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231 views | 0 Vote this question as useful. 0 Vote this question as not useful. | Last updated on Jun 01, 2022 Proactive Chat
Proactive chat is an optional feature that libraries can choose to implement.
Your library can add proactive chat to pages that already have AskAway available on the page (e.g. via a chat box or chat tab) or that don't have an AskAway widget currently available. Adding proactive chat to a page where there's already a widget available can be an effective way to reach out to patrons while also maintaining the regular presence of the service on that page in case they decline the invitation and return later for help. Having proactive chat only can be a great way to reach out to patrons in a new location.
Proactive chat widgets have been successfully added to the following types of pages:
There's no limit to the number of proactive chat widgets that your library can include.
Here is some more information on other products where proactive chat has been requested:
EBSCO EDS (New version): The new EBSCO EDS does not support proactive chat invitations, but it may be possible to add a proactive-only chat snippet to the EBSCO footer.
Summon: Currently, the proactive chat invitation has not been added to Summon. This may be an option but would require work with the vendor.
WorldCat Discovery: WorldCat has a custom integration for LibraryH3lp, which does not use the chat snippets. We're unsure if a library can add embed code for a snippet to that product. If not, then proactive chat invitations will not work within WorldCat Discovery.
LibraryH3lp has more information on proactive chat in this FAQ Can I proactively invite guests to chat?