Emergency Logins

Use the emergency logins if you’re not able to login with your own account for any reason. These can be found in Profiles > askON Tools.

Login Procedure

Please log in five minutes before the start of your shift to ensure a smooth transition between shifts

1. Log in to LibraryH3lp with your credentials and make sure you’re connected to the right queues (all_colleges and all_backup)

   Open

   

   1. Set the auto logout timer to a time slightly longer than your shift (e.g., 1 hr 15 minutes for a one-hour shift)

   2. Select “Connect now”

   3. Once you’re logged in you can check your queues by selecting “I’m Staffing” in your contacts list

2. Sign in on backchat to say hello and let your shiftmates know you are there

3. Check your buddy list to see who else is logged in

4. Review chat activity under “Chat History” tab (more info on Chat History tab)

   1. Review what happened during previous shift

   2. Get a snapshot of the service as it is in the moment

      1. New chats will have blanks for operator and duration fields

      2. Ongoing chats will have an operator but a blank for duration

      3. Completed chats will have an operator and a duration

5. Check backchat for incoming transfers

6. Accept new transfers using the canned message that says “I’ve reviewed your transcript…”

First shift of the day

Operators on the first shift of the day have the additional responsibility of answering offline texts.

• Respond to all offline texts on your screen

  • Do not close any texts without responding

• Pick up your visitor with a brief and friendly greeting

• Answer their question with concrete information to the best of your ability

• Be honest and kind if you cannot answer the question fully with the info provided

• Invite them to return and send them today’s hours

• Review full Offline Texts Procedures and Text Communication Guidelines for more tips

Log out Procedure

1. Check that your replacement has logged in (in your contacts list)

2. Stay until the end of your scheduled shift or until both replacement operators have logged in and are ready to take chats

If your replacement doesn’t show up:

1. check the schedule to see who missed the shift

2. notify your site coordinators and their site coordinators and copy Lauren (see the missed shift template in Libraryh3lp under Profiles > askON Tools)

3. If you can stay until your shift replacement shows up that’s always appreciated

4. If you can’t stay, please tell any operators who are still in the system that you need to log off

1. Let visitors engaged in active chats know that you are leaving and that they will be transferred.

   1. Let your replacement know in backchat and then transfer active chats to your replacement, following transfer protocol

2. If there are any “New” chats to be picked up, pick them up and transfer them (following protocol)

3. If your auto-logout timer goes off, either reset the timer or log out (see Auto-Logout Procedures)

4. When you are ready to log out, sign off in backchat

5. Log out of LibraryH3lp in top right corner of screen and close your browser

Important: If you do not logout and simply close your browser or laptop, it will log you back in automatically next time you visit LibraryH3lp or open your laptop. This risks potentially turning the service on during off hours. Always fully log out!

Last shift of the day

• Operators on the last shift of the day are responsible for closing the service

• Help visitors to the best of your ability in the minutes leading up to the end of the shift

• Be honest and kind! Give visitors a heads up that you are closing in advance. Otherwise they may feel rushed and not know why.

• As the service is closing, send visitors our “closing” canned message

  • This message tells visitors our hours and invites them to return again if they have additional questions

• Take a look at your contacts list. If there is anyone in the list that you don’t think should be there, send Lauren an email and we can investigate

  • If someone has forgotten to log out earlier in the day they risk leaving the service on. We can disconnect them and turn the service off.

• Fully log out using standard logout procedures

Off-hours

• Never log in to LibraryH3lp with your staff account during off hours

  • This will turn the service on, triggering offline texts and allowing visitors to submit questions

  • Use the training accounts if you need to access tools or information in LibraryH3lp

• If you are visiting a college library website during off hours and notice that the askON button is white, please contact lrupert@ocls.ca right away so I can investigate