Catherine Fox

Catherine's bio

Catherine Fox has been with Foviance for over two years and has a Masters in Human Computer Interaction. Since joining Foviance, Catherine has focused on a range of projects including those in the Leisure, Health, Travel, TV and Media, Logistics and not-for-profit sectors.

"I’m particularly interested in using ethnography techniques within new contexts to provide a wider understanding of the customers’ point of view, particularly when assessing multi-channel user experiences.”

Recently, I had to make a BACS transaction so I rang my bank and made the transfer of funds without any problem. However, within a few minutes, my mobile started to buzz – it was a text from my bank confirming the BACS transaction. My first response was surprise, as my bank had never contacted me this way before. My thoughts then turned towards security, wondering if this was some sort of scam or SMS advert. (more…)

Tip of the month:

Depending on the product being tested, consider if it is really necessary to conduct your research in the country of origin.

Using remote tools could be just as cost effective, allow for high levels of audience targeting and project control, and can provide a statistically significant sample as well as invaluable qualitative data.

Read more about International customer experience

There has been a new parking barrier set up near to where I live, which was very expensive to install yet has a significant design fault. When queuing up for a ticket, I would notice people in their cars sitting and waiting for a considerable amount of time in regards to collecting a parking ticket and for the barrier to open. The driver and the passengers were also as astonished as myself for their prolonged waiting time, which was down to one simple fault. (more…)

I was recently in an electronics store buying a remote controlled car. At the cash desk the sales assistant informed me that my product did not contain any batteries She also knew which ones I needed from the store, which thankfully also happened to be on sale! This type of input and customer service is not only helpful but also unobtrusive. Although this is a good marketing strategy, I appreciated her assistance and found it to be a good customer experience. (more…)

Jacob Nielsen has certainly created a ‘buzz’ recently in the online world of blogs and forums. The subject – password masking should be stopped.

He outlined his case in the article ‘Stop password masking’ (June 2009) in his recent bi-weekly column (Alertbox). Password masking is typically used for login screens and login dialog boxes. This is where the password is hidden using an asterisk symbol to mask or echo the characters being entered. (more…)

I recently received a DVD featuring video and photographical highlights from a friend’s wedding day. As much fun was experienced by all during the celebrations, I eagerly loaded my DVD player in the anticipation of spotting myself and my friends amongst the crowd. However, it was not to be as I was defeated at the first hurdle; I couldn’t understand how to navigate around the media. The top level menus were faint images of roses (I think!) and featured against a moving blurry background of rotating flower bouquets, in addition, the feedback for selection was non-existent and the labelling incomprehensible.

The poor usability of my friend’s wedding DVD could be forgiven as the DVD was compiled by the groom as a cost saving exercise using free software, however commercial DVD manufacturers can not use the same excuse. This experience led me to review various DVDs in my collection.

From exploring the first few, it was obvious that from a usability point of view DVD menus are generally poor – commonly a case of placing aesthetics over function. In other words, designers appear to view this medium as a creative arena where no rules apply.

In many cases, navigating menu options from simply playing the film to selecting individual chapters was frequently difficult and often frustrating. On one DVD, I drilled down within the special features section and the only way I could return to a start point was to reject the disk and reload the DVD!

As a result of these experiences, here are some suggestions for better presented and usable DVD menus:

• Keep the animations and menus within their own distinct regions on the screen. (Nothing is more frustrating than trying to assess feedback after making a selection against a rolling or busy background.)
• Ensure feedback is obvious e.g. highlight the current selection.
• Clearly label menu items; ensure the labels are intuitive. ‘Chapters’ are chapters, don’t reinvent the wheel – people just want to watch the film and the extras (not spend value leisure time working out the meaning of a label or a new way of navigating around a DVD.)
• Remember that users will be using one of the most frustrating selection devices invented by man, the remote. So don’t hide options and require the equivalent of a mouse over movement to highlight menu options.
• Always provide an escape route; there should be no dead ends when navigation down ‘levels’ within a DVD menu. For example, there should be direct mapping between the remote control’s rocker buttons and target operations, i.e. the up/down/left/right movement, should be direct and immediate.
• A user should always be able to return to a logical start point. (Nothing is more frustrating than having to eject a DVD and start the loading process all over again.)

Ask yourself this question, how many times do you want to watch the opening credits of a movie when exploring a DVD?

Like everyone, I am looking to make any savings I can in these times of the credit crunch. Judging by the number of emails, direct mail and cold telephone calls I have received in the last three months, it is obvious that companies are looking to take full advantage of this consumer mindset. I am constantly bombarded with offers, discounts and complicated saver deals on a daily basis via email, telephone and direct mail; ‘register online and save £20 a year’, ‘order now and get a £10 shopping voucher.’

Despite these temptations, I immediately delete ‘save now’ emails, recycle direct mail without reading it and hang up when cold called. I acknowledge that the grass is probably greener on the other side and that savings could be made by filling out a form online or speaking to customer service after listening to ‘Greensleeves’ for 20 minutes using a 0845 number. But there are two reasons I don’t do this. Firstly, I don’t have the time to compare all these offers and secondly, I am a ‘lazy’ customer.

I have been with the same utility company for 7 years and bank for over 20 years. There is rationale for this long term loyalty; these companies are known quantities. They provide a good product or service cross- channel and they treat me like a valued customer. If I have a problem, they fix it.

It is a simple equation, look after me and I am literally willing to pay a premium for this. For me, there is a risk involved in time, money and possible inconvenience, in becoming someone’s new customer for the sake of few pounds. In other words, I am less likely to switch service providers even if there are savings to be made elsewhere. These factors have a direct impact on my behaviour as a consumer.

For example, I recently switched mobile phone provider, the main reason for this was the awful customer experience I had with them for ten months. The entire time I had to deal with an unhelpful customer service department when there were technical problems connecting to their mobile phone service. The only solution offered was a request to pay more money to upgrade my phone. When the contract came to an end, the company still had the nerve to ask me to renew my contract. Not only was it confusing how they could believe I may wish to renew, but there were no offers of compensation and not even an apology. My experience lead me to discuss it with friends, two of them have now been influenced not to sign up with this particular mobile phone provider. See previous blog on the importance of cross-channel focus on customers.

However, the story could have been different if I had received prompt customer service and a quick resolution of the problem. The package was not the cheapest, but it was relatively comparable to other similar mobile phone packages on the market. Consequently, as a ‘lazy’ customer, I probably would have signed another 18 month contract without much thought.

I would like to use my bank as an exapmle of good cross-channel customer experience. They have always been helpful and last year, my current account fell victim to online fraud. My bank’s response was swift. They spoke to the police on my behalf, and vouched for my character, and within three days my funds were replaced. There are some better savings rates and current accounts out there, but I am unlikely to switch because of their impeccable customer service. Why take a risk and change?

I still find it difficult to understand why goods and service providers are paying no heed to the importance of the overall customer experience for their long-term customers. Companies should remember that ‘lazy’ customers like me make up a large bulk of their customer base. Existing customers can only add to a company’s profit. It is easier to sell to existing customers than generate new ones and finding new customers is time consuming and costly.

Of course if there is a fantastic deal out there I will pay attention, but it has to be worth my while to invest the time. Generally, I am happy in my customer laziness until prompted to take action. A strong prompt can include receiving poor customer service. Companies should remember that in these competitive times,  ’lazy’ customers can easily be turned into angry ones and angry customers, even lazy ones like me, do not tend to stay customers for long!

Our continuing research into the value of virtual agents as customer-facing online tools for businesses has yielded some very interesting responses from participants.

We wanted to find out how well virtual agents would be accepted as frontline substitutes for actual call centre staff. Our studies showed that the majority of helpdesks have noticed an ’80/20 rule’, whereby 80 percent of the calls they field are very similar and frequent, while only the smaller volume of calls requires more personal attention.

If implemented intelligently, taking into account the emotional and intellectual reactions of consumers, virtual agents can fill a round-the-clock, on-demand, self-service help role for busy organisations. They can help maintain genuine customer relationships, while freeing up the valuable time of real-life support staff who can then step into the fray if and when enquiries are escalated to a more hands-on channel.

One project conducted in conjunction with the Royal Mail caused us to look at prototype assistants as part of a more general study into customer awareness and acceptance of virtual agents. As well as being a pleasing visual element for a support page, virtual agents give customers the impression that there is someone actively helping them. They add a human feel to any website, providing a business with a consistent face.

Participants in our studies responded very positively to virtual agents, despite the fact many people remained unsure as to whether the characters were simply a rich help feature, or a genuine live chat session. (We recommend businesses clarify that the agent isn’t live with text close to the agent’s image.) A number of respondents simply enjoyed the virtual agent concept, judging it to be “cool” as well as a useful tool for secondary help and for “weird or exceptional” enquiries they couldn’t find answers to elsewhere on the page.

Once implemented, it’s vital that any virtual agent is populated with sufficient relevant support information to be of genuine help to customers. On average, respondents in our study said they would attempt to use the virtual agent two to three times before abandoning the feature.

As you would expect, choosing the face for the agent is very important. Faces need to look trustworthy, helpful, informal and cheerful, but not dishonest, false, unprofessional or stern. Model looks and fake smiles were big no-nos with our sample, while a certain amount of maturity was considered a bonus.

Perhaps less obvious were the reasons given for choosing the right name for an agent. Unusual or old-fashioned names were given the boot, as were names considered “upper class”. Simple, common names were thought of as far more friendly and helpful sounding. From this feedback we quickly realised that smiling, smart, approachable faces named Sarah, Laura or Kate were going to prove far more popular than sharp looking characters in business suits (or overly casual dress) named Olivia, or Polly. It can be surprising what characteristics appeal or don’t appeal to a test sample, but given a broad range of feedback and provided with the explanations behind choices, a clear picture of general preferences quickly builds.

On the whole, customers are perfectly willing to suspend belief and cooperate with a virtual agent, but they have to believe in and want to like the virtual person they are faced with. Royal Mail’s web-based self-service virtual agent ‘Ask Sarah‘ is integrated with the organisation’s other online services as well as its parcel tracking system and delivery status updates. Revealingly, Sarah has helped to raise Royal Mail’s web site hits from 3.5 million in 2007 to 4.5 million in the first half of this year alone.