Webcare via public and private social media. A corpus study on the effect of Conversational Human Voice in the PT sectorThis study investigates the use of Conversational Human Voice (CHV) by a Dutch Public Transport (PT) operator in reactive webcare conversations with travelers on private and public social media channels and the effect of this use on the traveler’s sentiment during the conversation. In this study, CHV is unraveled into eight aspects. 244 conversations were analyzed, selected from the PT-operator’s public and private social media channels. Messages sent by the PT companies were coded for CHV; messages of travelers were coded for sentiment. The aspects organization responds as an individual and informal language were used the most often by the PT operator. Use of CHV is similar on private social networks and public social networks, with the exception of organization responds as an individual (used more on private social networks) and language to compensate the lack of non-verbal communication (used more on public social networks). Furthermore, results show that the use of sympathy has a positive effect on the traveler’s sentiment.

SamenvattingAnnotatie In dit artikel wordt middels een inhoudsanalyse van conversaties tussen reizigers (consumenten) en drie regionale ov-vervoerders (organisaties) de relatie onderzocht tussen de inzet van tien verschillende webcare-strategieën en (1) de aanleiding en het sentiment waarmee de reiziger de conversatie gestart is met de ov-vervoerder, en (2) de sentimentsverandering gedurende de conversatie. Annotatie