App partner – support documentation guidelines
Robust support documentation about your integration not only helps reduce support inquires and increase customer satisfaction, but can actually increase sign-ups by providing details they may not find in marketing materials. We’ve created some guidelines to help create amazing support documentation for your Xero integration.
1. Table of contents
(Required)
Provide a list of all articles for easy skimming. Even if you can find all the articles through a search interface, take the time to create a dedicated table of contents page users can navigate to.
Vend does a nice job of with their TOC
2. Data flow diagram
(Required)
“What does this integration do?” Is a very common question from our customers and accountant partners. Providing a data flow diagram clearly communicates how data in your application maps to Xero and which direction the data flows.
Bill.com does this well in the example below
3. Getting started
(Required)
Use your getting started page to explain the basics around connecting and configuring the integration.
How to navigate to the integration and connect to Xero.
Show them the authentication flow, so they know what will happen.
How to configure the integration.
Break down how different settings impact integration behavior – you may want to link to a separate article depending on the complexity of your configuration.
Explain what filters you apply to select menus – so customers understand why only certain accounts are offered.
4. FAQ
(Required)
This is your opportunity to anticipate your customer’s questions. Look at your integration with a fresh set of eyes and think about what customers might want to know. Don’t be afraid to link to additional articles that dive deep into the topic.
How do I disconnect from Xero?
What doesn’t your integration do?
How do payment processing fees appear in Xero?
How do I reconcile sales data synced to Xero?
When and how does data sync occur? Is it manual, automatic, on login, in real-time. Are there any settings related to synchronizing?
As your support team fields questions, look for recurring patterns and expand your FAQs over time. Your support docs should grow along with your customer base.
5. Inline help
(Required)
Add some inline text where appropriate to explain what needs to be done and why – you don’t want customers staring at a complex configuration screen afraid to complete the setup for fear of messing up.
6. Screenshots
(Recommended)
This old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, holds true with supporting docs. Please include screenshots of your product where appropriate and if you push data into Xero, include screenshots of how the data appears in Xero.
Shopify shows how an order appears in Xero
7. Video tutorials
(Recommended)
Xero customers love short (2-3 min) videos that “show” them how to use features in Xero. Win them over by embedding instructional videos in your product and/or in your support center.
8. Tool tips
(Recommended)
What better way to find help then in-context. We know not every app supports this level of help, but if your application does add tool tips during the setup/configuration will delight your customers.