kjt - chat startup
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Start-up of chat service
Geert StrobbeTeamleader chat team
Secretary of Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 2
Agenda
• Our starting point• First counsellors• Lessons learned (first year)• Questions from & advices to starting
organisations• Accessibility factors for a chat service
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 3
The starting point...
• Decreasing number of phone call in 2002– Note: at that time our number wasn’t free. Since we have
our free number we’ve had an enormous boost of phone calls
• Mini-study– Conclusion: rising importance of “new media”– Different options...
Group I ndividual
“I mmediate” Chatroom Private Chat
“With Delay” Forum E-mail
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 4
Chatroomyoung people discuss among each other
• Characteristics– Group discussion– Discussion between
young people– Childhelpline as
moderator– Via Website (www.kjt.org)– Technology: “chatroom”– Anonymous (“nickname”)– Emancipatory– Frequency:
• E.g. Every Wednesday evening
– Thematic ?– Jargon
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 5
Private ChatYoung people come with question(s) to
counsellor• Characteristics
– Chat between two people– Chat with ChildHelpLine
counsellor– Dialogue = comparable to
telephone– Via Website (www.kjt.org)– Technology: “messenger”,
“private chat”– Anonymous (“nickname”)– Frequency:
• On long term: daily opening hours, as for the telephone
– Difficult to express emotions?– Jargon
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 6
ForumYoung people help each other
• Characteristics– Group discussion (off-line)– Discussion between
young people– ChildHelpLine as
moderator– via Website (www.kjt.org)– technology: “Newsgroup”– Anonymous (“nickname”)– Emancipatory– Structured around topics– Frequency: continuous– Jargon
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 7
Our choice: Private Chat
• Anonymous• (nearly) Free: parents pay internet-connection
– Less than 10% via dial-up (90% ADSL, cable,...)
• and easily accessible for young people...– 85% of young people have access to a PC with internet access
Indien je een PC met internetaansluiting hebt: welk type van aansluiting heb je?
50%
8%
40%
2%
ADSL
Telefoonlijn
Kabel
ISDN
Welke communicatiemiddelen heb jij ter beschikking ?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Telefoon GSM PC zonderinternetaansluiting
PC metinternetaansluiting
%nee
%ja73%80%
10%
85%
Resultats Of our poll...
+/- 10 years ago...
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 8
CounsellorsRecruitment & Selection
• The first counsellors were recruted out of the pool of phone counsellors. (with at least one year of experience).– Advantages:
• Understand the basics of our organisation• Possible to compare with/start from telephone experience• Counsellors are able to help with start-up• Enthousiasm: pioneering
– Disadvantages:• Organisation: first counsellors supporting several communication channels
• Interview– Verify a number of basic points:
• “basics” of the organisation must be understood• Counsellor must be able to type/or be ready to learn it• Avoid wrong expectations
– Chat as a counsellor ( not a “free” chat )– One chat at a time
• Ready to participate in additional supervision sessions for chat
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 9
CounsellorsTraining (1)
• Classic training (3 days)– Technical training
• Chatsoftware• Specific aspects for registration
– Conversation methodology training• Chat as communication channel (typical limitations /
possibilities)• Chat as helpline
– (Re)view the 5-steps model from a chat-viewpoint– Role play with team members (+ feedback)– Role play with youngsters (+ feedback !!)
– Content (thematical) course is separate / common for all channels
• No “new” subjects pop-up (but some shifts appear)
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 10
CounsellorsTraining (2)
• Practical training: reading – Not possible (with first team members)
• Compensation: invite youngsters for training session with feedback
• Practical training: writing– Not possible (with first team members)
• Compensation: start with duo-sessions, where two counsellors work together on one chat, to acquire knowledge, self-confidence,...
• Supervision– Separate supervision for chat-team (not together with telephone) – Goal: discuss about chat-related issues, share solutions, agree on
common approach,...
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 11
Lessons learned (first year)
• Characteristics– Average duration : 22 min
• Slow: Limits the number of chats that a counsellor can do on one evening
– Mainly girls (+/- 60 %, comparable to e-mail)– Age: 14 – 17 jaar (estimation)– Limited number of recurring callers– Often “heavy” chats on “difficult” subjects– High quality chats of the counsellors (high level of emphathizing, ...)– (nearly) No scolding/giggling chats– Low threshold to start chat
• Short “step 1” (acquintance)• Lots of young people say “I don’t dare to call you on the phone”
– Safety: distant and close at the same time• !!!• As well for young people as for the counsellor
– More requests than we can answer– Closer to phone than to e-mail
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Typical questions from starting organisations(and some good advice )
• Chat Software– Chat software– Integration with other tools: website, intranet, transcripts, registration,...– Training environment– “Identity management” : correct management of user names, passwords,...
• Chat: start of “virtual office”– Share documents via the internet: time tables (permanences), documentation, ...
• Anonymity: Communicate about sex of counsellor ?– If useful in chat, why not ?
• No “free chat”– Don’t worry: in practice, most chats handle about difficult subjects– A counsellor is doing only one chat at a time– High counsellor satisfaction
• Chat duration– Maximum duration of chat (guideline) (E.g. 60 min)– Closing time– Pick a topic: “What’s now the most important for you?”– On the good way? Check where you are, half way (e.g. after 30 min)– Sometimes youngsters are “multi-tasking” – Sometimes we must help to end the chat (do you have another question?)
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 13
Typical questions from starting organisations(and some good advice )
• Advice: start from “the known” environment (telephony), and translate to chat– Conversation methodology,... – Concepts: recurring callers, “click”, “silent”,...– Supervision / intervision
• Language– Less formal than in normal written language (even e-mail)– But, typically, yougsters adapt their language to the (old) counsellor– Less jargon than expected
• Organisation– Find balance between “staying within the organisation” and “experimenting with new
things” (in order to cope with new challenges)
• Counsellors / building a team– Start(ed) from experienced telephone counsellors.
• Listen to/understand/solve the upcoming problems• Let them be proud about themselves: the pioneering experience• “boot-strapping”: grow step by step
– Extend later with brand new counsellors (when start-up is under control, experience is there,...)
23-10-2007 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 14
Typical questions from starting organisations(and some good advice )
• Chat transcript available for caller (or not)?• Counsellors / transcripts
– Transcripts are literally what’s said (only missing point is “timing”)– Requires openness/trust of the counsellors– Everybody can read all chats in the registration tool
• Chat location– Chat requires concentration from counsellor. Most /all counsellors chat from home
(conditions: quite place, no disturbances from family, no family around,...)
• Quality guarantee– Start with duo-sessions (two counsellors for one chat) to build experience and self-
confidence
• Recurring chatters
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Factors that make chat service accessible for target group
• Internet access for target group– Cost (ADSL vs PSTN), – Personal PC (in bedroom) or shared PC (in living room), – ...
• Finding the way to the chat– Via website ? (# visitors/timeframe)
• When target group is on website? What do they do on the website?,...• Clear icons,...
• Alignment of openinghours with expectations of the target group? – E.g. Before parents are at home, ...
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