Service Desk Procedures & Guidelines

1. Login to LibAnswers at https://calstatela.libanswers.com/admin/home

2. In the LibChat menu on the yellow bar at the top of the screen click New Chat Dashboard. A new window will open, you are now ready to chat.

3. In the Chats tab  you will see two sections labeled Patron Chats and Internal Chat. When a new chat has entered the OUX chat queue you will hear an alert (make sure your computer has sound on) and you will see the chat under Patron Chats. 

4. Click Claim Chat in order to begin chatting with the patron 

5. Start each chat by sending the canned message OUX welcome to the patron, letting them know you are reading over their question. The Canned Messages button can be found just below the chat box.

6. Chat with the patron to answer their question. See Best practices section below. If you cannot answer the question you will need to transfer it or create a ticket. 

7. At the end of the chat interaction, if you think the patron would benefit from having a copy of the chat transcript from your session (so they have a record of links or information you sent) click on the e-mail icon in the upper right 

8. When are you finished click the End Chat button in the upper right of the chat window.

9. A new window will open up, prompting you to enter the chat interaction in Reference Analytics for statistics. Make sure you enter all required fields (location, mode, and duration) and if appropriate who referred this question to you.

10. Click the save button.

11. Click the Close Chat button in the upper right corner to close the chat.

12. When you are finished with your shift close the tab.

Chats being transferred to you

1. If the chat is being transferred to you from another department the other department should reach out to you with an internal chat first, describing the question and asking to transfer the chat. This chat will appear in the Internal Chat section below the patron chats. You will also hear an alert for these chats.

2. Once you have agreed to the transfer the patron chat will appear in Patron Chats and you need to claim it as before.

Transferring chats to another department

1. If you need to transfer a chat to another department first see if that department is online. In the Chats tab, see the Departments section. Each department that is online has a green circle to the left of the name. 
2. If the department is online click on the department name to begin chatting with them. Explain the question and ask to transfer the chat. 
3. Once the other department has agreed, reopen the chat with the patron and let them know you are transferring them to another department.
4. Click the Transfer icon in the upper right of the screen 
5. Choose to transfer the chat to the operator you just chatted with.

Creating a ticket from a chat

If the department or person you need to transfer the chat to is not currently online you can create a ticket that will allow an offline department or person to follow up later. To create a ticket:

1. Let the person you are chatting with know that the person or department that can help them is not currently online but you will create a ticket so they can follow up by email at a later time. 
2. Click the Create a ticket icon 
3. Choose a queue and optionally a specific person you wish to create the ticket for and enter any notes you have.
4. Click Create Ticket.

1. Be careful opening attachments from patrons. It is best to chat with them for a moment and make sure they are actually someone asking a question before opening any attachments they may have shared with you.

2. Check in with the person you are chatting with frequently and provide updates. Remember they can't see your screen so you'll want to say things like "one moment while I check your account". Send them the same types of messages you would if you were helping someone over the phone.

3. You can open up a Zoom session with a patron right within Libchat. When you are chatting with someone you will see a Request Screenshare button just below the chat box, this button is how you would start a Zoom session. If you think your chat could benefit from a Zoom screenshare first ask the patron if they would like to Zoom, some patrons may not currently have the capacity or desire to Zoom.