Parlant Technology, Inc.

Role	Technical Writer
Type	Full-time
Period	Sep 2008 – Jul 2010

Background

Parlant Technology built ParentLink, a mass notification system for K-12 schools. The pitch was simple: if a student was absent, the system automatically called parents at end of day with the details. Straightforward technology, but the downstream effects were real--reduced truancy, higher test scores, better graduation rates. It was one of those products where you could draw a clear line between the software and an actual measurable outcome.

I started in technical support, troubleshooting issues and writing documentation. That turned into a marketing department promotion when they realized I could write things beyond help files. The scope expanded considerably from there. I became the lead writer for all company communications--marketing collateral, technical docs, client-facing materials, internal newsletters, the works. I also took over the Bid Desk, planning and writing individually-tailored RFP responses at a pace of two to three per week.

The RFP work was where the numbers got interesting. I increased yearly sales presentations with prospects by 12% and contract wins by 7%. I also wrote the company's first value proposition documents--custom reports that interviewed district administrators and compiled enrollment data, truancy statistics, and projected outcomes into a single argument for partnership. The prototype contributed to winning a contract with a school district of more than 60,000 students.

Along the way I managed five interns across semester-long research projects, launched a quarterly client newsletter, proposed Adobe Captivate for interactive training tutorials (which the executives adopted company-wide), and wrote a 15-page internal communications survey report that I presented to company managers, VPs, and the president. I also managed to write a comprehensive white paper on chronically truant students that was praised by educators, which was satisfying in a way that writing marketing slicks never quite is.

This was my first real experience wearing multiple hats at a company small enough that nobody stopped you from doing things outside your job description. It turns out that's my preferred operating environment.

What I Did

Marketing & Content

• Promoted to the Marketing Department to lead improvements in the professionalism of company-wide communications.
• Served as the lead professional writer for all written documentation and creative materials across the company.
• Edited and wrote all marketing materials (direct mailers, slicks, white papers, success stories), totaling more than 3,000 pages of completed copy, with layout and design work in Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. Slick samples: ABCs of Attendance, Top Reasons, Survey Results, Tips. Success stories: Albuquerque, Barrow County, Broward County, Comal ISD, Elk River, Rialto USD, Stamford.
• Researched chronic truancy in K-12 education and wrote comprehensive white papers that were praised by educators. Samples: Attendance, Branding.
• Launched a quarterly client newsletter and coordinated marketing staff in the research, writing, design, and distribution of each issue. Samples: April, December, March.
• Managed and executed company social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress.
• Updated the company website with new content and news using HTML and PHP.
• Introduced a monthly internal company newsletter and provided the initial template to improve internal communications.
• Performed a company-wide survey on internal communications quality; wrote a 15-page statistical report (report) and presented findings to company managers, VPs, and the president.

Proposals & Business Development

• Assumed Bid Desk responsibilities, planning and writing 2–3 individually tailored RFP responses per week in Microsoft Word for prospective client contracts.
• Increased yearly sales presentations with potential clients by 12% and contract wins by 7%.
• Wrote the company's first value proposition documents tailored to major prospective clients, including interviewing district administrators and researching district-specific statistics.
• Compiled value proposition data into single-client reports outlining problems, solutions, and partnership goals. The prototype contributed to winning a contract with a school district of more than 60,000 students.
• Hired and trained a new proposal writer to assist in RFP responses and improve the overall response process.
• Directed all proposal planning and advised on specification responses and information organization.

Technical Documentation & Training

• Interviewed subject matter experts (SMEs) to research, draft, and edit more than 500 pages of documentation (help files, release guides, user manuals, support documentation) covering software and hardware procedures. Samples: Import Module, Password Generator.
• Proposed Adobe Captivate for interactive tutorial development, which was adopted by company executives and used to create comprehensive interactive training curricula.
• Provided technical and emergency troubleshooting assistance to clients.
• Maintained and updated the company's electronic library resources and client-facing documentation using HTML, PHP, and CSS.

Team Leadership

• Managed 5 interns during semester-long projects including market buyer research, competitor analysis, and social media research.
• Led department projects, delegated assignments, coordinated work across employees, and delivered weekly updates to management.
• Advised coworkers and managers on formatting, drafting, and review of outbound communications.

Key Skills

SEO · Social Media · SaaS · SDLC · Developer Guides · Deliverables · Corporate Branding · Copyediting · User Content · Keyword Analysis · Video Tutorials · Training & E-Learning · Adobe Creative Suite · Competitor Research · Webinars · Success Story · Photography · Resume Writing · Managing Deadlines · Screenshots · Documentation · User Guides · Editing · Research · Quick-Start Guides · Adobe Photoshop · RFP Responses · Peer Review · Adobe InDesign · Engineering Documentation · Adobe Illustrator · Adobe Acrobat · Content Roadmap · Content Management · Topic-Based Writing · User Persona · Technical Writing · HTML · Customer Feedback Mechanisms · Release Notes · Mass Communication Systems · White Paper · RFI · KPI Metrics · Microsoft Office · Document Templates · E-Learning · Meeting Notes · Proposal Writing · Press Releases · Microsoft SharePoint · Content Publishing · Proofreading · Microsoft Word · Web Design · Collaboration · SME Interview · Online Help · Windows · Developer Relations · Enterprise Applications · Adobe Captivate