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Instruction manuals are essential to providing customers with information necessary to using a product or service. Many times little energy is spent on manuals because resources are tight or because low priority is placed on them. The reality is that complete and accurate documentation offers many advantages to a business and its customers. Well written instruction manuals become a centralized source of information for training programs, in depth specifications, technical support, troubleshooting, calibration or verification procedures, programming and interfacing, debugging, schematics, theory of operation, applications information, and other resources. A complete instruction manual serves as the primary source of product information. This information is leveraged throughout your organization so its accuracy and thoroughness are vital.
Instruction manuals offer value to your customers by saving time and providing convenience. Time and convenience translate into real dollars savings. Many times prospective customers such as systems integrators or test engineers will evaluate the technical completeness of an instruction manual before making a purchase decision. The U.S. military and other government agencies specify thorough documentation as part of their procurement requirements. In some cases the instruction manual has more sales value than the product data sheet or catalog! The bottom line is that the quality of your instruction manual can make or break a sales opportunity. Leverage your organization's technical expertise, reduce customer support calls and maximize the value of your product or service by providing a well written instruction manual.
Manuals require graphic arts, illustrations, schematic diagrams and formatting all of which are performed more efficiently when the right software tools are used. For most companies, hiring a full time technical writer or graphic arts professional is impractical. Having your design engineers
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