What is the point of good writing? And when I say good writing, I mean writing that engages and means something to the reader, writing that makes sense and is direct in its message.
These days, everybody is a writer. Blogs, social media, and websites make writers out of us all. So it’s understandable that companies think they don’t need a dedicated writer and, instead, hand the task of writing for the company over to anyone with five minutes to spare at the end of their day. The result, unfortunately, can be writing that is not the focus of the writer’s time and efforts. After all, they already have a job to do, and adding this new pressure can affect productivity, performance, and morale, ending with writing that is distracted and misses the point. It might be poorly constructed and not even align with the company’s brand. And then there’s the potential for the dreaded spelling and grammatical errors.
While some companies may think this ‘good enough’ writing style is acceptable, I disagree. The consequences of poor writing can infiltrate many facets of the company. The point of the document may be lost or misconstrued because of mixed or misunderstood messages. The image the document presents can become one of a company that doesn’t care about the details and producing quality work. If I want to hire someone, I need confidence in their abilities. If they send me a resume riddled with typos and bad writing, I’m unlikely to make contact, let alone hire them.
It can be the same with your company’s customers. If they see your company doesn’t pay attention to the details or care about the image it projects, how likely are they to use your services? It’s something to consider when making the important decision on how to handle your company’s documentation needs.
Outsourcing can be an effective alternative as you will have someone dedicated to your documentation needs without the cost of a full-time employee. An outsourced writer can help set writing standards for your company if none exist. Writing standards are a valuable tool to help those who are not writers learn how to write, as they can follow the guidelines in front of them.
The benefits, in my opinion, outweigh the perceived cost as your company will now have:
- Documentation that follows your brand
- Employees who can focus on their work
- Writing standards that provide direction to those who still need to write
- Readers who understand the message conveyed in your documentation
Is your company struggling for consistently high-quality documentation? Problem solved. Watson wants to be your go-to documentation solutions provider.
If this sounds like your company, why not contact us to learn more?
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