Most of the workgroups have completed their tasks and have submitted their reports to the Alignment Project Committee for consideration. Before the APC begins to use these recommendations, we wanted to give all staff the opportunity to review them and provide feedback and comments. You may recall that the Call Center/Virtual Library Workgroup was asked to:
- Define the services, product lines, or experiences recommended to be offered by the Call Center/Virtual Library.
- Describe how these services could help the system advance its ten initiatives in Library Unbound.
- Assess the staff needed to support these services – FTE and specific jobs – including skills, knowledge, and abilities of successful candidates to fill these positions.
- Review the draft organizational chart and determine how well it supports the expected needs and outcomes of the Call Center/Virtual Library.
- Describe the expected space, equipment, and technology needs of the Call Center/Virtual Library.
The Call Center/Virtual Library Workgroup's report is here.
The APC would like to thank the Call Center/Virtual Library Workgroup for its efforts to create meaningful and actionable results in such a short time -- Well Done!
Please post your comments below. Thanks.
I worked at a call center for a few weeks, and one essential tool we used was an interpretation service.
The way it worked, basically, was that when a customer spoke a language other than English, we'd add the interpreter to the call. The customer would say something in Vietnamese or Kurdish or whatever, the interpreter would repeat it in English, and then we'd answer and the interpreter would repeat that in the customer's language, etc. The interpreter did not editorialize or make any judgments, and the customer got to relax about being understood. (I took insurance claims, so it was vital that communication be precise and thorough).
Here is one service, just as an example. This is just a random company I grabbed from a quick Googling. http://callopi.com/call-centers
I think I've seen that service in action:
;)
Margo,
Thanks for the information. We discussed the need for serving members who speak languages other than English. No determination as to how we will do that was made by the workgroup. Knowing how this is handled by other call centers is helpful.
Again, thanks!
Melody
Our main concerns about this change would be that library members would no longer be able to connect to their home library staff and that they would be kept waiting when calling as the number of staff manning the phones would be greatly reduced. It is a great idea to have a phased in approach to see how many staff will be needed to deal with call volume. I love the idea of CHAT too. More and more, instead of calling in to a company, I will use CHAT to get resolution as it is much quicker than being put on hold on the phone. Who will be dealing with CHAT if it is implemented?
Christine, thank you for your comment. This is a legitimate concern and one the Call Center/Virtual Library Workgroup discussed and hopes will be alleviated in a number of ways. First, we hope the libraries will think about the CCVL more like another branch of Metropolitan than a call center to take away first impressions. In other words, CCVL is another partner with the same goal of providing excellent library service to all of our members. While we can't definitively say what calls will be connected with (not transferred to) library staff in a physical library, we do know there will be times when that is the best way to serve that member. Also, we plan to build the system to minimize ... ideally, eliminate ... time spent waiting on the line for their initial contact with a live person. To that end, there will be phones identified and functioning as backup if/when the CCVL is at maximum capacity. I'm glad you mentioned CHAT. Personally, I hate the little box that pops up asking me if I want Chat help. I know I am outvoted on that, though, and we anticipated offering that as part of the software features available in the CCVL, to be brought online when we are assured we can support it at its highest and best level. I hope that addresses your concerns. If it doesn't, please let us know.
I LOVE the chat function on websites. Often times, it's even easier for them, because they can just log into my account for me and know what I'm seeing. I can also avoid the time spent on call menus.
I completely agree. Often, I get better service through chat. Also, it's less frustrating overall. I'd rather wait for a representative through chat than having to listen to elevator music or annoying repeating messages while on hold. The repeating nature of hold music/messages makes it more obvious that I'm waiting and tends to increase my annoyance. While waiting on a chat person, I can at least be busy with other things.
When I worked in an academic library, I answered chat questions from the reference desk when I wasn't helping patrons in the library. I found that it was really helpful for people who were hesitant to approach the desk for help, and it was great to be able to send links to information (databases, online sources, articles, websites, etc.) right away. Sometimes I even got a chat request from people on the third floor of the library (reference was on the 1st) asking where to locate the nearest bathroom or print station. It was fun and I never had an unpleasant experience -- Even the rare fake or prank questions were fun (or, at least, interesting).