Update on the Chat Monitor Redesign

On your shifts, you're encouraged to use the new QuestionPoint chat monitor. Before taking it live, please check out the recent blog post Going Live with the New Chat Monitor for short demo videos and important information about what's changed and how to stay consistent with AskAway practices and procedures.

Read on to learn the latest on the chat monitor redesign...

Recent Enhancements

In response to feedback on the new chat monitor, QuestionPoint implemented the following enhancements earlier this month:

• Ability to expand the size of the chat window
• Faster loading of Librarians tab
• Fixes to highlighting text and jumpiness of the chat monitor
• Update to styling of the transfer table

Ending Access to the Current Chat Monitor

QuestionPoint plans to release additional enhancements to the chat monitor later this month. Once these changes are complete and fully tested, they'll share an exact date for the end of access to the current Flash-based chat monitor. The current plan is to end access no sooner than late March.

We'll be sure to keep you all in the loop and share the date when we hear word from QuestionPoint!

Hopping out of the Queues

At the end of a shift (especially a closing shift), some of us like to hop out of the queues to close the service but finish up with any active calls. In the new interface, it's not currently possible to deselect all queues you're monitoring and save.

The good news is that there's a workaround. If you'd like to deselect the AskAway queues at the end of your shift, you can follow these steps:

1. Click the "Queues" link in the top right of the chat monitor
2. Deselect your "Primary Queue" and the "BME Queue"
3. Select the "Practice Queue" (at the very bottom)
4. Click Save
5. Remember to "Sign out" in the top right corner at the end of your shift

Known Issues

Thanks to everyone for continuing to report issues in the new chat monitor. Below, you'll find a list of known issues that will be added to if new ones arise. These have all been reported to QuestionPoint Support, and they're working on fixing them. The Admin Centre will provide updates on progress to fix these issues or any known workarounds as they're made available:

Descriptive Codes

• The list of descriptive codes is no longer alphabetized.
• Some descriptive codes are being incorrectly assigned. For example, a service provider will select the "Disconnected" code and the "Crisis / Security" code will be assigned instead.
  • The following codes seem to be particularly problematic, so for the time being, refrain from using these codes: Disconnected, eResources Access, and Technical.

Patron Info Tab

• In the current (aka old) chat monitor, the "Question" field in the Info tab would let you know if a patron was coming in via the Qwidget. In the new chat monitor, the Question ID does not indicate if a patron has come in via Qwidget. For now, you can see if a patron came in via the Qwidget or not by looking at the original question they came in with (see screenshot below).

Report Issues and Ask Questions

Having technical troubles? Please let us know at the Admin Centre, and we'll pass it on to OCLC QuestionPoint Support. Please include screenshots and as much detail as possible (i.e. browser, what you were doing when the issue occurred, chat monitor URL at the time the issue occurred, etc.).

Questions about the new chat monitor? Contact the AskAway Admin Centre. We'll be happy to help!