King County Library System serves Metro Seattle, WA, and has 1.2 million Cardholders out of the area’s 1.5 million residents. The large system is a frequent award winner and a valued part of a community that has invested in beautiful neighborhood branches.

Improving Notifications

Challenge:

King County Library System’s notifications had not changed much since they began sending electronic communications. Staid and plain-text, notifications were not reflective of the library’s overall strategic communication initiatives, being challenging to track, troubleshoot, and edit while also lacking hyperlinks, a must for the tech-savvy community. The liability of maintaining on-site server equipment for the library’s automated phone notices, which was aging, was also a concern. 

Solution:

KCLS partnered with Unique for Message BEE beginning in 2020 to send out modern, branded email communications reflective of the overall library experience. The technical and circulation teams worked with Unique to quickly design, integrate, and begin sending the updated notices. The close contact with Unique’s customer service team has ensured KCLS understands and utilizes all aspects of the service while being aware of the product roadmap and where additional improvements can be made in the future. 

Automated phone calls were included in the Message BEE suite and now function and integrate seamlessly with Message BEE’s reporting tools.  

Results:

Patrons now received branded communications with nearly all patron transactional communications. Staff can quickly identify failed notices and troubleshoot why the message failed. Automatic reports keep staff up to date on reporting. Detailed search options allow staff to address patron concerns about individual communications by viewing specific communications and their delivery status. Edits to notifications can be made quickly and easily, without requiring any tech wizardry or multiple team involvement.  

From the Staff:

“Message BEE has been a huge improvement over what we had before. It’s freed us up to do other things and move us into the 21st century. We can provide a more professional, modern service and incorporate our branding and reach more patrons. We are now better positioned to communicate with our patrons in the way they prefer to be served.”  

Cynthia Rivette – Circulation Services Coordinator