QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF AN E-MAIL MEDIATED HELP SERVICE

Many organizations are developing e-mail mediated help services, altho ugh the implications of using e-mail for client service are not yet fu lly understood. A qualitative study of a successful service was develo ped incorporating content analysis of service logs and interviews with staff and users. Two models of ideal service exchanges emerge: concis e question/response dyads and extended dialog. Staff tend to consider dialog typical, while users almost exclusively consider the minimum ex change normal. Service logs show most exchanges are simple question/an swer pairs where users explicitly request instructions, explanations, brief informational answers, or direct intervention by staff. However, users sometimes underspecify their request or omit needed information while staff often respond incompletely to queries. This frequent omis sion of information places significant stresses on a dyadic exchange m odel. As users become more experienced in the using e-mail for request ing service, broader acceptance and use of a dialog model of help prov ision might occur.