Product Documentation Value

Product (or Service) documentation communicates relevant information about the product to the individuals who require the information. In short, proper documentation allows customers to succeed by unlocking the maximum value from a product or service. While not the glamorous part of any new development and rollout, documentation is critical to understanding and utilizing the product/service. Top documentation practices come from preparation and having an easily accessible, organized single point of presence.

Proper product documentation is crucial for implementing generative AI copilots for self-service with Language Model Models (LLMs) because it lays the foundation for effective knowledge transfer. With accurate and detailed documentation, LLMs can access and understand the necessary information to provide correct responses and recommendations. This documentation guides the AI copilots, enabling them to assist users more efficiently and accurately. Without proper documentation, the AI copilots would lack the context and knowledge to generate meaningful and helpful responses, hindering the self-service experience. Therefore, comprehensive and up-to-date product documentation is essential to provide users with a seamless and effective interaction with AI copilots.

Further, the documentation effort is greatly simplified, incorporating generative AI approaches as they enable the automated creation of accurate and comprehensive documentation. Generative AI models allow companies to streamline the process of creating documentation by automatically extracting relevant information from various sources, such as user manuals, technical specifications, and other relevant documents. These AI approaches utilize natural language processing to understand and interpret complex information, generating coherent and precise documentation across multiple languages. No longer should this step be reduced or eliminated due to cost limitations. The business value of product documentation may be summarized by:

• Product Adoption and Retention – Documentation is how users upskill and learn. Documentation is a platform to showcase, educate, and inspire. It improves efficiency and reduces the time needed to solve tasks. It further brings context to operations and drives a positive customer experience.
• Self-Service Support – High-quality, easily accessed documentation drives a self-service support model through generative AI copilots to minimize support outreach. If support continually answers the same issues, work stops and turns to continuous, time-consuming customer sessions.
• Marketing & Sales – Documentation provides keywords, diagrams, and content for search to attract customers. Documentation accelerates sales by addressing pre-sales questions, demonstrating value, and convincing customers of their commitment to the product.
• Employee Growth – Proper documentation makes employees more effective. It is a resource for new employees or employees without broad product knowledge to discover and promote features.

Constructing technical documentation results in efficient communication, established workflows, long-term partnerships, and a high-quality product. Documentation is often time-consuming, but it is a valuable investment made more straightforward with proper processes and AI-driven tools.  Incorporating Generative AI into product development and service planning has simplified documentation generation. No longer should documentation time be an excuse to overlook it.