A startup in the midst of their initial product development cycle was trying to decide between hiring a full-time technical writer or outsourcing the work on their datasheet and user guide. They were the perfect candidate for outsourcing: the budget was tight, the work would not be steady over the long term and there was not a single native English speaker on the team to do QA or document review. Nevertheless, and against my advice, they hired a newbie full-time, in-house writer, Bill, because they really thought it would save them money. Bill called me after four months, bored out of his mind, unsure what to do next and looking for project work on the side to fill in the hours and to learn more since he was fresh out of a course. What was happening here? While the startup initially had enough work for a full-time writer, the peak and valley nature of the release cycle meant that:
- The company was paying Bill a full-time salary for doing part-time work.
- The company didn’t benefit from someone with experience and know-how in modern documentation technologies or strategies. They took someone cheap, and with little experience who still needed an additional mentor.
- Bill went from being overworked and underpaid to being bored and underutilized.The usability and purpose of their documentation was never really well developed and Bill didn’t know how to make himself useful to other departments.
- Bill left within 6 months to find a job where he could hone his skills and learn more. The company had to start knowledge transfer and the documentation process all over again.
Total cost: Double the cost of the same work via a reputable outsourcing company
In companies where there is a steady flow of work with multiple products and multiple releases, a full-time writing staff makes sense. But if you find yourself in need of an extra set of hands and eyes to meet a deadline, or if there isn’t a steady stream of work for a full-time employee, that’s the time to consider the many benefits of outsourcing.
In the interest of full disclosure, outsourcing is a very large part of Tech-Tav’s business. I fully admit that it is in my best interest for you to outsource your technical writing. But I would not be in this business if I didn’t believe with all of my heart that it provides a valuable service that not only saves you significant time and money but also provides other business benefits as well. If I didn’t believe in it, I couldn’t – and wouldn’t – sell it.
To find out if outsourcing makes sense for you, contact me today for a free consultation. I guarantee that working with Tech-Tav will slash 25% or more off your current documentation budget.
Miriam Lottner, CEO of Tech-Tav, is a “single sorceress” and technical documentation innovator whose professional passion is helping her
Miriam also didn't mention the benefits for the writers - a variety of interesting work at lots of different places with great people and flexibility in hours and workload and always something new to learn - it's a great way to work!
That wasn't completely full disclosure. You didn't mention that if things change in the future and it becomes worthwhile to hire an inhouse writer, Miriam is very gracious when you hire the talented experienced writer that Tech-Tav trained and assigned to your projects.
Miriam,
It also pays to go to an outsourcing company also if you are looking for a job - especially if you are entry level. It is much more difficult to find full time employment these days, but there seem to be no lack of outsourcing companies looking to hire technical writers for projects full time/part time and short term/long term. These projects sometimes lead to full time employment.
I am currently working through an outsourcing company. Most of the course graduates I know are working through outsourcing companies. And of course you openly advertised your Star Search over a month ago. If you know what you are doing and what these companies are looking for, you can find yourself constantly working and full time at that.
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