Research Proposal Pasquale J. Festa INF382C – Understanding and Servicing Users Prof. Chen I. Title of Research Study: Evaluation of User Services for EZ-Connect Telecommunication Company II. Investigators: Pasquale J. Festa Graduate Student; School of Information pfesta@ischool.utexas.edu, ph: 512.749.2510 Hsin-Liang (Oliver) Chen (faculty sponsor) Assistant Professor; School of Information chen@ischool.utexas.edu III. Hypothesis, Research Questions, or Goals of the Project:

The goal of this project is to facilitate direct user input in regards to the quality and success of EZ Connect's user and information services. It is hypothesized that user opinion and degree of satisfaction with company services will act as a barometer for the organization in terms of measuring the overall effectiveness of services and may act as a test to gain a better understanding of how well EZ Connect's current practices are in tune with its stated mission goals. High degrees of satisfaction will point to how effective current business practice may be. Low degrees of satisfaction will illustrate that changes in company policy and practice should be examined more thoroughly for the sake of satisfying user needs.

IV. Background and Significance:

EZ Connect is an Austin, Texas based telecommunication service provider that offers services to citizens of the state of Texas in over 300 cities. The company had approximately 1,200 customers as of February, 2007 with a monthly growth rate of about 80 customers. At the time EZ Connect expected to double its growth rate within 6 months. As it is expected that EZ Connect’s user population will enlarge greatly in the coming months it would be beneficial for the company to take a look at the quality of its services in terms of user satisfaction at this juncture in the company’s history. EZ Connect is a relatively small company and consists of five home office locations based in the major metro areas of Texas. EZ Connect sees itself not only as a “for profit” company, but also takes on the added role of a social agent and works to help underrepresented members of the Texas community. The company works on a pre-paid basis and will provide services

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to users regardless of credit history or past payment difficulties with other phone providers. The EZ Connect mission statement reads as follows, "To offer affordable, reliable and high quality telephone and Internet service to the under-served citizens of Texas" ("EZ Connect," n.d.). This research proposal sees that an evaluation of user acceptance and service design are necessary to understand how to create an acceptable product (Dillon and Morris, 5). To better understand the successfulness of EZ Connect and its services it is important to facilitate user feedback in regards to if they are utilizing the technologies offered by the organization to their fullest potential. As EZ Connect has a two-fold agenda of being both a for-profit company and socially active organization, it is necessary to incite user feedback for the sake of determining if the organization has achieved its goal. EZ Connect utilizes a number of resources for offering telecommunication, information and social services to its user group. Because of this it is necessary to make an in-depth analysis of to what degree each of its services is being utilized and how effective they are in terms of user satisfaction. Information design is of extreme importance as it an arrangement of organization models that provide context and meaning for information (Peterson, 17). As the fundamental means for service between EZ Connect and its user group is based upon communication, it is necessary to look at the manner in which signals are produced, transmitted, received, and deciphered for and by the user group (Peterson, 22). By asking the user group how effective the tools utilized by EZ Connect are in terms of fulfilling their service needs, EZ Connect will come to have a greater understanding of how their organizational make up, services, and practices must be shaped for the expected growth in its user population. In designing this research project it is necessary to have a set of clear objectives in terms of goals. Fundamentally, the goal is to make an adequate appraisal of EZ Connect as an organization in terms of satisfying its users’ needs. For the most part, the EZ Connect user group is greatly diverse in terms of language, ethnicity, income, and locality and due to this the individual needs of users may vary greatly. By facilitating active communication between EZ Connect and its user group it will be possible to make an accurate evaluation of the organization in terms of its own mission and goals. The organization’s objectives are to provide its user group with quality services and for it to do this effectively it is necessary that the organization understand its own philosophy, identify its stakeholders and know its business tasks (Henczel, 25). This research proposal is of great significance because it is beneficial to the EZ Connect organization, its user group, and greater society. As EZ Connect is a for-profit company, but has a built in degree of social activism embedded within its structure, research into the effectiveness of this organization has the potential for shaping business practice on a greater scale. As the company is expected to grow in the coming months, research into the effectiveness of its services would allow the organization the ability to shift with its

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growing user base and maintain a standard level of quality in terms of user services while attempting to keep in-house costs to a minimum. In addition, user needs, which have the potential to be overlooked in the coming organization growth spurt, will be given a degree of priority by the organization that would allow for the maintenance of service standards during this potentially chaotic moment in organization history. As EZ Connect wishes to provide underserved members of the Texas community with quality service in regards to telecommunications and public utility information, it would be beneficial for a vast number of individuals throughout the state for this research proposal to see fruition.

V. Research Method, Design, and Proposed Statistical Analysis:

Research methodology is based on the belief that direct input from the user group in regards to satisfaction and needs in terms of services and information offered by EZ Connect will facilitate and strengthen company understanding of necessary improvements and current successful practices. Research will be conducted through questionnaires given to EZ Connect users. One questionnaire will be numerically based (i.e. a 1-10 scale form of measurement) and act as a measurement tool for quantifying user satisfaction with services and the organization's practices. A second questionnaire will allow for free form input from users in regards to needs and opinions on current and future services.

Questionnaires have been chosen as the research method and design form as the EZ Connect user group is geographically dispersed throughout the state of Texas. Postal mail will act as the message carrier and allow for communication between the organization and its users despite the existence of physical distance between the two.

Data will be analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The numerical based questionnaire will be statistically analyzed with averages of satisfaction levels in regards to services being computed. Averages will allow for a general view of the degree of effectiveness of particular facets of the EZ Connect information and service spectrum. The free form questionnaire will act as a qualitative analysis tool. By asking open ended questions and allowing for free user input, possible changes and future practices may be devised in a manner that allows for a potential organization architecture that is theorized through "out-of-the-box" thinking not possible through solely internal means.

VI. Human Subject Interactions: A. Sources of Potential Participants:

Potential participants will be pooled from the EZ Connect customer database. The EZ Connect user population is made up of approximately 1,200 users from diverse backgrounds in terms of their language, ethnicity, income and locality. Due to the levels of difference in terms of individual users, it would prove most effective to maximize the number of participants so that an accurate picture of the

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user group may be analyzed. All users will be given the opportunity to participate in the study though it is theorized that there will be a number who opt out. As this is the case, all users who choose to participate in the study will be counted in the research data so that the level of accuracy in terms of the sample pool in regards to its reflection on the actual user population may be maximized. As the EZ Connect user group is linguistically diverse (approximately 35% is of a Hispanic background) consent forms and questionnaires will be offered in both English and Spanish. As a number of users may be more fluent in Spanish than English it is advisable that input be allowed in both languages as to best reflect the needs of the entire user group. Attached to this proposal you will find the English version of the consent form and questionnaires. Following IRB approval, consent forms and questionnaires will be translated into Spanish and both languages will be represented in all information packets sent to potential participants.

B. Procedures for the Recruitment of the Participants:

Participants will be recruited through the EZ Connect billing system. A letter inviting users to participate in the study, consent forms and questionnaires will be included in a monthly billing statement sent to users. To give users an incentive in participating in the research, EZ Connect will offer $10 worth of free Long Distance service to all users who participate in the study. It is believed that offering an incentive will maximize user participation and allow for a more accurate data collection in terms of correspondence to the user group. In addition, the offering of this incentive will build a healthy relationship with the user group and strength user trust of the organization making it more likely for users to actively participate in offering feedback and give honest opinions in regards to the questions asked of them. For a copy of recruitment letter content see Appendix A.

C. Procedure for Obtaining Informed Consent:

User consent will be obtained through consent forms mailed along with the initial recruitment letter and the accompanying questionnaires. While it is possible to forego asking for participant consent in this particular study, the decision is made to ask for consent as personal information will be gathered for the sake of understanding user demographics more intimately. In addition, names and other personal information are required for the compensation portion of the study. The consent form utilized for this research project can be found in Appendix B.

D. Research Protocol:

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Participants will be asked to answers a number of questions regarding the quality, utilization and overall success of EZ Connect telecommunication, user, and information services. Questionnaires may be answered on the user’s own time and allow for flexibility in terms of where and when participation will take place. A Deadline will be set so that data may be collected in a timely manner. The two questionnaires and consent for should take approximately 30 to 60 minutes to complete though this may vary based upon the proficiency of the user. Date to be collected is of three specific types. Personal data (1) will be collected solely for the compensation facet of the study and will not be looked at for research purposes. Demographic data (2) will be collected to put together a more accurate picture of the EZ Connect user group. Input data (3) will be collected through the utilization of questionnaires for the sake of coming to an understanding of user needs, satisfaction and usability in terms of EZ Connect services. Copies of all questionnaires to be utilized in this research project can be found in Appendix C.

E. Privacy and Confidentiality of Participants:

Privacy: Privacy will be maintained through (1) the creation of a data collection method that is as minimally intrusive and (2) letting all personal data reside with EZ Connect as such personal data is already within the company’s possession. Confidentiality: Confidentiality will be maintained by leaving personal information out of the data analysis. Any personal data collected will be used solely for the compensation aspect of the study and will not factor into the research proposal. Demographic information will not be tied to user identity and will only be utilized for statistical purposes.

F. Confidentiality of the Research Data: Personal data will be stored at EZ Connect’s home office in Austin, Texas. This will ensure a degree of security and confidentiality in regards to participant personal information. The investigator will not have access to participants’ personal information and will look at all questionnaires without taking into account such information. All demographic information (language, ethnicity, income, etc.) will be looked at without any connection to personal identities. After completion of the research project all questionnaires may be destroyed to ensure a greater degree of privacy and confidentiality for all participants involved.

G. Research resources:

This research project requires a minimum in terms of resources. Questionnaires will be formulated and created by the investigator, but reproduced and disseminated by the EZ Connect organization. Equipment requirements are minimal and consist of simply computer and printer access and spreadsheet and word processing software. As there are virtually no risks for participants in this

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study, no extra precautions are required in terms of having access to medical or emergency care. In addition, no psychological risks can be foreseen as coming into effect due to this research project.

VII. Potential risks:

None.

VIII. Potential benefits:

Potential benefits of this research proposal are plentiful. As EZ Connect takes as its mission to provide underrepresented members of the Texas community with telecommunication services and offers to them, as a supplement, information regarding consumer rights with public utility companies, this research project has the potential to:

• Help strengthen an organization that works to provide its user group with quality service at a reasonable price.

• Create a greater degree of trust between the user group and the organization.

• Allows EZ Connect to gathering information that would help the organization to make adequate changes and keep successful practices in place that benefit and satisfy its user group.

Beyond potential benefits for those directly involved in the research project exists the potential for successive benefits with broader implications. These may be characterized as:

• Social Benefits: Research into the EZ Connect will have implications

which allow for the potential growth and strengthening of a socially responsible organization. In addition, underserved users of the Texas community will be provided with a greater quality of service once the effectiveness and efficiency of EZ Connect’s services are directly analyzed.

• Business Benefits: EZ Connect can be conceptualized as a socially responsible business model. Understanding its method of operations, the way in which services are perceived by its users and the overall effectiveness of its methodology in terms of its mission may have a positive impact on business strategy for yet to come organizations.

• Personal Benefits: EZ Connect’s user group will benefit greatly from direct participation in the shaping and designing of the EZ Connect service and information structure. All input will come back in the form of organization service application.

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IX. Agencies involved in the Research Project:

The only other agency outside of the University of Texas at Austin involved in this research project is the EZ Connect Telecommunication Company of Austin, Texas. EZ Connect, being an integral part of the research process and one of the chief beneficiaries, is willing to participate in the research project and will furnish a letter of consent after review of the investigator’s formal proposal and suggested questionnaires.

X. Review by another IRB: N/A. XI. References:

Dillon, A., & Morris, M. (1996). User Acceptance of Information Technology: Theories and Models. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. Medford NJ: Information Today; 3-32. EZ Connect. (2003). Retrieved on April 27, 2007 from http://www.ezconnecting.com. Henczel, S. (2001). The Information Audit: A Practical Guide. Munich: Saur. Pettersson, R. (2002). Information design: An Introduction. Amsterdam: John Benjamins

Publishing Company.

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Appendix A Letter for Recruitment of Participants

EZ Connect Telecommunication Company 609 West 31 ½ Street

Austin, TX 78705 (877)4-TALK-TX

(877)482-5589 customerservice@ezconnecting.com

Dear EZ Connect Customer, EZ Connect is committed to providing its customers with quality service at affordable prices. In the coming months, EZ Connect will be growing at a rate never expected and it is at this crucial time that we need customer input into how well we are succeeding at servicing your needs. We ask that you take the time to fill out the enclosed consent form and questionnaire so that we may gain a better understanding of how we can serve you. Your input is valuable to us and is the foundation on which EZ Connect is built. We hope that you will not mind offering us your opinion so that we may service you better and achieve our goal of offering the best telecommunication and information services we can to our valued customers. As an incentive, and a way to show our appreciation for your business, we will give every customer that fills out the necessary forms $10.00 worth of free Long Distance service. It’s a situation in which everyone wins. We gain valuable insight into the needs of our customers; you get a greater degree of quality in terms of service and, even better, some free time to talk with friends and family around the world! We hope you won’t mind participating and appreciate all the help and input our customers have to offer to us. Together, we can make EZ Connect the company you want to choose. Sincerely, The EZ Connect Staff

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Appendix B: Form for Obtaining Informed Consent

Informed Consent to Participate in Research

The University of Texas at Austin

You are being asked to participate in a research study. This form provides you with information about the study. The person in charge of this research will also describe this study to you and answer all of your questions. Please read the information below and ask any questions you might have before deciding whether or not to take part. Your participation is entirely voluntary. You can refuse to participate without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You can stop your participation at any time and your refusal will not impact current or future relationships with UT Austin or participating sites. To do so simply tell the researcher you wish to stop participation. The researcher will provide you with a copy of this consent for your records. Title of Research Study:

Evaluation of User Services for EZ-Connect Telecommunication Company

Conducted By: Pasquale J. Festa Graduate Student; School of Information pfesta@ischool.utexas.edu, ph: 512.749.2510 Hsin-Liang (Oliver) Chen (faculty sponsor) Assistant Professor; School of Information chen@ischool.utexas.edu What is the purpose of this study?

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the user services offered by the EZ Connect Telecommunications Company. The company mission goals will be compared to User satisfaction in terms of the rate of success. Users will be asked to give feedback in regards to the level and quality of service offered to them by EZ Connect and will be given the opportunity to give free form feedback in regards to information and service needs that may have been overlooked by company. Subjects for research include a random sample of current EZ Connect customers from various geographic locations around Texas.

If you agree to be in this study, we will ask you to do the following things:

• Complete a short scale-based questionnaire • Complete a short open-ended free writing questionnaire

What is the total estimated time to participate? • Approximately 30 to 60 minutes

What are the possible risks of participating?

• None What are the possible benefits of this study?

This study will make attempts at targeting and implementing changes in regards to EZ Connect

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User and Information Services. By participating users will be taking an active role in helping to increase the level of quality in regards to EZ Connect services.

What forms of compensation will be offered to participants?

As an incentive to entice participation EZ Connect will offer $10 worth of pre-paid long distance time to all those who complete and submit his or her completed survey.

Confidentiality and Privacy Protections:

• The data resulting from your participation may be made available to other researchers in the future for research purposes not detailed within this consent form. In these cases, the data will contain no identifying information that could associate you with it, or with your participation in any study.

The records of this study will be stored securely and kept confidential. Authorized persons from The University of Texas at Austin, members of the Institutional Review Board, and (study sponsors, if any) have the legal right to review your research records and will protect the confidentiality of those records to the extent permitted by law. All publications will exclude any information that will make it possible to identify you as a subject. Throughout the study, the researchers will notify you of new information that may become available and that might affect your decision to remain in the study. Contacts and Questions:

If you have any questions about the study please ask now. If you have questions later, want additional information, or wish to withdraw your participation call the researchers conducting the study. Their names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses are at the top of this page. If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, complaints, concerns, or questions about the research please contact Jody Jensen, Ph.D., Chair, The University of Texas at Austin Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects at (512) 232-2685 or the Office of Research Support and Compliance at (512) 471-8871 or email: orsc@uts.cc.utexas.edu. You will be given a copy of this information to keep for your records.

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Appendix C1 Questionnaire 1: Scaled Ratings

Personal Information (all of which will be kept confidential in conducting research): Name: ____________________________ Address: ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Phone: ____________________________ E-mail: ____________________________ Demographic Information: Ethnicity: ____________________________ Primary Language: ____________________________ Household Income: ____________________________ City/Town: ____________________________ Questions: On a scale of 1-10 (1 being “Poor” and 10 being “Excellent”) please rank us on the quality of our service: I. Telecommunication Services: Local Phone: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Long Distance: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II. Help Services: Call Center Agents: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Website: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Billing Services: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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Appendix C2 Questionnaire 2: Free Form Answers

Personal Information (all of which will be kept confidential in conducting research): Name: ____________________________ Address: ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Phone: ____________________________ E-mail: ____________________________ Demographic Information: Ethnicity: ____________________________ Primary Language: ____________________________ Household Income: ____________________________ City/Town: ____________________________ Free Form Questions: Please answer to the best of your abilities. Tell us your thoughts, concerns, satisfactions and dissatisfactions with each service. If you do not utilize a service, tell us why and what may entice you to perhaps try it in the future. Our goal here is to gain honest customer feedback in regards to the job we are doing. Be honest and truthful and we all win. I. Telecommunication Services: Are our telephone services up to par? Do they meet your expectations? If not, what could we do to improve the quality of our communication services for you? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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In utilizing our telephone services do you feel that we live up to our mission goals of providing you quality service at fair and reasonable prices? Are there any suggestions you may be able to share that would help us to be more successful in attaining this goal? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ II. Help Services: When and if you make contact with our human agents, do they provide you with attentive, knowledgeable service in a manner that is professional and tailored to your specific needs? Have you found that human agents are capable of answering your inquiries and if not, are they able to provide guidance and assistance in finding the proper resources you need? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Are human agents capable of communicating effectively with you such that you can understand what they are suggesting? Are they capable of efficiently understanding the main points of your inquiry and do they take the necessary steps to solve your problem completely and to your satisfaction? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you utilize the www.ezconnecting.com website? If so, for what digital services do you utilize most and why? What do you not use? If you do not use the website, why not? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Are you aware of all the available services and resources offered on the website? What would make you more apt to use the website if you do not us it? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As EZ Connect makes it its mission to offered quality service to underrepresented members of the State of Texas, do you feel that we are doing a satisfactory job? Do you feel our services accurately reflect our mission objectives? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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III. General Questions: What would you like to see EZ Connect change in regards to its services? What do you see as our weak points? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What services do you feel are satisfactory to you? What would you like to see us maintain? Where are our strengths? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you find it easy to conduct business with EZ Connect? Are all transactions and inquiries handled effectively and efficiently by our staff? If not, what might we be able to do to speed up the process and boost our services? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________