kjt - chat startup

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


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


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


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


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


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...


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


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)


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,...


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


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?)



• 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,...)



• 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


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, ...

kjt - chat startup

Technology

private chat young people

counsellors training

wrong expectations chat

chatrelated issues

free chat dont worry

young people childhelpline

chatviewpoint role play

chatroom young people