Motivating end users to read the training manual

[Martin Ley]

Hi Gariner,

I produce training manuals for a company in Cambridge. I suggest that  
you try and organise some training sessions for the engineers  
themselves, based around your documentation (or perhaps create a  
special 'engineer-friendly' version which doesn't make them feel  
they're being talked down to). That way, they will have a really good  
idea of what's in the documentation, and where to find things, and  
will also be more inclined to pass this information onto the customer.

The company I work for actually makes every employee go on at least  
the level 1 training course - a sort of induction session. I think  
that's a really good idea.

It might be that you can use the documentation as the basis for in- 
house training courses for the customer, which you can sell at a  
premium price.

Hope this helps,

Martin

martin at em-dash dot com


> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 12 May 2009 16:43:25 +0530 (IST)
> From: Garnier Garnier <garnier_framescript at yahoo.co.in>
> Subject: Motivating end users to read the user manual
> To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
> Message-ID: <533624.30265.qm at web94602.mail.in2.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
>
> Hi listers,
>
> I would like some feedback on this issue which I am sure most of us  
> face. Please write to me directly as most of the time the mails form  
> forums bounces and I do not receive them. Not sure about the reason.
>
> I put in a lot of effort to create an exhaustive training material.  
> It includes all information in detail and all the steps too are  
> documentented in simple English. The training material is very  
> technical and includes all the required details and instructions.  
> Still none of the engineers bother to read the contents and when  
> they are at the customer site for training they start complaining  
> that nothing is working. The engineers are familiar with the product  
> no doubt about it but there are certain "do's" that they ought to  
> know and which is documented in the training material which none  
> bother to read.
>
> I welcome suggestions for improvement in the document or otherwise  
> that will prompt the end user to read the training material contents  
> instead simply complaining "nothing is working".
>
> B/R
> Garnier