User Research - Phase 2 | EZ Connect Telecommunications

EZ Connect and Information Services

Information Services for EZ Connect Pre-Paid Phone and Internet Service Provider

Pasquale J. Festa University of Texas at Austin INF382C – Dr. Chen 7 March, 2007

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EZ Connect and Information Services

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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. nonCaucasian) 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 Connect can provide for them, they also require information in regards to personal finance,

EZ Connect and Information Services 3 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

EZ Connect and Information Services 4 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

EZ Connect and Information Services 5 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

EZ Connect and Information Services commissions offer to individuals suffering from financial hardship (J. Esdorn, personal

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communication, March 1, 2007).

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

EZ Connect and Information Services 7 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 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.

EZ Connect and Information Services

Figure 2: Graphical Representation of Information Flow for EZ Connect User Group for March, 2007.

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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.

EZ Connect and Information Services References EZ Connect. Retrieved March 3, 2007 from http://www.ezconnecting.com.

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