Interactions with clients over the years have shown me that the time spent documenting the business helps the website too. Wouldn’t you love to have your website practically write itself?
For example, a client grumbled about documenting the steps required for shipping products. As we were working on it, a website query came in questioning availability of a specific item and if it could be delivered by a certain date. Because we had the information right at hand we were able to get a jump on it immediately and it lead to a happy repeat customer. We were also able to update shipping information on the website making it easier to read and creating links in different areas to help potential customers find the information they needed.
Documentation Format
The documentation itself is not necessarily complex. It can be as simple as a list with each step of the process enumerated.
It’s important to identify key sections where steps can be grouped together. I’ve found that these turn into key points to address on the website.
To continue the shipping example, don’t forget to include links! Provide outbound links to your shipping provider’s website with your information preset so customers can estimate time themselves. I also like to provide links to the company’s general alert system too — weather disruptions happen.
Other Benefits
What was great about this particular situation is that it lead to a series of blog posts that allowed the client to share the story of their product!
Yes, it was offered for sale on their website and the company history existed on their about page, but the story is what interested customers in the first place.
While existing customers knew about the nature of the product, this fresh series of posts allowed new customers to learn, appreciate, and become repeat customers.
What questions do your customers ask that would help you to tell your story? Do you have a document readily available that helps you create and your customer learn about the magic of what makes your product and your business unique?