Support materials, such as user guides and product documentation, are often an afterthought for many companies. However, their role in customer retention, satisfaction, and advocacy can’t be overstated. Ensuring these materials align with your brand and deliver real value can lead to stronger customer relationships and a more positive brand perception.

The Overlooked Power of Product Support Materials

Key stat: According to Salesforce, 47% of customers will stop buying from a company after a bad experience.2 Support materials are one way to avoid this outcome.

Many companies focus heavily on acquiring new customers, but it's important to remember that there is significant value in retention. As McKinsey & Company has reported, businesses that prioritize exceptional customer experiences can outperform their competitors in profitability and employee satisfaction.1 Retaining customers is more cost-effective and builds a loyal base that buys more frequently and refers others. Product support materials are an essential part of this experience.

Make Your Users Better

Drawing inspiration from Kathy Sierra’s quote, “Don’t build a better [X]. Build a better user of [X],”3 the focus should shift from merely creating better products to empowering customers to use those products effectively. Most user guides and support documents are seen as dry, uninspiring, and often neglected by customers. This is a missed opportunity to help your audience fully engage with your product and build a positive experience from the start.

Support Materials as a Brand Extension

Product documentation shouldn’t just be functional—it should also reflect your brand’s tone, style, and values. When you develop support materials, treat them as a core part of the customer experience, ensuring they adhere to your brand guidelines. By creating content that resonates with your audience, you can foster deeper connections with your customers and extend the value of your brand beyond the product itself.

Tailoring Technical Documentation for Life Sciences, Biotech, Healthcare, and Technology

For companies in Life Sciences, Biotech, Healthcare, and Technology, technical documentation is critical for product adoption, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction. Here are some common document types across these industries:

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Critical for maintaining regulatory compliance, especially in labs and clinical settings, SOPs provide clear, step-by-step instructions for routine tasks.

• User Guides: Comprehensive manuals to help users understand how to operate products or software, which can be made more effective with visuals and concise instructions.

• API Documentation: Detailed guides for developers to integrate software applications, essential in biotech tools and healthcare technologies.

• Troubleshooting Guides: Offering solutions to common issues, ensuring quick problem-solving, especially in high-stakes environments like hospitals or research labs.

• Whitepapers and Research Reports: These provide in-depth insights into product development and user experience, useful for internal teams or external stakeholders.

• Clinical Trial Protocols: In healthcare and biotech, these documents outline the design and methodology of clinical trials.

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS): Providing safety precautions and data on chemicals used in labs, these are vital for safe and compliant lab work.

• Installation Guides: For setting up medical devices or lab equipment, these ensure successful setup and compliance with regulations.

• Regulatory Submissions: These documents ensure that products meet government standards before going to market, a necessity in highly regulated industries like healthcare and biotechnology.

A Checklist for Effective Technical Documentation

When developing technical documentation, use this checklist to ensure that it is comprehensive, valuable, and aligned with your brand:

• Target audience: Define who will be reading the document. Are they lab technicians, healthcare professionals, or software engineers? Tailor content to address their specific needs.

• Brand alignment: Ensure the documentation reflects your company’s brand identity. This includes tone, language, and visual design, consistently reinforcing your brand.

• Key messaging: Clarify the essential information users need to know. Whether explaining how a device works or troubleshooting issues, your messaging should be clear and digestible.

• Visuals: Use diagrams, charts, and images that enhance comprehension. For complex technical content, visuals can make information more accessible and easier to retain, especially in scientific and healthcare settings.

• Call to action: Even technical documentation can include a call to action—whether it’s prompting users to submit feedback, register for additional resources, or follow specific procedures.

• Accessibility: Consider how and where the documentation will be accessed—in environments where hands are often occupied, it should be designed for ease of use, with intuitive navigation and adaptable formats. Ensure documentation is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities, using screen-readable formats, alt text for visuals, and easily navigable layouts.

• Legal considerations: Include any necessary legal disclaimers or intellectual property references, especially in industries dealing with sensitive data or regulated substances.

• Feedback loop: Regularly seek feedback from your users to identify gaps or areas for improvement. This helps keep your documentation relevant and user-focused.

• Document tracking: Implement a system for tracking document versions and updates. This is particularly crucial in regulated industries to ensure that users are always referencing the latest approved version. Version control can also help identify errors and ensure compliance with industry regulations.

Empowering Your Customers

Product support materials are more than just guides—they are tools for building loyalty, improving the customer experience, and driving advocacy. By designing support experiences that align with your brand and meet your audience’s needs, you can turn your technical documents into a key asset that strengthens customer relationships and enhances your overall brand experience.

Inform Solutions helps companies communicate complex technical information through accessible, compelling design and strategy. Learn more about our documentation design and publishing services for biotech and life sciences companies here.

1 “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce, https://bit.ly/3AZF2wt  

2 Ewan Duncan, Harald Fanderl, Nicolas Maechler, Kevin Neher, “Customer experience: Creating value through transforming customer journeys,” McKinsey & Company, July 2016, https://mck.co/46DDd2c

3 Kathy Sierra, “Badass: Making Users Awesome,” O’Reilly Media, Inc., 2015, Page 50, https://bit.ly/3sYiUyQ