Why hire a Technical Writer

Many people in the software industry have great skills, and believe that they can write, however, a technical writer must possess superior grammar skills, advanced level word processing skills, and a keen awareness of the target audience. Technical writers produce documents the reader can understand and find the desired content in the document or online help. They also must have subject matter expertise and the ability to communicate effectively with the subject matter expert (SME).

Almost everyone owns a computer that contains some sort of word processing software. So why hire the services of a technical writer? Word processing software is only a tool. It's the person behind the tool that makes the difference. Here are some benefits of hiring a technical writer:

•  Technical writers bridge the gap between product designers and those who must use the product. We transform industry jargon into a language that all audiences (from novice through expert) can understand.
•  Well written documents reduce calls to your technical support department. Customers who learn how to complete their tasks by reading the documentation won't have to call your support staff.
•  Hiring a technical writer significantly reduces your documentation costs. Technical writers can write more concisely without sacrificing quality, resulting in shorter manuals and production costs.

In my career, I have seen thousands of dollars wasted by companies that use precious engineering time for writing manuals.
If your engineers give me the facts, I can sort out the data at a fraction of the cost!