Submitted by admin-boss on
Recently on AskAway patrons have often appeared to disconnect or disappear without warning. Sometimes this is due to internet outages, navigating away via Qwidget links, QuestionPoint server troubles or the patron finding the resources they need and forgetting to return. The patron status indicator often turns to a red dot in these cases.
When busy it can be tempting to simply end the session when you see the red dot. However, until the "Patron is no longer connected." message appears, the patron may still return or use the email transcript option to find out if any additional information was sent. It's always best to assume they will read the transcript and leave an explanation of why you are closing the session.
Patron feedback from the exit survey has given us some insight into what's happening on their end:
"The connection was so slow and just terrible, to a point where my messages were going through so slowly the librarian terminated the session - and my internet connection is fine."
"Librarian signed off before I found any relevant information. Did give some good suggestions before signing off though."
Most importantly patrons can disappear for long periods of time and even return to a session from a red dot indicator and find it frustrating that their question was closed without any explanation. Check out the Lost call? Before you end your session... post for tips on how AskAway service providers can end their sessions for a consistent patron experience.
Have questions or comments? Contact Sunni!