Onboarding collateral

Scenario

A colleague from Sales approached me about a prospective customer’s request for a single-page collateral highlighting how to use a particular desktop app. The prospect wanted his employees to have a resource they could print and reference while learning the app. As the lead writer for that product, I jumped on the time-sensitive request.

Process

I examined the scope of existing content that was devoted to new users, including a comprehensive 100-page getting started PDF, a couple dozen help articles, and high-level marketing collaterals. Considering trends in reading behavior point to a need for shorter, leaner content, I determined the collateral could serve a need that wasn’t addressed and wouldn’t require much effort to produce or maintain. I pitched the idea to the product manager, who agreed, and we quickly identified the most commonly used and high-value app features and topics to include in the collateral. I wrote the content, designed two competing layouts, and presented both versions to peers and the product manager for comparison. After we agreed on the final version, I published it to our help center and notified the sales representative.

Results

I delivered the double-sided collateral three days after receiving the sales representative’s request. A couple weeks later, I learned that the prospect licensed the app, which approximately doubled the app's user base. There was much rejoicing!