There are many online documentation tools. Many of them offer similar features, while others focus on different areas. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not all features are necessary for your company or project.
It will take some time and research before you find the right tool for you, like Docsie Documentation! But doing so is worth it because it can make writing docs much easier. And good doc management means better customer satisfaction too!
Common Capabilities To Look For When Choosing An Online Documentation Tool
If you’re looking for an online documentation tool, find the one with these features!
– Multiple Folders & Documents per project/team/user (collaboration)
– Version Control (save time and prevent data loss by keeping track of changes over time)
– Ability to upload files (also known as document storage or media library; good if your company already uses cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
– Commenting on content within docs (instead of having a separate chat about specific updates, which can get confusing if more than one person is working on a doc simultaneously)
– Chat built the platform, so team members can communicate with each other directly through the doc management platform without needing separate apps/software
– Export Docs or Folders into a PDF for easy sharing, printing, and archiving (this can be especially useful if your company uses an enterprise content management system [ECM])
– User Management – different permissions levels depending on what team member is accessing documents. This will help avoid any accidental changes made by users who shouldn’t have access in the first place!
And you don’t want anyone accidentally deleting important files; imagine how much work it would take trying to recover all the old versions of a file that’s been deleted? Or worse yet, losing data completely because someone didn’t know they could delete files at all!
– Ability to search for content within your docs (helpful if you have a large number of files or folders)
– Add custom metadata fields so each document has additional details like author, date created, file type, etc. (a good way to manage and categorize documents/folders quickly, which will save time when looking for specific pieces of information down the road)
– Collaboration tools – upload/edit/share separate doc versions with different users simultaneously; approve edit suggestions from teammates before they’re added in case someone accidentally deletes something important; see who’s currently viewing docs at any given time and chat about updates directly instead of having multiple conversations that can get confusing over time.
Things To Keep In Mind
Although some of these might not be necessary for your company, you should still consider them when looking into online documentation tools.
For example, version control will make it easy to roll back changes and revert things that may have been wrong. This can save a lot of time during the writing process! It’s also useful if multiple people work on documents at once or different teams with different permissions.
The ability to manage users is especially helpful because it means each team member only has access to certain folders/documents – this prevents data from being lost or incorrectly changed by accident. Of course, you wouldn’t want an intern deleting important files!
One of the most important features to look into is collaboration. Having a tool that lets you work with other team members or customers on docs will make things much easier when it comes time to review and approve changes.
Collaboration tools give users the ability to upload documents, suggest edits for approval, comment on content, chat about specific doc updates – even see who’s currently viewing your docs! It’s also great because everyone can have access at once instead of having different permissions where certain people can only edit/view/delete files in certain folders.
Plus, if someone needs help writing something they don’t know how to do themselves, they shouldn’t be stuck doing everything alone! Instead, they should ask their teammates easier – use instant messaging through the collaboration tool to talk directly with each other. You can use some tools to check someone’s number, including RealPeopleSearch.
The Bottom Line
The first step to successful online documentation is choosing the right platform. There are many different options, but it’s important to consider your project parameters before selecting one. I hope this post has helped get you started with finding the best Online Documentation Tools for your needs. Good luck!
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