Why we’re using our webchat service as the starting point for our new content

Our webchat service is often the first point of contact for people looking for help — providing the insights we need to start creating reassuring, easy to use online advice.

I’m Sarah, content design lead in our new digital team at Addaction.

Our ambition is to transform people’s recovery journeys by researching what people need, the language they use and how they interact with information and services.

One of the projects we’re working on is the redesign of our public facing website. Ideally we’d begin rewriting, redesigning and reorganising online content by using our existing website as a foundation — even if it’s not great it gives us a place to start. We’d look at analytics and see what’s performing well and what’s working less well. We’d identify the most visited pages. We’d look at what search terms people use to find help and information.

But our existing website is extremely sparse. There are less than 100 pages, with little content beyond basic service information, and sections that reflect the internal structure of the organisation.

So we need to create new content based on the needs of our users and our future users.

But how do we know what information people need if we don’t know what they’re searching for or interacting with? Luckily we can talk to our service users, and also look at what people’s needs are via our webchat service. Webchat gives us a unique insight into the language and needs of people contacting us for help, often for the first time.

Webchat insights

Some common themes emerged when we analysed webchat transcripts. The main feelings people expressed were shame and embarrassment at admitting they need help, feeling fearful about receiving ‘treatment’, and feeling unworthy of help and support. People seeking help for loved ones also spoke about their feelings with our webchat staff, and often ended up looking for support for themselves.

Webchat also gives us an insight into the natural language people use when they talk frankly about their issues, feelings and help they may need. Unsurprisingly, this natural language doesn’t match the terminology we use as an organisation to describe what we do and how we do it.

We also make assumptions about people’s understanding of what it is they need and want. Most people who’ve never sought help for drug, alcohol or mental health problems don’t know what ‘help’ may look like when they contact us for the first time.

People often use webchat as a first port of call — to ‘test the water’ and explore what type of help is available to them. The webchat data shows that people aren’t necessarily ready to contact or physically visit somewhere for help. Some people aren’t ready for treatment. Others may never need the type of help and support we offer in our frontline services.

This gives us a great place to start. There’s very little high quality, user centred digital content for people looking for help, advice and reassurance around harmful behaviours.

We think that by creating clear, reassuring content based on user needs we can bridge the gap between people ‘testing the water’ and entering treatment services. We can also provide more self-help options and advice for people who may be looking to cut down on their drink or drug use by themselves. We know that digital content can’t replace valuable frontline services and human interaction, but it may help to reassure people who are scared about taking the daunting first step to recovery.

Next steps

We’re continuing to talk to our service users and staff at Addaction to gain insights into what people need, and how we can help them with online advice and services. We’ve also started to look at how we can talk about our services in a way that makes sense to people with no previous knowledge of Addaction or the wider drug, alcohol and mental health sector.

Our ultimate goal is to help more people access the support they need — we can help to achieve this by creating reassuring, easy to use online advice that complements our existing services.