Outsourcing Technical Writing
Outsourcing is widely spread today. It can be described like that: a company gets a product or service from an outer provider. It is not only technical writing, a lot of functions can be outsourced:
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Manufacturing
- Logistics
- Customer service
This list is not exhaustive. Each company has specific needs, and I guess today, it is not a problem to find services that your company needs.
As for technical writing, a good deal of debate takes place when a company has to make a decision: to hire tech writers or to outsource this function. As a rule, businesses that have no experience in outsourcing have a lot of doubts. For those who have a positive experience of this kind, it is easier to make up their mind. Here are the advantages of outsourcing technical writing:
- It is cheaper to outsource than to hire technical writers. It is not only salary, but it is also insurance, training, software, HR costs, and many other things. Some companies have never had a tech writing team. They don’t even know what to pay attention to when hiring. Also, there are companies that even ask their software developers or engineers to write technical documentation, but it is not a way out. Outsourcing is the best solution in both cases.
- It is an opportunity to increase efficiency. Outsourcing is not only for companies with no tech writing team, it can be used to help your in-house tech writers. Of course, some employees think that this will lead to losing their jobs as outsourcing may replace them. In fact, you can outsource only routine processes and let your in-house team concentrate on more complicated and challenging tasks.
- You get documentation of high quality. As a rule, outsourced tech writers work with various types of documentation, they know the latest trends and standards. They even offer proofreading and reviewing to make sure your documentation is accurate and consistent.
- You get more perspectives if you collaborate with companies from different countries. It is a good benefit for businesses that want to sell their products globally, not being tied to only one country.
- You share experiences. When in-house tech writers collaborate with outsourced tech writers, both sides learn and teach each other. Their professionalism grows.
But you should always keep in mind that there may be specific things you are to get used to, for example:
- If you collaborate with a company that is based abroad, at first, there can be some kind of misunderstanding due to cultural differences. In some cultures, it is acceptable to ask a lot of questions if something is not clear, while in other cultures, it is not polite to act like that. So, when you start working, you are to establish clear processes for the sake of both sides.
- Your company should always be ready to give as much information as possible. To create high-quality documentation, technical writers need to learn the product. If you do not provide enough information or do it too late, do not be surprised that documentation is not ready.
Outsourcing technical writing has a lot of benefits. Even if your business already has a tech writing team, you can use outsourcing to help it grow and succeed.
