Introduction
Property management technology can streamline processes, improve communication, and increase efficiency. As the industry continues to evolve, the need for clear, concise, and accurate technical documentation has become increasingly critical for success. Technical writing plays a key part in enabling users to effectively utilize property management software such as Yardi.
Technical writing is a discipline that refers to writing about specialized topics. It includes a variety of different kinds of documentation such as: instruction manuals, proposals, reports, technical descriptions, scripts, design documents and white papers.
The Lynx team has found that understanding the importance of technical writing and implementing best practices has allowed us to provide faster turnaround for documentation like script delivery and development. Due to our extensive knowledge of Yardi software, our clients don’t have to spend time explaining the basics, which translates to time savings.
In this two part series, the Lynx Team shares what we have learned about providing high quality technical writing services to our clients. Part 1 will explore the importance of good technical writing for property management technology. Part 2 will discuss best practices for effective technical documentation.
The Importance of Good Technical Writing for Property Management Technology
Quality technical writing contributes to the successful use of property management technology, such as Yardi. Good technical documentation provides a number of benefits, such as:
1. Enhanced User Experience
Property management technology is meant to simplify and streamline tasks for property managers, landlords, and tenants. By providing clear instructions on how to use the system, technical writing helps achieve these goals. Well-written documentation assists the users in navigating software systems and in working effectively. For example, when new properties are acquired and need to be set up in RentCafe, Lynx provides detailed design documents so the leasing and renewals flow fluently for the new property. The design documents also prevent steps from being missed.
2. Retention of Organizational Knowledge
A significant amount of the knowledge within an organization is in the minds of employees. Technical documentation can allow that knowledge to be documented and shared widely. It can also minimize loss of organizational knowledge. For instance, when one of our clients lost their trainer for the Legal Module in Yardi, their staff were not up to date on how to use it. This caused data critical to our clients operations to become unreliable. A User Guide that Lynx produced before that trainer left allowed us to retrain staff and get the data corrected.
3. Reduced Support Costs
When users encounter difficulties with their property management software, they can either make a support request, or turn to written resources for assistance. By providing comprehensive and easy-to-understand documentation, technical writers can reduce the number of support requests and the associated costs. For example, when support requests are made for recurring issues, Lynx will issue a quick reference guide for clients to follow. This allows users to refer to the document instead of making multiple tickets for the same issues, which reduces costs.
4. Improved Compliance
There are numerous laws and regulations governing various aspects of managing properties. Technical writing can provide accurate and up-to-date information on legal requirements and best practices. This can help ensure property management technology complies with these regulations. Some examples are policies written around inspections, pest control, equipment maintenance, purchase orders, and privacy policies. Technical writing can also outline how systems, like Yardi, can be leveraged to support regulatory compliance. Lynx can point clients to software features that may be helpful, such as tools to remove banking information from past tenants, tracking salt and sand applications, annual HVAC inspections and monthly fire checks. This can help property managers and landlords avoid costly fines and penalties while maintaining a high standard of service for their tenants.
5. Better Training and Onboarding
When new employees join an organization, or new users adopt a property management software, they need the right tools to learn how to use the technology properly. Technical writing can facilitate this process by providing tutorials as well as clear, step-by-step instructions. This can lead to faster onboarding and increased productivity for the company. In addition to Comprehensive User Guides and Employee Quick Reference guides, Lynx provides documentation during implementations such as: current and future state diagrams, testing checklists and user acceptance testing scripts so employees know how to test. This documentation is key to getting a system up and running quickly and smoothly.
