Frequently Asked Questions
As businesses grow, documentation becomes critical as more people in the organization need the knowledge only a few possess. Implementing company-wide processes, installing new software, or establishing business protocols – these are all significant issues that consume your time and effort. Quality documentation and training help people take appropriate, effective, and efficient action within the organization; outside the company, documentation reduces training and support costs. Return to Top How far ahead do we need to plan to use STS? While more time to prepare documentation is better than less, with our extensive experience and technical backgrounds, we can often meet the most aggressive timelines. Return to Top How do we get ready, before calling in the STS team? It is important to come to your first meeting with the STS team with an open mind. As documentation and training experts, we can bring ideas and solutions to the table that you may not have considered. At this meeting STS will also help you brainstorm, collect your ideas, and give you specific instructions for gathering any necessary materials. To prepare for the meeting, however, you might meet with members of your team to make a list of ideas, to gather suggestions, to discuss budgets, to discuss tandem or parallel projects that might benefit from simultaneous effort, and to build consensus. It is also helpful if you have examples of materials that seem suited to your needs. The samples may be pieces that you like or dislike-input from either angle is helpful. Return to Top We have a unique, technical product-how can your staff possibly be "experts" in our product? Although STS resources are often experienced in our clients' industries, we do not claim to be experts in your product or service – you are the experts. We are a team of highly-educated, technical people who work with technology experts to assimilate technological concepts quickly and then translate these highly complex ideas into simple, effective documentation and training materials. Return to Top How much will my project cost? STS does not have a standard rate sheet for positions or projects. Each project is unique. Therefore, we meet with clients to discuss what they need, when they need it, and what is expected before estimating a project. Our estimates are based on the real-world experience of documentation and training experts – not on industry formulas – so we can offer fixed-price proposals, as well as hourly bids. This means our timelines and budgets are more accurate and better suited to your needs than those created by our competitors' sales teams. Return to Top Can I use my staff to help reduce costs? STS clients may become as involved or may remain as hands off on a project as they wish. You may assign one or more of your team members to lead the team or to work as part of the STS team on a full- or part-time basis. Return to Top How long will my project take? STS does not have a standardized time line for projects because each project is unique. Before generating a project timeline, we meet with our clients to discuss what they need, when they need it, and what is expected. We can then deliver the best quality product that can be produced within the time allowed. If time is extremely short, STS works with our clients to develop short-term solutions that can serve as building-blocks for additional documentation and training efforts. Return to Top How much time will it take from our staff? Our team provides the support and supervision necessary to keep a project moving from start to finish, thus minimizing the time you need to spend on the project. Our team members do, however, need access to key subject matter experts (SMEs) from time to time. You should also understand that you, as a client, are ultimately responsible for reviewing and approving materials, so there will be times when you or your key SMEs must review materials. Return to Top How will we work with STS? Each client's working relationship with STS is unique. We are extremely flexible and willing to accommodate your unique circumstances, needs, and expectations. As technical writing professionals, we take the leadership role on most projects or share this responsibility with our key client contact. STS generally sets up guidelines for working with you and your team during the first week of a project. Return to Top How do I go about starting a project? Call or email us. We will lead you from project start to finish -- helping you make sound decisions to meet your technical writing needs. We will make suggestions to work within the time and budget allowed, or help you establish more realistic expectations if necessary. Return to Top How do I know what I need for the project? Unless you are a documentation expert you may not know what you need. STS can discuss your ideas, brainstorm with you and your team, and help you develop solutions that meet your documentation and training needs in a time and cost-efficient manner. Return to Top We are not documentation experts - how can we be sure that we will get the right kind of documentation or training for our needs? STS works with you and your team to show you all of the documentation and training options available to you. We listen to your ideas and show you how you can accomplish your goals or give you better ideas for achieving those goals within the time and budget allowed. We explain why each option is useful or necessary and show you samples of similar finished products. We can also put you in contact with STS clients who have successfully completed similar projects using the STS team. Return to Top We worked with consultants before and it didn't go well. Why should we work with STS? Our expertise in documentation and training allows us to provide professional leadership for the team – to show you all of the documentation and training options available to you and to discuss the available options with consideration to time, budget, and need. We do not sell you anything-we accommodate your needs with suitable, cost-effective, documentation and training solutions. Our goal is to provide you with a full-service documentation and training resource on which you can rely. By providing superior quality products and service, we hope to earn your satisfaction, trust, and long-term business. Return to Top |