Submitted by Sydney Brogden on
Welcome Back!
We hope you enjoyed your summer and are feeling ready for the exciting fall term ahead. In this post, try out the Refresher Quiz to help you stay sharp then check out the rest of the blog post below to learn about updates for the new term and reminders about the supports and resources available to AskAway Service Providers.
Refresher Quiz
Update: Call for Help Buttons and Cancel Buttons
Some updates have been made to the help buttons on the AskAway staff site! Buttons have been added for cancelling calls for help so that it’s easy to quickly communicate that help has arrived and no further assistance is necessary from the AskAway community at that time. Guidance on how to use the buttons is available in the FAQs:
The buttons available for service provider use now include:
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Swamped - to send out a call for help when all scheduled service providers are present, but the service is overwhelmed with traffic
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Cancel Swamped - to let the AskAway community know that a sufficient amount of help has arrived, and the traffic levels are being taken care of, no further help necessary for now.
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Daytime short-staffed - to send a call for help out to the service providers list when a service provider is missing from their scheduled shift
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Cancel daytime short-staffed - to communicate to the service providers list that help or the missing service provider has arrived and no further help is needed
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Evenings / weekends short-staffed - to send a call for help out to the evenings / weekends service providers list when a service provider is missing from their scheduled shift
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Cancel evenings / weekends short-staffed - to communicate to the evenings / weekends service providers list that help or the missing service provider has arrived and no further help is needed
These buttons provide a streamlined experience when calling for help (no need to draft your own email!) with standardized language (no more fretting over word choice!). The AskAway Admin Centre also receives a copy of the call for help, which allows the Admin Centre to track trends in traffic and staffing levels, and to follow up on missed shifts as needed.
Resources for Service Providers
There's an abundance of resources at the disposal of an AskAway Service Provider! Some of our favourites to draw attention to are:
- The Service Guidelines on the AskAway website provide an overview of AskAway’s approach to service. The guidelines are supported by more focused resources like:
- The Citation Best Practices - including tips for handling tricky citation questions, guidance for making referrals, and recommended citation guides.
- Guidance for Handling Unexpected Patrons - includes tips for handling a range of rare calls like patrons exhibiting rude behaviour, patrons in crisis, and prank calls.
- Shift trade protocol - Sometimes life gets busy and you may find yourself needing coverage for an AskAway shift. Refer to the Shift Trade Protocol for guidance!
- The Service Provider FAQs provide common troubleshooting tips and guidance for getting familiar with the service. Some handy examples include:
- Training Materials: you’re welcome to revisit the training resources on the AskAway website and AskAway asynchronous Canvas course for a refresher whenever you like
- Recent additions to the Canvas module include:
- A video demo of LibraryH3lp in action, with a service provider handling multiple chats at once
- Sample transcripts that demonstrate the flow of common conversations
- A tags matching activity to get familiar with which tags to apply when
- A scavenger hunt activity for practice with the Policy Pages
- Recent additions to the Canvas module include:
As always, feel free to reach out to the Admin Centre with any questions or concerns!
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