Closing calls to a cancer helpline: expressions of caller satisfaction
Closing calls to a cancer helpline: expressions of caller satisfaction
Objective: This study provides an alternative approach to assessing caller satisfaction focussing on how callers express their appreciation of the service provided during the call, as the calls draw to a close.
Methods: Conversation analysis is used to analyse 99 calls between callers and cancer specialist nurses on a leading cancer helpline in the UK.
Results: Caller satisfaction is expressed through upgraded forms of the appreciations through which callers begin to close the call. Dissatisfaction is conveyed in what are by comparison with expressions of satisfaction, downgraded forms which acknowledge but do not fully or enthusiastically appreciate the information/advice given. With latter calls, nurses begin to ‘re-open’ aspects of information/advice giving, thereby leading to more protracted call closings.
Conclusion: Endogenous indicators of caller satisfaction are displayed through callers’ upgraded appreciations in the closing moments of helpline calls. Difficulties in terminating calls (protracted by nurses re-opening information-giving etc.) arise when callers do not convey their satisfaction with the service provided.
Practice implications: An understanding of endogenous indicators of satisfaction may benefit helpline organisations and further their understanding of effective call-handling, particularly through identifying the features common to those calls in which callers do not display their satisfaction with the call.
cancer care, helplines, caller satisfaction, conversation analysis, call closings
943-953
Woods, Catherine J.
eec3c9cd-7c01-4a39-ab4b-2e01f2f348ff
Drew, Paul
36efdaea-4a0e-4d1e-95ac-ea9ab74f065b
Leydon, Geraldine M.
c5cdaff5-0fa1-4d38-b575-b97c2892ec40
1 August 2015
Woods, Catherine J.
eec3c9cd-7c01-4a39-ab4b-2e01f2f348ff
Drew, Paul
36efdaea-4a0e-4d1e-95ac-ea9ab74f065b
Leydon, Geraldine M.
c5cdaff5-0fa1-4d38-b575-b97c2892ec40
Woods, Catherine J., Drew, Paul and Leydon, Geraldine M.
(2015)
Closing calls to a cancer helpline: expressions of caller satisfaction.
Patient Education and Counseling, 98 (8), .
(doi:10.1016/j.pec.2015.04.015).
Abstract
Objective: This study provides an alternative approach to assessing caller satisfaction focussing on how callers express their appreciation of the service provided during the call, as the calls draw to a close.
Methods: Conversation analysis is used to analyse 99 calls between callers and cancer specialist nurses on a leading cancer helpline in the UK.
Results: Caller satisfaction is expressed through upgraded forms of the appreciations through which callers begin to close the call. Dissatisfaction is conveyed in what are by comparison with expressions of satisfaction, downgraded forms which acknowledge but do not fully or enthusiastically appreciate the information/advice given. With latter calls, nurses begin to ‘re-open’ aspects of information/advice giving, thereby leading to more protracted call closings.
Conclusion: Endogenous indicators of caller satisfaction are displayed through callers’ upgraded appreciations in the closing moments of helpline calls. Difficulties in terminating calls (protracted by nurses re-opening information-giving etc.) arise when callers do not convey their satisfaction with the service provided.
Practice implications: An understanding of endogenous indicators of satisfaction may benefit helpline organisations and further their understanding of effective call-handling, particularly through identifying the features common to those calls in which callers do not display their satisfaction with the call.
Text
Woods_Closing.pdf
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 18 April 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 April 2015
Published date: 1 August 2015
Keywords:
cancer care, helplines, caller satisfaction, conversation analysis, call closings
Organisations:
Primary Care & Population Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 376907
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/376907
ISSN: 0738-3991
PURE UUID: 20ca5431-a791-4503-9625-8245ce067f56
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Date deposited: 13 May 2015 10:55
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:23
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Author:
Paul Drew
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