance Challenges Methods Process Costs

3. Content is… Both information and communication… Discourse as comprehended or received by its intended audience. The glue that makes a website “sticky” – makes visitors return and keeps them from leaving. -BusinessDictionary.com

4. Let’s Play The Feud! 37 documentation professionals surveyed. Top four answers are on the board…

5. Customer Feedback is Important RoperASW reports word of mouth as the best source of product information. It exploded from 67% in 1977 to 93% in 2001. BizRate found that 59% of their users considered customer reviews more valuable than expert reviews.

6. Customer Feedback is Important Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy article (June 2008) showed that companies who adopted customer feedback program (CFP) business practices, had 17% higher customer loyalty percentage rankings.

7. Customer Feedback is Important Quality and Voice of the Customer Customer Satisfaction and Retention Product Development Application within Documentation

8. Challenges to Obtaining Feedback Writer/Requestor Perceptions Time/Resources Ineffective Methods Reader/Respondent Perceptions Time Complexity Effects

9. The Continuum High High Medium User Forums/Groups (virtual) 11 High Low Low Listing an email address for users to forward comments 10 High Medium Low Feedback Link directly within online documentation (single question) 9 High Medium Medium Online Surveys (multiple questions) 8 High High High Formal usability studies 7 Low High Medium Informal usability studies 6 Low Low Low Impromptu customer comments 5 Low High High User Forums/Groups (face-to-face) 4 Low Low Low Listing a telephone number for users to forward comments 3 Low Medium Low Rating question directly within documentation (single question) 2 Low Medium Medium Paper-based Surveys (multiple questions) 1 Tech Level Complexity Cost Method #

10. The Continuum

11. Your Place on The Continuum Leverage existing resources Justify future investments Maximize automation Promote results

12. Content Feedback Case Studies Ceridian Low-tech High-tech Combination Other Industries Low-tech High-tech Combination From the Audience?

13. Content Feedback Process Determining Your Approach SWOT analysis Understanding your audience Establishing goals Identifying constraints

14. Content Feedback Process Developing Your Mechanism Assigning roles Developing questions Capturing data Compiling results

15. Content Feedback Process Analyzing Your Data Identifying trends Recommending improvements Promoting findings Evaluating process/mechanism effectiveness

16. Keys to Content Feedback Acknowledgement Awareness Alertness Budget Time Promotion Accountability

17. Content Feedback Exercise Group recommendations for: Scenario 1: “Outnumbered, Outgunned” Scenario 2: “Lone Writer” Scenario 3: “New Era” Scenario 4: “The Intern”

18. Closing Thoughts “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

19. Resources Survey Design www.surveymonkey.com www.raosoft.com www.polldaddy.com www.questionpro.com www.surveygizmo.com Customer Relationship Management www.customerthink.com www.bryanfoss.com Usability and Documentation Testing www.techsmith.com/morae.asp http://www.stc.org/ConfProceed/2003/PDFs/STC50-106.pdf Content Feedback Programs http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hubs/icat/examples/index.jsp http://www.aiga.org/resources/content/2/4/6/6/documents/AIGA_Formal_Feedback_Programs.pdf http://www.cnn.com/feedback/

20. Contact Me Knowledge Base Content Developer Ceridian [email_address] Mirhonda Jennifer

21. Paper-Based Survey Customers without online access Missing user contact info (email or phone) Users more comfortable with paper

22. Rating Question Evaluates effectiveness of content Usually electronic format Automatic data compilation

23. Telephone Feedback Assessing market feasibility of a new offering Compare perceptions of strengths/weaknesses Usually strongly associated with technical or specialized functions

24. User Forums Customer Meetings (product, client, or customer based) Local – frequent; Distant - seldom

25. Impromptu Customer Comments In conjunction with other activities Establishes goodwill; good customer relationship management

26. Informal Usability Studies Less intimidating than formal labs Can be managed as individual or group activity Varying degrees of specialized equipment

27. Formal Usability Studies Automatically captures multiple streams of data Robust analysis features

28. Online Surveys Web-based or electronic Customizable with automatic data compilation PDF survey sample

29. Links Within Online Doc

30. Direct Email to Forward Comments Perceived as more personal and direct Inexpensive to establish

31. User Forums/Groups (Virtual) Various options for level and method of interaction Relatively cheap to operate Permits diverse opinion across broader demographic

32. Knowledge Base Feedback 1 2 3

33. Online Documentation Feedback Form