user research - phase 2 | ez connect telecommunications
DESCRIPTION
The 2nd Phase of User Research for EZ Connect Telecomunications' user services.TRANSCRIPT
EZ Connect and Information Services 1
Information Services for
EZ Connect Pre-Paid Phone and Internet Service Provider
Pasquale J. FestaUniversity of Texas at Austin
INF382C – Dr. Chen7 March, 2007
EZ Connect and Information Services 2
I. Rationale for Evaluation
In my previous report I looked at the user group for the Austin based telecommunication
provider EZ Connect. In this installment I will narrow my focus down to look at the information
that is provided by EZ Connect for it's users and attempt to give a more detailed analysis of the
information services they provide for their user base.
II. About the Users
As stated previously, EZ Connect's user base is made up of a number of individuals from
diverse economic, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds. The majority of the users come from
homes with an income level below $20,000 a year and has a history of bad credit and difficulties
in making timely payments. The majority of users come from a minority background (i.e. non-
Caucasian) and 35% come from homes where Spanish is spoken in addition to English (J.
Esdorn, personal communication, February 8, 2007). Based upon the diverse information needs
of the user group, EZ Connect makes use of a number of communication channels, information
sources, and presentation methods to provide information to their diverse user group.
III. Information Needs
As the EZ Connect User group comes from an economically disenfranchised sector of the
public population, its information needs are more demanding than a more economically stable
user group's would be. In addition to requiring information in regards to the services that EZ
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Connect can provide for them, they also require information in regards to personal finance,
utility assistance and how to launch complaints against predatory utility companies. EZ Connect
sees itself as an organization that not only provides telecommunication capabilities to
underrepresented members of the state of Texas, but also takes on the added responsibility of
offering information that would be pertinent to helping its user base step out of the realm of
financial difficulty (J. Esdorn, personal communication, March 1, 2007). The information that
EZ Connect has to offer its user group is disseminated through a number of communication
channels. The three predominant means of offering information services to the users are through
print advertisement, a company website and human-to-human information exchange.
IV. Communication Channels
1. Advertisement
Advertisement serves as the front door to EZ Connect for its user group. Print ads are run
in local and community papers throughout the state of Texas in both English and Spanish. The
advertisements explain the pre-paid setup, notify potential users of where to call to setup phone
connection, express that the company does not require a number of prerequisites that other
telecommunication companies do, inform potential users of the company's ability to
communicate in both English and Spanish, and point customer's to the company homepage for
further information (J. Esdorn, personal communication, March 1, 2007).
2. Company Website
The EZ Connect homepage goes to great lengths to give users as much information as it
can in regards to the company mission, services offered, reasons for using their services, and
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applicable third-party services. The website on a whole acts as the primary information resource
concerning EZ Connect's services. Print ads point to this resource for users and it is here that EZ
Connect offers up the majority of its information. From the main page users can access
information regarding EZ Connect's products, services, pricing, service areas, payment
information, frequently asked questions, service center help, mission statement, charity
affiliations, member spotlights, contact info, and useful external links (“EZ Connect,” n.d.). The
site map of www.ezconnecting.com is expressed in diagram form below in Figure 1:
Figure 1: www.ezconnecting.com Homepage Information Services as of March, 2007.
3. Human-to-Human Communication
For users who are without Internet access, EZ Connect is capable of offering information
through human-to-human telephone contact. Representatives, who speak both English and
Spanish, are prepared to give users information in regards to the company, the services it offers
and reasons why a user may wish to partake in EZ Connect's services. Phone line connection can
be made through talking with a representative and all inquiries and questions regarding any
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aspect of EZ Connect's services, pricing guidelines, and long distance rates can be answered via
telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (“EZ Connect,” n.d.).
V. Information Provided
EZ Connect offers a host of services and information to their user base. In addition to the
local and long distance calling services that were highlighted in my previous paper, EZ Connect
makes sure to offer information in regards to local and federal trade commissions to its users.
Links to the Texas Public Utility Commission, The Federal Communications Commission
Association, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The National Regulatory Research Institute and
the Public Utility Homepage websites are all accessible through EZ Connect's "Useful Links"
page (“EZ Connect,” n.d.). As EZ Connect's user base is primarily made up of low-income
families, the organization offers access to information regarding low-income utility assistance,
consumer information, Energy efficiency programs, the "Do Not Call List" and ways in which to
file complaints against public utility providers through these third-parties (J. Esdorn, personal
communication, March 1, 2007).
In addition to offering pre-paid phone service, EZ Connect makes attempts at making
available information regarding other aspects of economics and finance for its user base. As the
mission statement of EZ Connect states explicitly, the focus of the organization is to provide
services for the underserved members of the Texas community. By connecting users to state and
federal agencies, EZ Connect provides pertinent information to members of the state of Texas
who may, otherwise, be in the dark in regards to the services that the state and federal utility
commissions offer to individuals suffering from financial hardship (J. Esdorn, personal
communication, March 1, 2007).
EZ Connect and Information Services 6
1. EZ Connect Information Services
The dominant information service that EZ Connect provides for its user group is the
existence of pre-paid local and long distance phone service that can be purchased free of
contract, without credit checks and without identification. Predominantly, EZ Connect offers its
user group information in regards to its services through print advertising, a company homepage
and human-to-human contact via phone and e-mail (“EZ Connect,” n.d.).
2. Third-Party Information Services
In addition to the telecommunication services that EZ Connect can offer to its users, it
also offers users information from Federal and State agencies concerned with public utilities by
linking these external third-party entities to their company website through a "Useful Links"
page (“EZ Connect,” n.d.).
VII. Presentation and Organization
Information is presented to the user group through multiple media uses. EZ Connect
relies on print advertisement, a company website, and human representatives as communication
agents for passing along pertinent information to their user group. By using multiple forms of
media for expressing information, EZ Connect accommodates the varying levels of information
intake that are inherent in its diverse user group. As advertisements and representatives utilize
EZ Connect and Information Services 7
both the English and Spanish languages, EZ Connect makes attempts at satisfying the broad
linguistic needs of its user group.
Organization of information is set up in a manner that allows information to flow to the
user group in a seamless fashion and the numerous methods for retrieving information (be they
advertisement, website or human representative) work together to help optimize the amount of
information the user group has access to without making information search a difficult task.
Advertisement acts as the front door for users, notifying them of EZ Connect’s services and
information. Human representatives take real-time, bilingual inquiries and offer information in
regards to the company, its services, and other pertinent information that the user group may find
of value. The Website acts as an information storage bank that allows users to access all aspects
of EZ Connect’s services and information and mediates between the user group and outside,
third-party information that may be of benefit. A graphical representation of this information
flow can be found below in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Graphical Representation of Information Flow for EZ Connect User Group for March, 2007.
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EZ Connect and Information Services 9
VIII. Key Observations
Due to the diverse nature and needs of the EZ Connect user group, it is important to
express information about the company and its services through a number of conduits
and media forms to best communicate to the varying needs of individual users.
EZ Connect utilizes print media advertising as a way of introducing its services and
providing users with basic, but necessary, information in regards to the company and
what it has to offer to them.
Human representatives and a company website act as agents for providing
information to users in regards to company services, telecommunication information
and possible third-party assistance.
Pertinent information regarding utilities, credit problems, and possible state and
federal assistance is offered to the user group through links to third-party information
providers.
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References
EZ Connect. Retrieved March 3, 2007 from http://www.ezconnecting.com.