User Needs and User Profiling

2/12/04 Slide 1SBC Laboratories

User Needs and User ProfilingUser Needs and User Profiling


High PerformanceLow Performance

Target“Expert” Level

User Population

Target“Novice” Level


“Single View”

Any single view of the User is incomplete, whether it is the novice, average, or expert

» Each view only captures a limited number of users » The implemented design may actually hurt the performance of the other non-

represented users.

Representing all of the Users individually is not cost effective.

A reasonable number of views (3 to 5) has high leverage.

Small enough to be definable, but large enough for coverage.


Behaviors - Strategies

Basic Call + Up Selling = Total Revenue

Rep 1 : + =

Rep 2: + =


User Models

Modeling Approach:

» The first step is to categorize the service representatives’ behaviors into clusters.

» The second step is to objectively and quantitatively describe the service representatives’ behaviors and strategies.

» The third step is to create a model for each of those clustered behaviors.

» Simulate the models to determine impact.


0

5

10

15

20

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5Average Cross-Selling Offers per Call

Ave

. Min

utes

per

Cal

l F

ew

Man

y

YellowOrange

Green

Blue

None Many

Purple

Grouped Agents


Performance by Group

High

Low

Few Many

Offers per Call

Monthly Sales

“Blue” “Yellow”

“Orange” “Purple”


Qualitative User Models

Blue Group» Very few cross sell attempts» Efficient call takers, shortest call duration» Most likely do only what the customer requests» High Revenue

Yellow Group» Moderate number of cross sell attempts» Moderate call duration» High Revenue


Comments

Large, diverse user-populations can be categorized into distinctive groups.

Top performers may use different strategies and those behaviors need to be understood.

Models reflect factors that are important in achieving business goals.

Models can be constructed of those behaviors.

Models should be integrated with interface design and operational improvement.


Customer-Centric Interface DesignCustomer-Centric Interface Design


Customer-Centric

Customer-Centric approach takes the customer’s view or perspective in accomplishing tasks.

Frequently, organizations focus on the business, department, or process perspective. Organizations concentrate on the processes, people, and technologies that must interact to address the customer’s request and ultimately accomplish the customer’s task.

The goal is to have the Customer routed to the most appropriate location (agent) where the customer can on their own, or with our assistance, accomplish their desired task with the highest level of satisfaction at the least amount of cost.


Business-Centric Interface: Customer has Mapping Burden

Customer’s Contacts

How many? 1,000,000s

How many?10

“SOC”

“BIC”

“Want Caller ID”

“Don’t understand my bill”

“Need a 2nd line”

“Reconnect phone”

Customer’s Expressions

Task Completion

“RMC”

How many?100,000s

MENU

For Service Order Center, press 1.

For Billing Inquiry Center, press 2.

For Revenue Management Center, press 3.

Interface

?


Customer-Centric Interface: System has Mapping Burden

Task Categories

Customer’s Contacts

“Order Service”

“Get Bill Information”

“Reconnect Services”

How many? 1,000,000s

How many?100

How many?10

“SOC”

“BIC”

“Want Caller ID”

“Don’t understand my bill”

“Need a 2nd line”

“Reconnect phone”

Customer’s Expressions

Task Completion

“RMC”

How many?100,000s

MENU

To order service, such as caller id or a second line, press 1.

To get billing information, press 2.

To reconnect your services, press 3.

Interface


Customer-Centric Design

Customer-Centric approach uses the customer task as the primary influence on interface design.

– Menu items would directly match tasks that customers are trying to accomplish.

– Menu items would be grouped and ordered by frequency of customer tasks.

– Menu items would be worded in the language of the customer.


Performance Realities

All interface technologies have limitations. A given interface technology (e.g. IVR systems) can achieve a certain level of customer satisfaction and a certain level of performance (e.g. accomplish their task). All interface technologies will have less than perfect customer satisfaction and performance.

Customer-Centric approach will specify a design that maximizes the performance of a given interface technology. In other words, Customer-Centric approach delivers the best interface possible for a given interface technology.


5 Step Design Approach

• Understand customer goals

• Design from user’s perspective

• Lab tests & field evaluations

• Reduce misdirects• Increase customer satisfaction

1. Customer Task Frequency Table

2. Customer Perceptions for Interface Structure

3. Interface Design

4. Customer Usability Test

5. Refine Design for Implementation

• Understand customer preferences


Step 1: Customer Tasks

Why do customers contact us ? Customers want to accomplish a task. What are those tasks ?

Gather data. Customer’s opening statement provides an excellent

snapshot of their (first, primary) task. Gather sufficient number of tasks to be statistically valid.

(e.g. 2,500) Categorize tasks into Customer-Centric groupings. Tabulate results and construct Frequency Table.


Customer Task Frequency Table

“Example” Call Center

Master Frequency Table

I TEM CODE DESCRIPTION FREQUENCYCUMULATIVE

FREQUENCY

1 B4 Get information about a bill 15.9%2 I1 Get information on services (availability, $) 13.9%3 I2 Get information on account 11.8%4 A2 Add optional services 9.0% 50.6%5 C1 Change account information 6.3%6 A1 Get new service 4.7%7 D1 Disconnect service / close account 4.2%8 M1 Move service 3.4% 69.2%9 D2 Disconnect optional service 3.3%

10 A4 Get information about an add 3.2%11 L6 Change carrier / provider 2.9%12 I11 Get information about other SBC offices 2.5% 81.1%13 B6 Discuss bill 2.5%14 C2 Change optional service 1.9%15 F1 Fix the service 1.4%16 P4 Get information about a payment 1.1% 88.0%17 A8 Reconnect service 1.1% 89.1%


Task Frequencies

0%

2%4%

6%8%

10%12%

14%16%

18%

Customer Tasks

Fre

qu

ency


Class Discussion: Action-Objects

Customer Task

1 I want to pay my bill.

2 We are moving to the new address.

3 I made appointment, but the technician did not show up.

4 I want to add CallNotes.

5 How much is my bill?

6 I want to change my long distance carrier.

7 What does Caller ID cost?

8 What do I owe on phone bill?

9 I deserve a credit on my bill.

10 I have a question on my bill.


Step 2: Customer Perceptions

Card Sort Method: Customer’s perception of how customer tasks

should be grouped into menu items. They are given the most frequent customer tasks and asked to categorize them into logical groups.

Procedure: Sort (numbered) task cards into groups based

on the similarity of tasks. Rank groups in order of importance.

The more tasks are linked, the more they should be in the same menu structure.


Customer Frequency of Use

How often do the customers visit the interface?

Frequent daily use. Infrequent “walk up and use”.

Key behavior - do the customers remember the interface from one use to the next?


Customer Perception of Structure

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 121 94 10 9 8 5 8 4 8 13 29 30 62 10 94 25 32 59 7 63 22 27 5 13 173 9 25 94 25 22 5 19 44 21 4 13 314 8 32 25 94 26 14 28 7 50 7 5 75 5 59 22 26 94 7 67 32 26 3 17 256 8 7 5 14 7 94 7 8 6 5 14 117 4 63 19 28 67 7 94 26 25 5 15 228 8 22 44 7 32 8 26 94 10 5 22 519 13 27 21 50 26 6 25 10 94 7 11 10

10 29 5 4 7 3 5 5 5 7 94 14 511 30 13 13 5 17 14 15 22 11 14 94 1812 6 17 31 7 25 11 22 51 10 5 18 94


Customer Perception of Structure


2. Add Optional Service

3. New Service/Open Account

4. How to Use

5. Disconnect Optional Service

7. Change Optional Service

8. Disconnect Services/Close Account

12. Move Service

22. Reconnect Service

24. Schedule a Move


1. Get Info about Bill

10. Schedule a Payment

13. Information on Account

14. Discuss Bill

15. Get Information on Payment

17. Where to Make a Payment

18. Give Information on Payment

19. Make a Payment




Step 3: Design

Customer-Centric approach: – Customer Task Frequency Table identifies what

topics should be included on the menu.

– Card Sort identifies how to group menu items and how customers would structure the interface.

– Customer Opening Statements identify how to word or what language to use in the menu items.


Customer-Centric vs Business-Centric

0%

2%4%

6%8%

10%12%

14%16%

18%

Customer Tasks

Fre

qu

ency

Customer-Centric Design

Business-Centric Design


“Action-Object” in Design

Rank order of design styles (best to worst):

– Action-Specific Object. (e.g. “to order CallNotes”)

– Specific Object. (e.g. “for CallNotes”)

– Action-General Object. (“to order a service”)

– General Object. (e.g. “for all other questions”)


Customer-Centric Interfaces

Examples of Business-Centric menu items:

For orders, press 1. For repair, press 2.

Examples of Customer-Centric menu items:

To get information about your account, or our services and prices, press 1.

To get new service, move, change, or disconnect your service, press 2.

To report a problem with your service, press 3.


Pseudo-Problem

Business-CentricMenu

Customer-CentricMenu

# of Menu Options11 19


Cut-Throughs

5 10 15 201

Announcement

User Selection

Time in seconds

Ann. A

1

Ann. B

32 + 2 = 4

5 10 15 201

Announcement

User Selection

Time in seconds

Ann. A

9

Ann. A

32 + 10 = 12

5 10 15 201

Announcement

User Selection

Time in seconds

Ann. A

1- 3 + (-1) = -4

Ann. B

3

CRT Score

CRT Score

CRT Score


Cumulative Relative Time - CRT

-4

0

4

8

12

Customer-Centric Business-Centric


Step 4: Customer Usability Testing

Testing reduces risk. No matter how well the interface has worked in the past or on other applications, testing is a relatively quick inexpensive approach to reducing the risk.

We set up a controlled experiment to ensure that implementation surprises are minimized.

Approximately 100 customers (actually 96) perform tasks using the interface in order to achieve statistically valid results.

Normally, more than one design (usually four) is tested and evaluated.


Experimental Design

I I I I I IV1 B4 D2 A3 C12 A1 C3 B2 D43 D3 B1 C4 A24 C2 A4 D1 B3

5 A2 D4 C1 B36 C4 B2 A3 D17 B1 C3 D2 A48 D3 A1 B4 C2

9 D2 B1 A4 C310 A3 C4 D1 B211 B4 D3 C2 A112 C1 A2 B3 D4

13 A2 B4 D1 C314 B3 A1 C4 D215 C1 D3 B2 A416 D4 C2 A3 B1

17 A4 D1 B3 C218 D2 A3 C1 B419 C3 B2 D4 A120 B1 C4 A2 D3

21 A1 B4 C2 D322 D4 C1 B3 A223 B2 A3 D1 C424 C3 D2 A4 B1


Customer Satisfaction Comparison

Customer-Centric vs Business-Centric

0%

4%

8%

12%

16%

20%

Willing To Use Menu Relevant Menu Confidence in Menu

Pe

rce

nt

Imp

rove

me

nt


Customer-Centric Results

MARKETCUSTOMER

SATISFACTION CALL ROUTING

Consumer A 19% improvement 49% improvement

Small Business 27% improvement 37% improvement

Consumer B 22% improvement 26% improvement


Step 5: Refine Design for Implementation

Performance Matrix – Provides a view of two important performance indicators

(i.e. customer satisfaction and correct call routing). – Used to evaluate the performance of specific customer tasks.

High CustomerSatisfaction

Low CustomerSatisfaction

High Correct Call Routing

Low Correct Call Routing

Area of Good Design


Business-Centric Performance Matrix

Accomodated IVR Performance Matrix:PacBell Study

High Freq

Med Freq

Low Freq






Customer-Centric Performance Matrix

Customer-Centric IVR Performance Matrix:PacBell Study

High Freq

Med Freq

Low Freq






Post-Implementation Data


Comments

Assume reported data is wrong. Or, at minimum, the data is not what it appears. Lesson: always validate and verify data before performing analysis.

Key Step: Compare predicted to observed.

User Needs and User Profiling

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