Whip Your Ask a Librarian Service into Shape

<p>Summer is almost upon us!  It's time for vacations and recharging your batteries. It's also a great opportunity to find some time to finally tackle that ever-growing "to do" list. To help with all those virtual service tweaks that you've been meaning to get to, we've created a checklist that is sure to recharge and maximize your virtual services.  Also <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/libraryh3lp.com/us/assets/ask-a-librarian-checklist.pdf">available in PDF format</a>.<br /><br /><h3>Ask a Librarian Check List</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul style="list-style: none;"><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Is help available anywhere a patron might need assistance? </b> </li><ul><li><i>Action item:</i> Check all the usual places: website, subject guides, catalogs, databases, mobile apps.</li><li><i>Action item:</i> Search for web pages off the beaten path.  For example, the 404 (not found) page is a great spot to include a chat widget or FAQ link to help lost patrons.</li></ul><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Can patrons easily locate chat and FAQs on your web pages with just a glance?</b></li><ul><li><i>Pro tip:</i> Place advertisements for these 'above the fold.'  That is, the portion of a web page that is visible without scrolling.  Page headers or 'Click to chat' tabs are a super place for attractive chat images.  Aim for a consistent, highly visible place where patrons can always find help.</li><li><i>Action item:</i> Catch the patron's eye with a <a href="http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com/2014/03/does-your-chat-widget-need-makeover.html" target="_blank">modernized chat widget</a> or a shiny new <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/gallery" target="_blank">Ask a Librarian image</a>.  Need inspiration? Check out these great examples from your peers: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/libraryh3lp/ask-a-librarian-images/" target="_blank">Ask a Librarian images</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/libraryh3lp/ask-a-librarian-chat-widgets/" target="_blank">Ask a Librarian chat widgets</a></li></ul><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Do you proactively invite patrons to chat?</b>  </li><ul><li><i>Pro tip:</i> Many LibraryH3lp clients offering timer-based chat invitations to patrons report significantly increased meaningful chat stats.  </li><li><i>Action item</i>: Update your LibraryH3lp services to include a <a href="http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com/2014/12/easy-proactive-chat-for-your.html" target="_blank">customizable proactive chat invitation</a>. The average time among LibraryH3lp clients for the invitation's time trigger is 40 seconds.</li></ul><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Do staff consistently and quickly greet chat patrons?</b>  </li><ul><li><i>Pro tip:</i> One way to evaluate this is to grab your chat metadata over a date range and then click the wait time column header to sort chats by wait time.</li><li><i>Action item:</i> Create <a href="http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com/2014/05/typing-timesaver-canned-messages-are.html" target="_blank">canned messages</a> for operators to use when responding to patrons.</li><li><i>Action item:</i> Set up one or more <a href="http://ask.libraryh3lp.com/questions/9847" target="_blank">concierge auto-responders</a> which trigger a simple greeting after a second or two, and/or send alternative contact information if patrons go unanswered for a lengthier period of time.</li></ul><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Can patrons get help after hours?</b></li><ul><li><i>Action item:</i> When chat is offline, point patrons to your <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/z2h5" target="_blank">searchable FAQ</a>.  Need to import an existing FAQ into LibraryH3lp?  <a href="mailto:support@libraryh3lp.com" target="_blank">Email us</a> and we'll make it happen.</li><li><i>Action item:</i> Interested in extending your chat service hours, but your staff are stretched too thin? Consider incorporating backup staffing through <a href="http://chatstaff.org/" target="_blank">Chatstaff</a>.  Chatstaff provides responsive, high quality service, and you can specify your service hours to maximize the bang for your buck.</li></ul></ul><h3></h3><h3>Text a Librarian Check List</h3><ul style="list-style: none;"><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Do patrons know about your Text a Librarian service?</b></li><ul><li><i>Action item:</i> Include your Text a Librarian number on your website and make it easy for mobile patrons to click.  Here's an example of some handy HTML that does the trick: <br /><a href="tel:15555551234">Text us at 1-555-555-1234!</a></li><li><i>Action item:</i> Include your Text a Librarian number on all printed promotional materials.</li><li><i>Action item:</i> Promote your Text a Librarian number during tours and instruction sessions.</li></ul></ul><ul style="list-style: none;"><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Is your offline auto-response appropriate?</b></li><ul><li><i>Pro tip:</i> If you include a (shortened) URL, patrons on smartphones can click it to launch a browser.  Point patrons to your searchable FAQ or email contact form.</li><li><i>Action item:</i> Pretend you are a patron and text your service when it is offline.  If the offline auto-response misses the mark, <a href="mailto:support@libraryh3lp.com" target="_blank">email us</a> with a new auto-response 140 characters or fewer.</li></ul></ul><br /><h3>Email a Librarian Check List</h3><div><ul style="list-style: none;"><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Is the Email a Librarian address or contact form readily accessible to patrons?</b></li><ul><li><i>Action item:</i> Provide an Email a Librarian option to patrons when chat is offline as part of <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/z2h2" target="_blank">your service's offline appearance</a>.</li><li><i>Action item: </i><a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/faq-integrations" target="_blank">Integrate the Email a Librarian contact information into your searchable FAQ</a>.  When patrons can't find answers there, they can email their questions.</li></ul></ul><ul style="list-style: none;"><li style="line-height: 25px;"><img alt="checkbox" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlg6CjEcFT_gY0NYqNwX5YzJFVwZXAaGrz9e936qf6hgobNRkhNERM91HZQMecgIOAu2SvouNcRMcXRDK98P594i_D_rGdnWgUcymGefApU4xitvAzhOM-HqRIiSBXfcuNjSyw0i3MPsP/s1600/orange-checkbox.png" style="float: left; padding: 0 5px 0 0;" /><b>Is email reference integrated with the rest of your virtual services? </b></li><ul><li><i>Action item:</i> <a href="http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com/2015/02/hello-dashboard-and-3mail.html" target="_blank">Activate the 3mail module</a> to integrate email into the staffing workflow. 3mail is a simple email system that makes the LibraryH3lp webclient one stop shopping for answering chat and email questions. </li><li><i>Action item:</i> Train staff to use Tag for Follow-up.  When chats can't be answered right away and you need to get back to the patron, tag for follow-up automatically sends email to pre-designated addresses with transcript attached.</li></ul></ul></div><br /><b>Want a printable version of this checklist?  <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/libraryh3lp.com/us/assets/ask-a-librarian-checklist.pdf">Download the PDF version</a>!</b></p>

Summer is almost upon us!  It's time for vacations and recharging your batteries. It's also a great opportunity to find some time to finally tackle that ever-growing "to do" list. To help with all those virtual service tweaks that you've been meaning…

LibraryH3lp Concierge: Auto-responder for incoming chats

<p>Looking for a consistent, friendly greeting for each new chat?  <a href="http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com/2014/05/typing-timesaver-canned-messages-are.html" target="_blank">Canned messages</a> are one way to go if an available operator provides a timely response.  Having a real person respond quickly is the best customer service.  But what if a new chat goes unanswered for an unusually long period of time? <br /><br />Enter the new LibraryH3lp Concierge.  With the Concierge auto-responder, you can automatically provide customized replies with flexible time triggers.  For example, if a chat languishes for 45 seconds, perhaps it is time for apologetic message and an offer of alternative contact possibilities.<br /><br />Concierge auto-responses can be set up on one, some, or all of your queues. Each queue can have unique concierge settings with auto-responses triggered after a customizable time delay. <br /><br />In order to set up your concierge services, please <a href="mailto:support@libraryh3lp.com?subject=Concierge%20setup%20request&body=The%20name%20of%20the%20queue%20or%20queues%3A%0A%0AHow%20long%20in%20minutes%20or%20seconds%20to%20wait%20before%20triggering%20the%20message%3A%0A%0AExact%20wording%20of%20the%20message%3A%0A">email support</a> with the following details:<br /><ul><li>The name of the queue or queues.</li><li>How long in minutes or seconds to wait before triggering the auto-response.</li><li>Exact wording of the auto-response.</li></ul><br /><b>What happens on the staff side?</b><br /><br />Nothing changes from the staff's point of view.  And, the staff can still answer even after an auto-response that apologizes for a delay and offers alternative contact methods.<br /><br /><b>What about text messaging (SMS)? </b><br /><br />While you can certainly have auto-replies for your text messaging queue, you may or may not want to provide them.  Text messages already have the offline auto-reply, which is a different kind of auto-response.  If you also wish to provide an automatic greeting, you will want to make sure the overall effect is coherent. <br /><br /><b>Does Concierge require use of the webclient on the part of the operator?</b><br /><br />No. Concierge works regardless of the <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/suitable-jabber-clients" target="_blank">staffing software</a> the operator is using.<br /><br /><b>Can we have more than one auto-reply on a single queue: one as an initial greeting and another as a fail-safe if no one is really there?</b><br /><br />Yes!  However, in the interest of good customer service, it is good to be a bit cautious about what the first of the two messages says.  It is often better to have a human send an initial greeting, and this can be done quickly and easily using <a href="http://ask.libraryh3lp.com/questions/3010" target="_blank">canned messages</a>.  This way, your guests are rightfully informed that a person is there and paying attention to their message.  If you have an automated initial greeting, and no real person can actually respond quickly, that can leave a bad impression even if an apologetic auto-reply comes along later.</p>

Looking for a consistent, friendly greeting for each new chat?  Canned messages are one way to go if an available operator provides a timely response.  Having a real person respond quickly is the best customer service.  But what if a new chat goes un…