The Influence of Text Capitalization on Help Desk Evaluations: A Case Study in User Perception

Resumo

Customer satisfaction is a strategic factor for companies to remain competitive, being directly influenced by the perceived quality of the services provided (Las Casas, 1991). Help Desk systems are essential tools in this process, enabling the organized and efficient registration, analysis, and resolution of technical problems (Boscolo, 2009).In addition to functional aspects, formal elements of textual language also affect user experience. Health (2018) demonstrated that the use of uppercase letters can intensify high-arousal emotions such as enthusiasm or anger, acting as a prosodic marker in written language, similar to changes in tone in speech. This can directly influence the interpretation of messages in service contexts.This study presents an analysis of the impact of using exclusively uppercase letters in Help Desk systems and its relationship to customer service evaluations. The object of study was the internal system of a company located in Espírito Santo, Brazil, in operation since 2004. Due to technical limitations, the system supported only uppercase text until December 2024, when it was updated to allow both uppercase and lowercase letters.Two periods were compared: from 07-01-2024 to 12-01-2024 (uppercase-only texts) and from 12-02-2024 to 05-01-2025 (mixed-case texts), totaling approximately 1,200 service records. Three key indicators were analyzed: average customer rating, proportion of unrated interactions, and the number of exchanges required until resolution.The results showed:• a 16% increase in the average service rating;• an 8% reduction in unrated service records;• a 7% decrease in the number of interactions until resolution.The results of this study, still in progress, show that formal aspects of written language, such as the use of upper or lower case letters, directly influence the user experience and the efficiency of the service provided. These findings support Health's (2018) conclusions, suggesting that the perceived tone of written communication may be amplified by its graphic form. They also align with usability principles described by Norman (2004), according to which even simple visual elements affect the user's emotional experience. Small linguistic choices, such as the way text is presented, prove relevant to the perception of service quality. Thus, typographic elements, often overlooked, can have a direct impact on user satisfaction.