Shining a Spotlight on Help System Usage
To date, CCC has focused on using the analysis features in the MadCap Feedback Service. This functionality has allowed the company to see what people are looking for in the Help systems, what search terms they are using, and when those searches are not coming up with results. The service also helps identify if there is a keyword issue or missing topic.
"I really like how MadCap Feedback Service and Flare work together; they're built for each other," Adamjee says. "For example if I'm working on a topic within a given Help system in Flare, with the click of a button, I can go to Feedback Service to get trending, reports, and search results that guide you on what to do to update the topic. It may require updating the keywords to increase the rate that the topic is found in a search, and all I need to do is get back into Flare with a simple click, to adjust accordingly."
MadCap Feedback Service also allows users to conduct a time analysis to compare the number of people using a Help system from one month to the next. For CCC, it has demonstrated a clear increase in people using the Help systems assisted by the Feedback Service.
"The usage analysis has demonstrated the value of the Feedback Service," Adamjee notes. "We can now justify purchasing MadCap Feedback Server, which will run on-premise, and expanding our use across our other Help systems."
As a next step, CCC plans to take advantage of MadCap Feedback Server's Web 2.0 functionality for letting customers rate and add comments to the Help content in real time. "We're excited about the opportunities for getting direct customer feedback and interaction, but we want to make sure we have the processes in place to process the Web 2.0 feedback before we implement it," Adamjee says.
Extending Use of Flare
CCC also continues to take advantage of newer features in MadCap Flare. Most notable are the new PDF engine, mobile Help output, and higher system performance to support multiple users accessing projects.
"The new PDF engine has worked out really well," Adamjee says. "We develop a lot of content in Flare, and it's much easier to publish it as a PDF file whenever the sales team or customer requires one–and the output is a lot cleaner."
"The latest release of Flare also lets us publish mobile Help systems, which we'll soon be rolling out to our sales team and account team," Adamjee notes. "With mobile Help, if they get a customer call when they're offsite, they'll be able to say, 'Hold on, let me look that up'."
"With MadCap Flare and the Feedback Service, Adamjee concludes, "We're continuing to enhance the customer experience while improving the cost-management and efficiency of our sales and support teams. It's a win for everyone."