For IT pros at retail giant Dillard’s, a customized onsite technical writing course from Hurley Write was the solution to improve business relations.

Challenge 

Dillard’s IT department depends on clear, concise documents to keep daily business running smoothly. Clearly written Help documentation keeps end-users from inundating customer service with phone calls, while well-formed proposals are vital for justifying new IT projects and purchases. In addition, developers depend on IT business analysts to write easy-to-follow instructions so that tasks are successfully completed.

Solution 

Hurley Write, a certified women-owned business, develops and teaches customized writing courses. As the IT training manager for Dillard’s, Sarah Gipson ensures that the IT department receives the necessary writing training to achieve the company’s goals and serve the business as a whole. “I did extensive research online before contacting Hurley Write. I also spoke with several references that Pam provided to ensure that the writing course could be geared toward technical writing,” says Gipson.

Dillard’s asked Hurley Write to develop a customized two-day technical writing course and a one-day course on effective oral presentation skills. Prior to the onsite technical writing course, Pam Hurley, Ph.D., president and founder of Hurley Write, Inc., asked for writing samples from the Dillard’s team. Using these samples, Hurley developed a workshop-style writing course and workbook that used specific examples of common writing issues, and then worked with the attendees in small groups to revise these examples. “The class and Pam were able to give immediate feedback on the revised versions,” notes Gipson. This approach provided targeted feedback and allowed attendees to gain hands-on experience identifying and correcting the issues that they were most likely to confront.

Result 

Hurley Write’s customized onsite course helped Dillard’s IT staff develop a reliable and repeatable writing process for producing clear technical documents. The training was so successful that Dillard’s has hired Hurley Write multiple times to continue training staff. Gipson knows the importance of each individual having confidence in his or her writing. "I will not always be there to support what has been written, so the writing needs to be clear,” she says. “The best thing about the Hurley courses is that they incorporated our real-work examples into the workshop. The individuals who took time to submit samples received the most benefit from the course.”

The course also helped Gipson improve her own writing. “The most important thing that I took from the class was to be concise. Extra words can be confusing to the audience,” says Gipson. She also learned the importance of good proofreading and revision. “Just because it is typed, does not mean that it is a final version," she explains. Now, Gipson puts “a lot more thought” into her writing. “I want to make sure that what I have written is what I am trying to convey.” With the technical writing skills gained in the Hurley Write course, she and the Dillard’s IT team are well on their way.

"The best thing about the Hurley courses is that they incorporated our real-work examples into the workshop. The individuals who took time to submit samples received the most benefit from the course."

Sarah Gipson

IT Training Manager for Dillard's