Ask Us UCC Library’s FAQ & Ticketing System Anne O’ Callaghan Teresa O’ Driscoll

What is it? LibAnswers – from Springshare Public knowledge base – FAQs. Ticketing system. Why this product? Already using LibGuides & LibCal. Designed by & for librarians. Good easy-to-use tool. Very good customer support. Affordable. Point out key areas of online support

With LibAnswers we can: Anticipate customer needs - relevant FAQs. Add topics & keywords. Schedule seasonal/short term FAQs. Organise them into Groups. Embed search box anywhere on website. Improve site navigation - links to relevant information on the website. Save staff time – self service.

The User can: Ask a question & find answer within seconds (auto suggest). Browse the FAQs by group or topic for related answers. Explore the information on the website in a more focused way. Vote and comment on the answers given. So far we have 220 FAQs

How we came up with FAQs Looked at existing FAQs on the library website and other website information. Consulted with colleagues e.g. Special Collections & Branch Libraries. Everyday questions – opening times etc. First-hand experience, F2F and email. Policies – is food allowed? Services – ILL. Access. This is where you search for anything on your reading lists or when you want to start researching for an assignment

Design & Content Default LibAnswers template. Clean design – bullet points. Short, clear, concise answers – plain English. Active voice – give instructions. Metadata - topics & keywords, synonyms. Links to more detailed information. Viewable on phone screen. We’re going to go through how to distinguish between a reference to a book or a journal article and then how to find them

Ticketing System Patrons can submit a question if they do not find an answer by filling in the customised form. This question becomes a ticket that we answer through the system.

LibAnswers behind the scenes

Tracking & Analysing Track FAQ views. FAQ Entries Track FAQ views. See feedback via comments & user votes. Query Spy Analyse outcomes of searches (direct hits etc.) Tickets Identify gaps in FAQs. Turnaround time.

Query Analysis Chart January – April 2018

Takeaways Be very clear on policies before setup. Establish look & feel. Involve a bigger team that includes an IT person with coding skills. Maintain & update. Staffing. Make use of Springshare training & support.

Any Questions ? Ask Us!