Reducing contact by design.
WHAT CAUSES CONTACT
Confusion at a specific moment.
WHAT TO DO
Answer it at that moment.
WHERE
In the interface, where the confusion occurs.
WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE
Explanatory text beside a difficult field A link to the relevant article An error message saying what to do
WHAT MAKES ERROR MESSAGES GOOD
Stating what went wrong Stating what to do about it Avoiding blame
WHAT MAKES THEM BAD
Codes with no explanation Generic failure text Suggesting the user did something wrong
WHY THAT MATTERS FOR SUPPORT
A good error message prevents a ticket.
WHAT ELSE PREVENTS TICKETS
Confirmation that an action succeeded Visibility of status Clear billing, with notice before charges
WHY BILLING SPECIFICALLY
It generates disproportionate volume and anger.
WHAT TO FEED BACK TO PRODUCT
The exact screens generating contact.
HOW TO FIND THEM
Ask, in the ticket, where they were.
WHAT TO PROPOSE
Specific changes, with the volume they would remove.
WHAT TO MEASURE AFTERWARDS
Whether contact fell.
WHY
It proves the approach and funds the next improvement.
