Providing Information as a Public Service through Digital Engagement
Company Size
1,000+
Region
- America
Country
- Canada
Product
- LivePerson’s LiveEngage platform
Tech Stack
- Live chat
- Text messaging
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Customer Satisfaction
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
Applicable Industries
- Education
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Ask Ontario is a consortium of 18 public and 10 college libraries in Ontario, Canada. The consortium was founded in 2008 with the aim of combining and expanding their services to students and the general public by providing research assistance through live chat. Over the years, their askON and ONdemande services have conducted more than 92,000 chat conversations, with agent ratings consistently above 80 percent. Despite the complexity of the work, more than half of visitors saw a resolution in less than 10 minutes, and 82 percent got better information than they would have on their own. The service has achieved an amazing 100 percent staff enthusiasm, as the service helps them to better serve the public.
The Challenge
The consortium of libraries in Ontario was looking for ways to keep libraries relevant as pillars in their communities, and inevitably that means connecting online. They wanted to reach library patrons where they are with research help and other information and boost the number of patrons served per staff. The traditional method of accessing library services required walking into a physical library, which was not convenient for all patrons. The consortium sought to expand access to library research services.
The Solution
In 2008, Ask Ontario was launched as a pilot project, providing research services by library staff via a live chat channel based on LivePerson’s LiveEngage platform. The pilot began by using employees from 17 libraries to staff the chat channel during posted hours of operation every day. As many as 150 different agents staff askON’s six live chat agent seats in a given week during the school term, with a typical librarian staffing the chat channel three to five hours per week. Librarians staffing the chat channel are trained to ask diagnostic questions at the beginning of the conversation to provide more individualized support and reduce the time to resolution. Strategic placement of the askON chat buttons has helped increase the volume of chat conversations. Buttons have been placed alongside online library catalogs, within learning management systems at colleges, and on pages that people are prone to bookmark.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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