Captivate, Configure and Coach... Doug Overton describes a new WDSGlobal model for driving service adoption through on-device support

7th November 2006

Have you ever wondered why services such as WAP or MMS failed to live up to the revenue expectations set by marketers and industry pundits?

It is easy to blame the lack of subscriber adoption on overpriced tariffs, but when all-inclusive or advertising subsidised tariffs still fail to stimulate interest it is time to analyse the user experience to find the answers...

WDSGlobal studies have highlighted that the greatest inhibitors to service adoption reside in three ‘user experience’ areas:

1. Firstly, many users will fail to recognise any benefits in using the service / feature. Most user manuals will explain operation of a service or feature, but will fail to promote the benefits of the service to the user. Therefore unless exposed to external marketing forces, or given a guided tour by a friend ‘in the know’ it is unlikely that simple curiosity will drive them down the adoption path.
   
   
2. Users who have made the effort to try a service find that in many cases it is not configured for ready usage, and as such fall at the second adoption hurdle. WDSGlobal call reports still illustrate this trend, with 47% of all received calls relating to device configuration. This figure represents the people who have made the effort to overcome the configuration hurdle by calling a customer service department; many others will simply abandon the process, leaving the feature redundant on the device.
   
   
3. The final hurdle resides in the usability of the application itself. Many users simply find the operation of the feature or service too complex or involved, and consequently abandon its usage after only a few attempts. . Recent studies by WDSGlobal into device returns trends highlighted that 38% of devices returned as ‘faulty’, were abandoned due to users struggling with their complexity.

Each of these three factors could of course be overcome through some handholding and tuition from a WDSGlobal customer service agent; but what if the user doesn’t make the effort to phone the service center?

Furthermore, what if they also fail to venture into the operator / manufacturer self-service portal in aid of assistance? Unfortunately, the majority of users fit this description, preferring to explore their new product of their own accord.

While this is indeed admirable, it is sadly the path that most often results in service abandonment.

So how can you deliver the all-essential support and training to the user, if not via the web or the telephone? The answer is to place the support content directly into the hands of the user via their device.

This relatively new approach to mobile self-service is the focus of the latest WDSGlobal paper, entitled ‘Captivate, Configure and Coach: a model for on-device customer support’.

The paper outlines a model for the implementation of on-device support as a mechanism for addressing the three common inhibitors outlined in the start of this article:

Captivate

To address the issue of users failing to see the application or benefit of a device feature or service, WDSGlobal captivation content would deliver key marketing messages, usage scenarios and usage benefits to the user through engaging multi-media content. This content could be delivered through video platforms such as 3GP / MPG4 which could encapsulate 3D imagery, motion video and audio narrative.

In essence, Captivation content is about ‘luring’ the customer into the application, so that they give it a try. It is akin to a restaurateur who touts his business in the street encouraging passes by to take a look at the menu.

Configure

Once the user has been ‘hooked’ by the captivation content, it is important that they are ‘reeled’ in carefully, as their interest could be lost at even the slightest of stumbling blocks. For services such as email, a major stumbling block is often the complex process of configuration.

WDSGlobal development teams are working continuously to improve the process of configuration, utilising cutting edge techniques to enhance the navigational ‘flow’ to reduce the number of user interactions required.

XHTML technology enables WDSGlobal to take its market leading platform to the device itself, negating the need for the user to visit a desktop web self-serve portal.

fig 1. WDSGlobal development teams are working continuously to improve the process of configuration

Coach

Finally the device should deliver ‘coaching’ style tutorials aimed at talking the user through the application or feature concerned. The recent widespread proliferation of FlashLite as a mobile platform has enabled the creation of media rich interctive on-device tutorials for compliance across a broad spectrum of devices.

One of the challenges presented by the delivery of on-device support content, is how you can deliver it to the user effectively without encroaching upon the operational usability of the software. The CCC paper outlines a number of approaches to tackling this problem, from first time usage or contextual support through to standalone support menus.

fig 2. The device should deliver ‘coaching’ style tutorials aimed at talking the user through the application or feature concerned.

Why write a paper?

For many years now WDSGlobal have established a reputation as thought leaders in the specialist support and device management arenas. Clients regularly invite WDSGlobal representatives to participate in brainstorming sessions where customer support and product launch strategies are shaped.

To this end, the Strategic Marketing team will be producing a variety of topical papers moving forward to support the account teams that are engaging upon these discussions. The subject of these papers will be determined by the topical relevance of the issue from a technical, industry and client demand perspective.

With many clients raising the issue of on-device support, coupled with the uplift in FlashLite as an on-device platform, the launch of the CCC paper should prove timely; providing benefit to all CFU staff looking to promote our thought leadership status or stimulate conversation around the subject.

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This page was last updated on Tuesday, November 6, 2007.