# Help Center Article > Writes help center articles with step-by-step instructions, screenshot placeholders, and troubleshooting sections for customer self-service. - Skill: `reaperinvest/help-center-article` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/help-center-article` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/help-center-article/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/help-center-article --- # Help Center Article ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Write a customer-facing help center or knowledge base article - Create step-by-step instructions with screenshot placeholders - Build troubleshooting guides for common customer issues - Reduce support ticket volume by enabling self-service **DO NOT** use this skill for internal SOPs (use knowledge-base-builder), blog posts, or support response templates. This is for customer-facing self-service documentation. --- ## Core Principle A HELP CENTER ARTICLE SHOULD ANSWER THE CUSTOMER'S QUESTION WITHOUT THEM NEEDING TO CONTACT SUPPORT — IF THEY STILL NEED TO EMAIL YOU AFTER READING IT, THE ARTICLE FAILED. --- ## Phase 1: Article Brief Define what the article will cover and for whom. ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Topic** | "What question or task does this article address?" | No default | | **Audience** | "What is the customer's technical skill level?" | Beginner-friendly | | **Article type** | "Is this a how-to, troubleshooting guide, FAQ, or conceptual explainer?" | How-to | | **Related articles** | "Are there any related articles to link to?" | None | | **Common mistakes** | "What do customers get wrong most often with this?" | No default | **GATE: Confirm the article brief before writing.** --- ## Phase 2: Write Article Create the article following help center best practices. ### How-To Article Template ``` # How to [Task Name] **Last updated:** [Date] **Applies to:** [Plan level / product version / user role] **Time required:** [X minutes] ## Overview [1-2 sentences: what this article covers and the end result] ## Before You Start - [Prerequisite 1 — what the customer needs before beginning] - [Prerequisite 2] ## Steps ### Step 1: [Action] [1-2 sentences of instruction] [Screenshot: Description of what the customer should see] ### Step 2: [Action] [1-2 sentences of instruction] [Screenshot: Description of what the customer should see] ### Step 3: [Action] [1-2 sentences of instruction] **Result:** [What the customer should see when they complete this step] ## Troubleshooting ### [Common problem 1] **Symptom:** [What the customer sees] **Cause:** [Why it happens] **Fix:** [Step-by-step solution] ### [Common problem 2] **Symptom:** [What the customer sees] **Fix:** [Solution] ## Related Articles - [Article title and link] - [Article title and link] ## Still Need Help? If these steps did not resolve your issue, [contact support link] and include: - [Info to include: screenshots, error messages, account details] ``` ### Troubleshooting Guide Template ``` # Troubleshooting: [Issue Name] ## Quick Fixes Try these first (most issues resolve here): 1. [Quick fix 1 — e.g., "Clear your browser cache and refresh"] 2. [Quick fix 2 — e.g., "Log out and log back in"] 3. [Quick fix 3] ## Detailed Solutions ### If you see [Error/Symptom A] **Cause:** [Explanation] **Fix:** 1. [Step] 2. [Step] ### If you see [Error/Symptom B] **Cause:** [Explanation] **Fix:** 1. [Step] 2. [Step] ## Still Not Working? Contact support at [link] with: - What you were trying to do - The exact error message (screenshot preferred) - Your browser and device type ``` **GATE: Present the article draft for review.** --- ## Phase 3: Optimize Improve the article for findability and usability. ### SEO and Search Optimization - **Title:** Use the exact words customers would search for - **Meta description:** Summarize the answer in 1 sentence - **Tags/categories:** Add relevant tags for internal search ### Readability Checklist ``` - [ ] Title matches what a customer would type into a search bar - [ ] Steps are numbered and each step has ONE action - [ ] Screenshots (or placeholders) show what the customer should see - [ ] No jargon — if a technical term is necessary, define it - [ ] Article is under 500 words (longer articles should be split) - [ ] Troubleshooting section covers the top 2-3 issues - [ ] "Still need help?" section includes clear contact path - [ ] Related articles are linked for deeper exploration ``` ### Writing Rules - Use "you" language: "Click the Settings button" not "The user should click Settings" - One action per step — never combine two actions in one step - Bold the clickable element: "Click **Save Changes**" - Use present tense: "The page displays..." not "The page will display..." - Include what success looks like: "You should see a green confirmation message" --- ## Phase 4: Maintain Keep articles accurate and relevant. ### Maintenance Triggers Update the article when: - The product UI changes - A new feature affects the workflow - Support tickets reference this article with confusion - Screenshots become outdated ### Performance Metrics ``` | Metric | Target | Current | |--------|--------|---------| | Article views per month | Trending up | — | | Support tickets on this topic | Trending down | — | | Article helpfulness rating | 80%+ positive | — | | Average time on article | 1-3 minutes | — | ``` --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Wall of text without steps** — customers scan, they do not read paragraphs. Use numbered steps and headers. - **Assuming knowledge** — "Navigate to the API settings" assumes the customer knows what an API is and where to find it. - **Outdated screenshots** — nothing erodes trust faster than instructions that do not match what the customer sees. - **Burying the answer** — put the most common solution first. Do not make customers read 500 words to find a 1-sentence fix. - **No escape hatch** — every article needs a "Still need help? Contact us" at the bottom. --- ## Recovery - **Customers still contact support about a documented topic:** The article is hard to find, hard to understand, or missing a common scenario. Review and revise. - **User has no screenshots yet:** Use description placeholders: `[Screenshot: The Settings page with the "Billing" tab highlighted]`. Add actual screenshots later. - **Article is too long:** Split into multiple articles. A how-to and a troubleshooting guide are better as two articles than one mega-article. - **User does not know what to document first:** Start with the top 5 support ticket topics. Each one becomes an article. - **Help center gets no traffic:** Link to relevant articles in onboarding emails, support responses, and product UI.