Re-imaging self serve repair for Canada’s largest telecom company
Company
Bell Canada
Year
2021-2024
Role
Senior Manager, UX Research and Design
Design Management
UX Research Strategy
Innovation and Facilitation
I managed the UX Research and Design team at Bell Canada, improving digital tools for troubleshooting internet issues at home. Our goals: reduce technician dispatches, shorten call times, and boost customer satisfaction. My portfolio included Virtual Repair, Wi-Fi Check up, Manage Your Appointment, and Self-Install tools. The challenge was exciting—these tools support over 4.4 million customers across Canada.
Virtual Repair
Virtual Repair, a support tool built into the MyBell app, uses machine learning to diagnose internet issues and guide users through solutions in plain language.
The Opportunity
When I joined, Bell had launched a “no action required” version of the Virtual Repair tool (shown above) and was beginning a new phase involving user participation in troubleshooting.
Our challenge: How might we design a tool that supports and empowers users to resolve internet issues independently, without contacting a live agent at Bell?
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Partnered with Fable to identify participation challenges for users with disabilities.
Interviewed phone agents and technicians to uncover common troubleshooting persons.
Surveyed and interviewed customer to understand the current state of repair tools.
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Conducted competitor research to analyze how other self-serve platforms handle troubleshooting and user guidance.
Facilitated stakeholder workshops to refine the definition of a successful support session and understand interactions with neighboring teams.
Audited content currently available to customers.
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Pulled toubleshooting data to prioritize the most critical tasks for initial design efforts.
Used agent scripts and existing support pages to draft troubleshooting workflows.
Conducted moderated user testing via UserTesting to evaluate and improve the clarity of troubleshooting instructions and copy.
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Collected post-use session surveys to measure user satisfaction and effectiveness.
The Outcome & Lessons
Virtual Repair has now been used in over 1 million sessions as the first point of contact, significantly reducing calls and dispatches. Due to confidentiality, exact figures cannot be shared, but improvements are ongoing.
From a research perspective, a missed opportunity was personifying the tool. Early user research highlighted that a sense of connection and empathy was crucial for users to trust and engage with troubleshooting guidance. However, due to company direction, the tool launched without an emphasis on tone, leading to user feedback that it lacked compassion.
Future Improvements:
Partnering with Marketing and Branding earlier in the design process to co-create solutions that enhance the tool’s personality and engagement.
Exploring a customer support mascot, a research initiative currently slated for future investigation. One concept that resonated with our team was Bella, an animated technician that could add warmth and relatability to the experience.
Leading a cross-functional team through research, design, and implementation allowed us to imporve how millions of Canadians troubleshoot internet issues at home. The MyBell App went on to win Webby People’s Voice Award.