Helping text visitors

A few important things to keep in mind:

askON Text is a ready reference answer service with a focus on providing users with concrete information about their library on the go
Visitors may or may not respond promptly to your messages
If a visitor waits to reply, this text may appear as a new text without any history attached
If you see a text that looks like a continuation of another text session, take a moment to review the chat history tab for context
Visitors can text the service when it is offline. Offline texts will be answered by askON’s first shift

Steps to follow

1. Be approachable

Welcome your visitor with a brief and friendly greeting

Remember: visitors may or may not respond promptly to your messages.

2. Find and give information

Answer their question with concrete information wherever possible

3. Follow-up

Invite them to return and send them askON’s hours if applicable

Respond to these texts with the assumption that the visitor may not be able to reply right away
Give them all of the information they need in order to solve their information request
Answer the 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
Always invite them to return and send them today’s hours
Review the Offline Texts tipsheet for complete procedures

Some visitors will ask reference questions via askON Text

Consider whether their request can be handled easily over text
If not, you can refer them to our chat service (visitors can chat from their mobile device)
- Find each library’s chat buttons on their library profile
- If a visitor wishes to continue over text, help them to the best of your ability, following the RUSA Guidelines