Public libraries have seen the potential of live chat as a customer service tool for a long time. Until now, technical and logistical challenges have limited its usefulness and popularity with patrons.
Unique Chat enables the public library to provide immediate assistance to online patrons, saving them time and effort. Chat can also convert more patron interactions into measurable patron activity, reduce the phone calls and emails the library staff has to answer on a daily basis, and give them more uninterrupted time for face-to-face engagement with in-house patrons and other job tasks.
At Unique, we’ve noticed a handful of limiting factors in the public library context that have hampered the widespread adoption of live chat by patrons.
1. Inconsistent widgets
Our chat widget appears on each and every page of your website, including your online catalog. This allows patrons to easily find and use the chat service wherever they happen to be on your website, and allows the chat conversation to go with them as they navigate around the site and follow links provided to them by the library chat representative. Many online patrons know what they’re after and don’t need to chat on every visit, but for those who do need a hand, it’s always just a click away when the widget is available throughout your website.
2. Frustrating interface
Unique offers something many competitors do not: mobile optimization. Among the libraries we serve, over 40% of website visits are from a tablet or smartphone. If your chat widget is not optimized for the mobile format, nearly half of your online patrons don’t have the option to chat with you.
Deploying a mobile-optimized chat widget that looks and works brilliantly whether your customer is on a desktop or mobile device will make your chat service a viable option for twice as many patrons, and you’ll get more chats (and fewer phone calls and emails) as a result.
3. Save staff time on distracting tasks
Unique offers a number of models to staff your chat that can maximize the time your staff can now devote to in-library patrons and tasks. Refocus your staff on the most important part of your mission: serving patrons.
- Self-staffed
We license you the software for the chat, and it is up to your library to answer all the chats. It still includes auto-translate feature and it is still fully embeddable on your website.
- Hybrid
You answer the chats when you can, and we answer them when you can’t. Coverage includes after hours and is flexible based on demand.
- Fully Hosted
We take care of everything. You handle the patrons in your library, we will take care of the chats. We can resolve the vast majority of patron inquiries without library involvement.
UniqueChat represents a new and convenient way for patrons to communicate with your library, while making the process more streamlined on the side of the library, too.
Want to learn more about UniqueChat? Watch this video or visit our page.