Leading a Design Team at Canada's Largest Telecom: Re-imagining Self-Serve Repair
Design Management | UX Research Strategy | Content Strategy
As the UX Research and Design Manager at Bell Canada, I led a team to enhance digital tools for troubleshooting internet issues at home. Our primary objectives were to:
- Reduce technician dispatches
- Shorten call times
- Improve customer satisfaction
My portfolio included Virtual Repair, Wi-Fi Check-Up, Manage Your Appointment, and Self-Install tools. These tools supported over 4.4 million customers across Canada, presenting an exciting challenge in optimizing self-serve repair experiences.
Virtual Repair: Empowering Users with Smart Troubleshooting
Virtual Repair is a MyBell in-app support tool that leverages machine learning to diagnose internet issues and guide users through solutions using plain language.
When I joined, Bell had launched an initial "no action required" version of the tool. My role was to lead the next phase: enabling user participation in troubleshooting.
Our challenge: How might we design a tool that supports and empowers users to resolve internet issues independently, without contacting Bell?
Empathize – Understanding User Needs
- 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.
Define – Identifying Key Problems
- 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.
Ideate & Prototype – Refining Solutions
- 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.
Test – Validating Effectiveness
- Collected post-use session surveys to measure user satisfaction and effectiveness.
Key Learnings and Future Considerations
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.
Company
Bell Canada
Year
2021-2024
Role
Senior Manager, UX Research and Design