Submitted by admin-boss on
The results from the AskAway Patron Exit Survey for the past year have been sorted and here's some of the comments and results you may find interesting.
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Between May 2009 and April 2010 there were 19,502 AskAway calls and a total of 1,240 (6.36%) Patron Exit Surveys completed. Almost 65% of patrons responding to surveys were new to AskAway and 96.5% of all respondents would use AskAway again.
- Nearly half of the survey respondents used other library services for their question before AskAway with 47.5% using the Reference/Information services in-person, by telephone or via email. Many patrons also tried searching for the information on their own first (38.9%) before turning to AskAway for assistance.
- The majority of the survey respondents found out about AskAway from a link on the library website or article database (67.8%) which is a small decrease from the previous overall 2008 survey results of 75.6%. In the comments others indicated they "have used it many times before" and may not remember how they originally discovered the service.
- Almost 30% of respondents chose AskAway because they were off-campus (with 13.1% of patrons indicating they were Distance students) or were searching for online resources (33.1%). Over 20% also stated they preferred online services and left feedback such as "This service is very helpful and allows you to search online while simultaneously speaking to someone. It is extremely helpful to have information in real-time."
- Over 40% of respondents were college (21.5%) & 1st-2nd year undergraduates (22.1%) along with approximately 23% describing themselves as 3rd-4th year undergraduates and nearly 20% graduate students. Over 10% of patrons indicated they were other patrons such as alumni, public or high-school students.
The suggestions and comments were predominantly positive or constructive and are worthwhile browsing. Most patrons indicated they found AskAway fast, easy and convenient.
- Other comments reinforce that using swamped scripts during busy times is appreciated and most patrons are patient when questions take longer: "The person I spoke with not only gave me multiple sources for help, but was very pleasant and patient and waited for me to get the right answer."
- The respondents also remind us to refer or transfer when appropriate: "I thought the person was very helpful, actually one person even passed me along to another!" emphasizing that AskAway users appreciate the extra effort we put into the service.
We hope you find the results and feedback of the Patron Exit Surveys useful and enjoy the positive comments from patrons like this one who wins the award for Best Comment of the Year!
"Both times I have used AskAway I leave speechless with the amount of dedication into answering my questions they put. I am made to feel as if answering my question is a joy to them (whether or not it actually is I'm sure it can't be fun!) but AskAway has redeemed my faith of the future of libraries in an increasingly technological age. Truly a wonderful feature."
For the complete results check out the page posted to ELN's web site under Administrator Tools >> Statistics and Feedback >> AskAway Surveys
http://www.eln.bc.ca/askaway/index.php?page=exsurv09051004