1.11 Communication

Communication is a particular strength of support group sites.

Methods to make contact with the support group, for discussion and feedback, should be included on the site, for example:

• contact phone number or helpline;



• an e-mail address:
  (a) send an auto-reply acknowledging receipt of the e-mail, and saying if and when they might expect a reply;



• a postal address;



• an electronic form:
  (a) send an auto-reply acknowledging receipt of the form, and saying if and when they might expect a reply.

Inform people of any limits placed on this communication, for example:

• Are phone helplines only staffed for fixed time periods?
  (a) Can people leave messages on an answerphone?
  (b) Will they receive a reply?
  (c) How many days before they can expect an answer?



• Are e-mail support services only staffed for fixed time periods?
  (a) Will they receive a reply?
  (b) How many days before they can expect an answer?



• If you cannot provide individual responses make this clear.

People also need to be able to contact the Web site manager, to report technical problems and to provide comments about the site.

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© Copyright for this site is held by Contact a Family and the Information Society Research and Consultancy Group, School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences, Northumbria University. Site published February 2003. Last updated October 2006. Review date October 2007.