Skip to main content

Service Provider FAQs

Browse and search frequently asked questions.

All 

Will I see new chats from my institution before my colleagues see them?

878 views   |   1 Vote this question as useful.   0 Vote this question as not useful.   |   Last updated on Nov 08, 2023    Queues Traffic

 

Yes, but you must select the correct queues when you sign into LibraryH3lp.

Selecting queues in LibraryH3lp

When you staff AskAway in LibraryH3lp, you will select and staff the following queues:

  • askaway: this is the general AskAway queue
  • institutional queue (e.g. ac)
  • proactive queue (e.g. ac-proactive) 
    • You will only see this queue if your library has set-up proactive chat

How the institutional queue works

Staffing your institutional queue allows you to see and claim patrons from your library before your AskAway colleagues see them. If you don't pick up the patron within 40 seconds, the call will drop into the general AskAway queue for everyone to see and for anyone to claim.

If no one from a patron's institution is currently staffing, their call will be directed to the general AskAway queue.

LibraryH3lp calls this set-up home-team first with a simple time-triggered rollover.

How the proactive chat queue works

If your library has a proactive chat queue, this will work the same way as the institutional queue. You will see patrons from your library before your AskAway colleagues see them. If you don't pick up the patron within 40 seconds, the call will drop into the general AskAway queue for everyone to see and for anyone to claim.

If no one from a patron's institution is currently staffing, their call will be directed to the general AskAway queue.

Communicate with colleagues

A reminder that the home-team first set-up means that you might not see all incoming calls and your colleagues might be busier than you think. Keep an eye on the Current chat status board (see the FAQ How can I see how many active chats my colleagues are currently in handling?) to see how busy your colleagues are and use Campfire to communicate and manage traffic. For example, if you see that your colleague has four chats on the go and you have none, you could offer in Campfire to take one. And vice versa!