Read the Instructions!

A local news station that I watch has a question of the day and this one I found particularly interesting.

92% of these are thrown away without ever being used. What are they?

Answer: Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS!! Yeah, I know, I am guilty of this myself on occasion, but 92% of all the instructions I receive? That seems pretty high. Especially when you consider the drawer in my office where I "file" all of the important users manuals I keep from various electronics and equipment.

I keep them because I never know when something might go wrong with any of these devices and the manufacture went to all that trouble to print out the booklet for me...

Anyway, when I see a number like that I have to think how much wasted paper we have been sending out for years with our products. Engineered Software no longer sends printed users manuals, but includes them INSIDE our programs now in very informative Help Files. Moreover, when we don't have the right answers in the Help files, we have this cool place on our website called the Knowledge Base where we regularly write articles that cover both technical support topics, product usage support topics, and just plain old informative. Most of the time we direct users to articles we have written in the "KB" and when that doesn't have the solution, we have some of the best support professionals in the software industry.

The biggest thing I notice today is that people seem to be too rushed to read anything, including manuals but like I always say, "If you don't have time to do something right the first time (or read the directions), how could you have time to do it twice?"

There are some seriously legitimate reasons user instructions are included with the products we buy, and although they don't all apply to the software we sell at Engineered Software, this epidemic of not reading directions is important enough to list. Many times companies include instructions with their products having consumer safety in mind or to protect the integrity of the product. Not following instructions can have devastating consequences. An individual may also lose valid information especially if dealing with complex products such as electronics or software.

Product Safety & Saving Lives

In the worst case scenario - you could be harmed or even die! Ask any pharmacist, doctor or nurse, not following the directions on a bottle of medication can lead to poisoning, overdosing, or clashes with other medicines, which end in the very worst ways! And if you ask any safety manager for an industrial job, not following instructions on caustic chemicals or aerosols could cause accidents, injuries or death as well. Plus, you want to ensure the longevity of your investment. What I mean is, typically when you buy a product, you want it to work or last as long as possible. Not knowing the limitations of that product and how NOT to use it, will inevitably result in the product malfunctioning.

Efficiency and Saving Time or Money

ANY paperwork we fill out for the most important things like insurances or taxes, require we do things right the first time or our services may be delayed, penalties included, or worse, we could be audited! Plus the bonus of paperwork being processed more quickly. Reading installation instruction or license management documents for software could save hours of backtracking or customer service calls. No one likes those! Plus, you might learn a more efficient way to use your new gadget, or identify special features you didn't know about.

Education and Generally Looking Smart

As students we learn how to follow instructions in order to perform skills efficiently. As adults, we look to instructions only when we can't figure things out intuitively the first time, but users manuals frequently contain the documentation for all the things we don't think we'll need, until we do. Set-up and installation info, warranty details, and any maintenance or troubleshooting advice are all things we WANT to know about our stuff, but just can't seem to make the time to educate ourselves about them. Knowing these things before something goes wrong will help us not be surprised or disappointed later when we have to go buy another because the warranty ran out.

I feel like a company's user documentation is reflection on the company itself, which is why we put so much effort into our Installation documentation, the Help program in our software, and why we have such a robust Knowledge Base for our customers. Engineered Software sells highly technical products, albeit easy to use, and our documentation is thorough. If you have time, and you want to learn some deep dark secrets (Hints & Tips) about our products, you might just start by reading our user manual in the Help file. In today’s frenzied and competitive world, where people need to digest information as efficiently as possible, the lack of quality documentation can be nothing short of ruinous for a manufacturer.

One last factoid, according to one article I read, 95% of all returned gadgets actually work but were returned because customers thought they were too confusing to user or they just weren't meeting their expectations.