What do incoming chats look like in the webclient?

 

Each chat within LibraryH3lp includes basic metadata to give the operator context for the chat at hand. This metadata includes:

• Guest ID
• Queue name with an optional profile ("cheat sheet")
• Guest's IP address (if chatting from a web site)
• Page: referring URL for the web site from which the guest is chatting
• History: link to the current day's chats with this guest ID.

The guest ID for web-based chats is anonymous and automatically generated when a guest begins a chat. The guest ID for texting guests is the guest's phone number.

The queue for a chat determines which operators receive the incoming chat. Operators can be assigned to one or more queues within a subscription and when an operator is available, that operator will have the option to answer all new, incoming chats from guests over that queue. An operator can control their ability to receive chats on a queue via their status. An operator can also control on which queues they receive chats by opting into and out of their queue assignments.

Each queue can optionally be given a profile, which operates as a "cheat sheet" to assist operators with the kinds of questions that are likely to come in from guests chatting on that particular queue.  Chat operators in the webclient can click the queue name or avatar in a chat window to view the profile.

In LibraryH3lp, the first operator to answer a guest "wins" the chat and is connected to the guest for a one-on-one chat. The "losing" operators are notified that the guest has been answered by another operator.

To help draw an operator's attention to chat events, there are visual and audible alert options which are customizable per operator.

Anatomy of a Guest Chat

Each guest chat appears as a pane within the chat area of the webclient.

 

Title Bar

The title bar of the pane includes (from left to right) the avatar for and name of queue on which the chat happens, the guest ID, a highlight button, a minimize button, and an end button. In the screenshot above and below the queue is called "libh3lp-ask" and the guest ID is "Guest 6CYJ".

The highlight button (star) is a visual aid for the operator who may wish to keep track of a particular chat amongst many chats. The highlight button does not change the chat in any way. Instead it is simply a visual aid for the operator during the immediate staffing session.

The minimize button (<) removes the chat pane from the chat area of the webclient but does not end the chat. The operator can maximize the chat by clicking on the guest's Guest ID in the "Guests & Contacts" list.

The end button (X) closes out the chat within the LibraryH3lp system by giving the chat an ending timestamp. The guest is not notified when the operator ends a chat in order to avoid discouraging the guest from continuing the conversation later should further assistance be required.

 

Metadata

If the guest starts a chat from a web page, the operator will be presented with additional metadata beyond the queue and Guest ID. This metadata includes the IP address of the guest and URL of the page where the guest started the chat.

If a guest is texting, there is no IP address or page and the operator sees a note that "The guest is texting."

The guest's IP is handy for use to quickly determine things like whether or not the guest is located physically on campus.

The History link to today's chats with the guest allows easy location of a prior chat from a returning guest. It can also be used for training purposes, allowing easy shadowing of a chat-in-progress with the winning operator.

 

Transcript

Below the metadata, operators see the transcript for the chat. Guest messages are prepended with the Guest ID. The operator's messages are prepended with "me".

 

Chat Management Buttons

Each chat from a guest over a queue, comes with the following chat management functions (from left to right): insert canned messages (chat bubble with text), insert an emoji (face), transfer the chat to another operator or queue (opposing arrows), send a file or image to the guest (paperclip), launch the sharing tool (camera aperture) which provides access to the snapshot and screensharing tools, copy the transcript to the computer's clipboard (papers), email the chat transcript (envelope), tag the chat (flag), and block the guest for 24 hours (red circle with slash).

Details on chat management buttons:

• Insert canned message: Canned messages make it easy for operators to insert commonly used information into a chat quickly. Operators can be assigned to pools of canned messages shared among many operators and/or create their own (private) canned messages. 
• Insert emoji: Common emoji shortcuts like :-) and :-( work to automatically insert emoji into the chat as an operator types. The emoji dialog can also be used to search all available emoji and insert those emoji into the chat.
• Transfer: Any chat originating from a queue (including text messages) can be transferred to any other queue or individual user that is under the same subscription. Only queues and users with available status will appear as targets for transfers. 
• Send file: Files sent through the system by either operator or guest will appear for the other party as a link in the chat transcript area. Clicking the link will start a download of the file.  Files sent by operators or guests can be a maximum of 20 MB per file; files of any type can be sent. Files are regularly deleted from our server after two weeks.
• Sharing Tool: The sharing tool provides many tools but the snapshot editor and screensharing are most helpful during real-time chat. 
  • Snapshots are images you've annotated to communicate an idea visually.
  • Operators can view the guest's screen in real-time when the guest is in a supported web browser. The guest needs to explicitly grant permissions on their side to allow an operator to view their screen through a series of deliberate actions in the browser. At no time can the guest view an operator's screen and the guest cannot initiate screensharing.  
• Copy Transcript: A handy way to grab the chat transcript content and place it in your computer's clipboard for pasting elsewhere.
• Email Transcript: Operators can email a chat transcript to any email address they'd like along with an optional note.
• Tag Chat: Operators can tag chats with preset categories or tag for follow-up.
• Block Guest: Blocking works for both website chats and texting. From the blocked guest's perspective, the operator will simply stop responding even if new chats are initiated. A block persists for a period of 24 hours. 24 hours will be long enough to discourage most abusive guests, but it's not so long as to present a serious long-term problem for dynamically-allocated IP addresses. 

 

Typing Area

The final portion of the chat pane is the area where the operator composes and sends messages to the guest.

Operators can also paste images such as screenshots in this typing area for convenient sharing.

 

FAQ URL: