Re: online feedback methods

["Rick Stone" <rstone75 -at- kc -dot- rr -dot- com>]

Hi Stacia

Just an observation from my perspective.

I have to wonder how effective the Microsoft solution really is in actual 
practice. I mean, it would be an awfully labor intensive task to take the 
time to analyze each of these that came in and correlate it with the 
appropriate help topic. Particularly if it were used frequently. I guess 
I've always taken the stance that this was put into place more to allow 
frustrated users to get a "warm fuzzy" that Bill Gates himself might 
actually viewing each and every one of these that gets submitted and 
cracking the whip on the developers and documenters to straighten things up 
pronto. Of course we all know that reality is probably far from that scene. 
;) Who knows? Maybe they really DO use the feedback. Maybe that's how Clippy 
was born. Gee, if only I could have a talking paper clip ask me endless 
questions that don't seem to be related to what I'm really trying to do 
here!

I think it also will depend on your audience. I come from experience with a 
call center environment. In this environment, if half a second can somehow 
be shaved off call time, that's what you want to do. The poor souls that 
staff these environs are measured this way. So you can only imagine how 
effective and useful such a feedback mechanism would be in this situation. 
Hmmm, I'm already 2 minutes over my "limit" for this call, do I spend 
another minute or so filling out the feedback and risk another "talk" about 
my slipping performance level with my supervisor?

Just a thought. I know it all depends on the audience. ;)

Cheers and happy Monday... Rick :)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stacia Marlett" <smarlett -at- digitalriver -dot- com>
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 1:13 PM
Subject: online feedback methods


Hello fellow TWs,

Since I had so much great feedback from my last query (about error
messaging standards), I thought I'd quiz you kind folks again.

We're going to revamp our feedback system for our online help. Currently
we assign a URL to a button at the bottom of each help topic. Clicking
the button opens a new window with a bunch of questions and a Submit
button. Then someone else in our group puts the feedback in a
spreadsheet. We've gotten very little feedback over the course of a year
with our online help system.

Plus, we've abandoned the unique URL in most recent help topics because
we ran out of numbers (to tack onto the end of the URL) and nobody
seemed to know how to get more. This method was way too much work. We
also recognize that our feedback form was way too long.

Does anyone have any good feedback examples that they've seen or
implemented themselves? I do like Microsoft's "Was this helpful" yes or
no and then you write a little text why and hit submit.

Thanks!
-Stacia 


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