“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” – Mark Twain
Words matter. The power and influence of the written word cannot be overstated. And as the above quote highlights, sentence design and word choice are nothing to be taken lightly. There could be six dozen ways to express a single concept or idea, each presenting its pros and cons from the reader’s point of view.
Enter technical writing. It’s a subdiscipline within the greater world of writing and matters more than the average person assumes. In fact, the average person probably doesn’t even realize how much they’ve relied on technical writing throughout their life.
What is technical writing?
To explain technical writing, let’s start by saying what you’re reading now is not technical writing. This is persuasive writing meant to make a convincing argument. In this case, the argument is that technical writing software benefits businesses.
Technical writing is meant to provide readers with clear-cut information regarding specific processes, procedures, and philosophies. Its single purpose is to share knowledge in a succinctly understandable manner. For instance, the manual that came with your television consists of technical writing to help you adjust the image, connect external audio, et cetera.
What is technical writing software?
Technical writing is tedious, time-consuming, and ultimately expensive from a business point of view. Companies often have no choice but to hire in-house technical writers to successfully convey complex and esoteric information. The ability to take a complicated concept and simplify it without losing any critical data is a skill that only a handful of professional writers can master.
As a result, any means of making the process more efficient and cost-effective is an advantage. With so many types of technical writing spread out across multiple industries and sectors, a centralized means of making the most of existing technical writing content is a game-changing resource from the perspective of the average business owner.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at six benefits of using technical writing software for your business:
Efficiency
Technical writing software streamlines the writing process from beginning to end. This makes it faster and more efficient for businesses. Automated templates and formatting tools help writers create documents quickly and accurately without compromising the integrity of the craft.
Savings
Technical writing software helps businesses save money by reducing the time and effort required to create and manage technical documents. This frees up resources to be allocated to other areas of the business.
Consistency
Technical writing software helps ensure consistency in writing style, formatting, and terminology across all documents. That level of consistency can enhance brand recognition and establish a professional image.
Collaboration
Technical writing software makes collaboration easier for separate teams, allowing multiple writers to work on the same document simultaneously. Collaboration tools like commenting and version control can help reduce errors and ensure accuracy.
Control
Technical writing software helps organizations keep track of different versions of a document. This allows users to easily compare changes and revert to earlier versions if necessary.
Integration
Many technical writing software solutions are designed to integrate with existing business software tools, such as project management and content management systems. This integration helps businesses manage their original content more efficiently and effectively.
Versatility
The era of globalization means businesses of all shapes and sizes often end up with customers spread across multiple countries. That presents the problem of language barriers, especially with something as language-specific as technical writing. Thanks to technical writing software, companies can seamlessly convert technical documentation from one language to another. While it’s recommended that a bilingual proofreader over the content to avoid any confusion, the original writing process is limited to one piece of content reused repeatedly.
Technical writing is a critical component of many organizations, big or small. Unfortunately, it’s often very time-consuming and expensive. One way to mitigate these unwelcome factors is to utilize technical writing software. It’s no different than a video editor using video editing software; it saves time and money without compromising quality. In fact, the quality is likely to improve!
Alex Farina is a freelance writer from Ohio. He enjoys writing about design, fashion, nature, and technology.
