Reach out and touch someone

by Geoff Hart

Previously published as: Hart, G. 2002. Reach out and touch someone. http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/magazine/usersadvocate/usersadvocate_reachout.html

Whenever we write something, whether in print or online, we try to produce information that satisfies as many readers as possible because we require a "one size fits all" solution: we're not physically present to tailor our approach to each individual, as we’d do in a conversation, and we must instead meet a potentially wide range of needs in a single document. The difficulty in this communication arises from the many options we have available: in addition to choosing between differing media (e.g., print vs. online), we must pick the right communication style (formal vs. casual, technical vs. simplified, etc.), and it can be tricky indeed to pick the right combination of options for each individual member of our audience.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s restrict this topic to the choice of medium. With print, the medium most of us are still most familiar with, we’re forced to rely on static text, since the text can't change until we rewrite it and distribute a new printout. Given how fast things change nowadays, that’s not always an acceptable solution. Moving information online makes it easier to revise and distribute, but actually updating the information still requires a writer. Reassuring though that is, it focuses our thought process so narrowly on the process of revision and distribution that we may ignore alternative approaches that let us more effectively reach customers with our various messages. Consider, for example, the potential of being able to customize our message, something that remains uneconomical in print despite advances in database publishing and “direct to press” printing.

Many Web sites offer customization features that let visitors log on and create a profile that tells the site to display only the components they really want to see; subsequently, the site loads this profile when the visitor logs in and customizes the nature of the information being presented based on the profile. This approach partially addresses the differing needs of our audience because, at the broadest level, it lets visitors choose their own categories of content and how these categories are displayed. But this only addresses the interface between visitors and information and which categories of information to present; it doesn't affect the nature of the information. We can also resolve this problem to some extent by (for example) creating summary and detailed versions of any given topic for visitors who want different levels of detail or by using database technology to let visitors dynamically generate their own information through database queries. (Think, for example, of a search engine that provides access to complete contact information for individuals, but that lets the user display only a phone number or e-mail address if that’s all they need.) Unfortunately, both approaches still only repackage existing, static information, and do a poor job of mimicking the flexibility possible with human intervention.

If our goal is to flexibly provide readers with the information they require, conventional technology offers several solutions. E-mail is the most obvious, since it lets questioners choose just about any form and content for their questions, and lets us take advantage of the remarkable ingenuity and flexibility of a human response; the human factor can also help ensure an appropriate style and content for each response if the respondent recognizes cues in the question and uses them to determine how best to frame their response. However, certain respondents may lack the knowledge or skill required to respond adequately, or may be unavailable because they’re on vacation or are busy responding to other queries; thus, e-mail usually involves some degree of delay and the risk of an inadequate response. Message boards, mailing lists, and discussion groups improve on e-mail by permitting responses from many people, at least one of whom is likely to be immediately available. (Think of how Raycomm’s own techwr-l mailing list works, for example.) “Chat” or “instant messaging” systems take this approach to its logical extreme by removing the delay inherent in e-mail, since they provide immediate, interactive feedback—provided someone is available to chat. There's no substitute for this approach when the situation is complex enough to require the flexibility of a human mind and ongoing, immediate, responsive interaction until the visitor's need has been satisfied.

We do our audience a disservice if, through our focus on traditional online help, we ignore these other possibilities. Unfortunately, all these conventional approaches require human intervention, and if we’re providing the information ourselves rather than in a public forum, these solutions can be expensive (staffing and training costs) and risky: responding adequately takes time, and inadequate or delayed responses may anger customer and send them elsewhere. An ideal solution would combine the power of human interaction with an automated solution, and new technology is close to providing that solution: the "virtual representative" (v-rep). V-rep software translates "natural language" queries written in normal English into terms the software understands, uses the result to search for relevant information, then translates the answers back into comprehensible English. The technology is imperfect, but surprisingly effective. Take a look at the solutions provided by OneToOne.co.uk ("Yasmin"), WeTheShoppers.com ("Aunt Ethel"), and Beauty.com ("Jordan") to see the state of the art in this technology. [A look back from 2005: Clearly I was too optimistic. All three solutions, though very cool for their time, have since disappeared.—GH]

Elegant stuff, right? Yes, but as anyone who's ever used a search engine or a site map knows, software often fails because of inadequate planning or immaturity of the technology, and even if you adopt v-rep technology, you'll still need a variety of solutions that provide alternative means of satisfying customer needs. That’s where we come in. With any technology-based approach, technology is the enabler, not the solution: someone must still work with customers to understand the range of solutions they require and how to implement each solution effectively, in terms that they can understand. Conventional print and online information still has a place in our work, but increasingly, we’ll be called on to think beyond these approaches. Spend some time investigating the communication solutions I’ve mentioned so that you’ll be ready to use them when they’re appropriate.