A long search field: Typical queries are two or three words long; for a knowledgebase,
this could easily be a much lengthier string. For instance, users might search
Microsoft??™s Help and Support center for an entire error message??”a precise string
that could be a dozen or more words.
An additional filter: This optional filter confines searches to certain products or
document types (whitepaper, documentation, third-party technical article), or any
other segregation that makes sense to the user. If a filter is used, the default should
always be to search the entire knowledgebase.
Lack of complexity: Do not ask users to only type in human-like questions, never
mention Boolean search phrases, and make the link to any advanced search capability
small with the understanding that a minute percentage of users will actually use it.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
229
10
Documentation
How many times have you purchased a product, put it together, and promptly threw away
the manual? How many times have you purchased software, got it installed, and misplaced
the documentation at exactly the same time the program crashes? Almost every product
comes with some documentation, from quick install guides to 500-page tomes.
Pages:
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448