Permission service
By Kristoffer Bohmann, Bohmann Usability
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Permission service. Providing service to users exactly when they need it creates a competitive advantage and credibility in the eyes of the user. For instance, my Internet Explorer 5.5 prompted me for a security update as I opened the browser. Excellent! The user is receiving service exactly when needed. This is what the marketing people call permission marketing: ask customers for permission to send marketing info when they need it. Service companies can do the same: ask users for permission to send info about important bugs and fixes when needed (for instance when a certain feature is activated by the user). However, Microsoft could improve the value of their service in a number of ways:
- Only contact the user when relevant. The relevant update was already installed on my computer(!), while the remaining six important updates aimed at earlier browser versions and other products not used on the computer.
- Updates were almost one year old. Why wasn't I prompted before? And if I were - why am I being prompted again?
- Ask for permission and remind the user about it. I don't recall if Microsoft ever asked. A brief reminder would have solved the problem.
- Make it obvious exactly which product and version an update is relevant for. For instance, the header for each Microsoft update currently says Security update, August 9, 2000. Better: Security update: Internet Explorer. List the publishing date as part of the update description if necessary.
- Prioritize updates by importance. Internet Explorer listed 15 updates nicely categorized as important, recommended, or other updates. Beta versions were listed as the last category. (Good!)
Kristoffer Bohmann
