Give written instructions for your products or services?

If you produce a product or service and give written instructions to your customers or clients, do you TEST these instructions with a "naive" (new, ignorant) audience before assuming anyone can follow them? (This also applies to driving instructions to your office, which should be at the fingertips of employees answering the phone and on the website.) Testing these instructions with potential clients allows you to see how someone else interprets "easy" directions. If they misinterpret the directions, what do they do wrong, and how would they suggest it be worded better?

Doing this can save a company money, as fewer products will need to be returned by irritated customers, and the feedback on the company via Twitter, Facebook and other sources will be better.


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