Editorial
The Gist
- Bad documentation kills customer experience. Poorly written or hard-to-find technical documentation frustrates users and increases support costs.
- Good documentation is a CX game-changer. It saves customers time, reduces support tickets, improves retention, and even boosts SEO.
- Docs are more than help guides. They support users at every stage, from onboarding to advanced features, and even influence purchasing decisions.
- How to fix bad documentation. Make it readable, easy to find, well-designed, continuously improved with analytics and a collaborative effort across teams.
- Learn from the best. Companies like Conga, Reltio and Viewpoint treat documentation as a strategic advantage.
Picture this: You’ve just bought a fancy new gadget and feel pretty good about your decision. But when you try to set it up, disaster strikes. The buttons don’t do what they should. The settings menu is an endless maze. You think, Ah, no problem, I’ll check the documentation!
And then you find it. A vague, confusing, jargon-filled mess that somehow leaves you with more questions than answers. Now you’re on hold with customer support, listening to the worst hold music known to man, wondering if you should return the thing and move to a remote cabin in the woods.
This customer experience nightmare could have been avoided with good technical documentation.
Technical documentation is the unsung hero of customer experience. It doesn’t have a flashy ad campaign or a social media manager. It just sits there quietly, making customers’ lives easier when done right. But most CX leaders ignore it completely.
Let’s change that.
Table of Contents
- Why CX Leaders Should Care About Documentation
- Documentation is More than just a Help Guide
- How to Make Your CX Documentation Not Suck
- Companies That Get CX Technical Documentation Right
- So What’s the Next Step?
Why CX Leaders Should Care About Documentation
Customers Hate Waiting—Documentation Saves Them Time
Nobody wants to wait for answers. Studies show that most customers would rather find a solution themselves than sit on hold or email support. (And really, who can blame them?)
Good documentation means fewer people rage-quitting your product and more people quietly solving their problems. It’s the ultimate win-win.
Bad Documentation Costs You Money
Every time a customer can’t find an answer in your docs, they send a support ticket. Multiply that by thousands of customers, and you’re burning through resources like a malfunctioning vending machine that keeps spitting out bills.
Solid self-service documentation means:
- Fewer tickets (your support team will thank you).
- Faster onboarding (customers figure things out without frustration).
- Better retention (happy customers don’t leave).
Good Docs = Free Marketing
You know who loves well-organized, helpful documentation? Google.
Whenever someone types a product-related question into a search engine, your docs could be the answer they find—if it’s done well. That means more organic traffic, fewer paid ads, and potential customers discovering your product without you lifting a finger.
And don’t even get me started on AI. If your chatbot struggles to answer questions, it’s probably because it’s pulling from garbage documentation. AI is only as smart as the data it learns from, so feeding it clear, well-structured content makes it far more helpful — and less capable of hallucinating.
Documentation is More than just a Help Guide
Technical documentation isn’t just a last resort when things go wrong. It’s a key part of the customer journey—supporting prospects searching for product information and first-time users trying to get started to power users who want to do fancy, advanced things.
Great Docs Help Customers at Every Stage
- New users need quick-start guides and simple tutorials.
- Intermediate users need troubleshooting tips and best practices.
- Advanced users need deep dives into features, integrations, and APIs.
Without good docs, customers get stuck, frustrated and sometimes (dramatic pause) leave forever.
It’s Also a Secret Sales Tool
Customers aren’t the only ones using your documentation. Prospective buyers do too.
They want to know:
- How hard is this to set up?
- Does it integrate with my existing tools?
- Can I actually use this thing without needing an advanced degree?
If your documentation is clear and confidence-boosting, it nudges prospective customers toward buying. If it’s a disaster … let’s just say they’ll look at your competitor’s product next.
Related Article: The Benefits of Combining Customer Journey Mapping With AI
How to Make Your CX Documentation Not Suck
| Best Practice | What It Means | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Make It Readable | Use plain language—no tech jargon. Explain as if talking to a smart but impatient friend. | Ensures clarity and makes documentation easy to understand for all users. |
| Make It Findable | Navigation should be simple, and search should be intuitive. No one should have to dig through endless menus. | Reduces frustration and allows users to find answers quickly, improving customer experience. |
| Make It Look Like It Belongs | Use a clean, modern design that matches your brand—avoid outdated, clunky layouts. | Builds trust and creates a seamless experience within your product ecosystem. |
| Use Analytics to Improve It | Monitor search trends and user behavior. If people keep looking up the same thing or bouncing around, adjust the content. | Helps refine documentation over time, ensuring it stays relevant and effective. |
| Collaborate With Other Teams | Involve support, product, sales, and even marketing. Great documentation is a team effort. | Creates more comprehensive and valuable documentation, benefiting both customers and internal teams. |
Companies That Get CX Technical Documentation Right
Some companies have cracked the code on documentation:
These companies don’t see documentation as a chore. They see it as a strategic advantage. Check out their sites and learn from their examples.
So What’s the Next Step?
If you’re a CX leader (or even just someone who hates bad product documentation), here’s what you can do today:
✅ Check your current docs. Are they clear? Easy to find? Helpful?
✅ Talk to your support team. What common questions keep coming up? Are answers to those questions included in your documentation? If not, should they be? How will you tackle this?
✅ Make minor improvements. Optimize for search, simplify language and update outdated content.
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Good documentation isn’t just nice to have. It’s an essential part of a great customer experience. And the best part? It works quietly in the background, making your company look brilliant—without you having to do a thing.
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