Online help is topic-oriented, procedural or reference information delivered through
computer software. It is a form of
user assistance
User assistance is a general term for guided assistance to a user of a software product. The phrase incorporates all forms of help available to a user. Assistance can also automatically perform procedures or step users through the procedure, depen ...
. The purpose of most online help is to assist in using a
software application,
web application or
operating system. However, it can also present information on a broad range of subjects. Online help linked to the application's state (what the user is doing) is called
Context-sensitive help.
Benefits
Online help has largely replaced live customer support. Before its availability, support could only be given through printed
documentation
Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge manageme ...
,
postal mail
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal syst ...
, or
telephone (which is expensive).
When customers
troubleshoot
Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process ope ...
their own problems, quite often they can get to a solution by themselves, saving time and money. More companies can afford this kind of help system, allowing them to compete with the larger companies more effectively.
Platforms
Online help is created using
help authoring tool
A Help Authoring Tool or HAT is a software program used by technical writers to create online help systems.
Functions
The basic functions of a Help Authoring Tool (HAT) can be divided into the following categories:
File input
HATs obtain their s ...
s or
component content management system
A component content management system (CCMS) is a content management system that manages content at a granular level (component) rather than at the document level. Each component represents a single topic, concept or asset (for example an image, ...
s. It is delivered in a wide variety of formats, some