Colleagues,
Here at Birmingham City University we are looking at updating and
streamlining our telephone answering system, to integrate it more fully
with our other ways of answering remote queries (we have an email 'Ask
The Library' and are developing a live chat system). We wondered if the
experience of other University Libraries might help us decide on what
action to take. At the moment telephone queries are answered (or not if
we are busy) at the Enquiry Desk, but this is proving unsatisfactory.
How do other libraries deal with telephone enquiries? Do you have a
separate line (from the Enquiry desk)? If not do you deal with customers
at the desk first or answer the phone first and ask for their number to
ring back? Do you have protocols? If you have sites is there one
central number that deals with all queries or do sites have their own
separate lines? Do you keep a log (in order to feed into FAQs etc)? Do
you have a message system if the line is busy? How does this work?
In short I'm looking for any information at all on what works and what
doesn't . I'd be grateful for all information and will collate all
answers on LIS-Link.
Thanks,
Alan Beard
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