The Power of Proactivity: UOW Library's Successful Live Chat Implementation

ABSTRACT

Since 2016, UOW Library staff have been engaged in developing a culture of agility, strong digital literacy, and experimental exploration as part of the Future-Ready Library and the Thriving Digital Library strategies. This culture enabled the trial and implementation of a proactive chat widget at University of Wollongong Library prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative and quantitative data show how valuable proactive chat was to the students and staff at UOW during a period of high uncertainty. Pro-active chat achieved the goal of equitable provision of resources to library users at a time when visitor and travel rules restricted physical access to UOW Library buildings and on-site staff. The pandemic has been declared over, however, UOW Library continues to utilise proactive chat and to build upon and expand its functionality. The lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that to withstand and succeed in the face of continued change to the provision of services in the GLAM sector, the attributes of agility and flexibility as well as strong and ongoing growth in digital literacy skills are vital.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital literacy
• digital transformation
• proactive chat
• academic libraries
• staff development

In the last decade, technological advancements have accelerated exponentially, leaving many struggling to comprehend and keep up. While the literature shows that the challenge of responding to volatile circumstances with agility is not new (Ajgaonkar et al., 2022; Pregmark, 2022; Sherehiy & Karwowski, 2014), the onset of COVID-19 unveiled an organisation’s capacity to navigate a dramatic acceleration in change.

To embrace risk, learn from failure and become highly agile, university libraries must not only be proactive in their service delivery, but also foster a culture that values experimentation and adapts to changing circumstances. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023 states: ‘Creative thinking comes second, ahead of three self-efficacy skills – resilience, flexibility and agility’ (p. 37), while Bawany (2020) notes:

With increasing volatility in the markets, ever-changing customer needs, and continuous technology-led disruptions to business models, it is an organization’s agility and resilience that can help it weather the storm of changes that hit it every day (p. 15).

The University of Wollongong Library plays a critical role in providing resources to UOW’s diverse domestic and international user and stakeholder population. To continue to fulfil the library’s vision and purpose (University of Wollongong, 2023a), library staff ‘strive to lead and advance open, equitable and inclusive digital access models for information and knowledge for a University that is highly networked and global in its outlook’ by ‘investing in our people: who are recognised as respected knowledge workers and are forward looking, curious and constantly learning and growing’ (University of Wollongong, 2023b).

Many university libraries have been challenged with unrelenting ambiguity, uncertainty and rapid pivoting that have shaken static change models. Due to UOW Library’s continued investment in staff digital development and culture of agile work practices, the foundation was established for flexible service provision during a highly volatile period (McKenzie et al., 2023).

This article provides an overview of the strategies employed at UOW Library enabling a transition to a hybrid working model exemplified by the implementation of a proactive chat service that was not without risk and uncertainty. However, it ultimately provided remote service delivery to clients unable to travel or enter the library building during a pandemic. The final section of the article explores the lessons learned following the introduction of proactive chat and how UOW Library is well positioned to embrace potential future technological developments of Live Chat due to the ongoing investment in digital dexterity.

Building a Future-Ready Library: A Journey Towards Digital Transformation

To adapt to an increasingly volatile and ambiguous world, digital literacy competency and a willingness to embrace the digital world are now vital elements for organisational survival. In 2016, the University of Wollongong Library began an ambitious drive to increase staff digital dexterity by focusing on foundational digital literacy skill development (Dee et al., 2020), thereby launching Phase I of the Future-Ready Library Strategy (UOW Library, 2018).

Phase II incorporated 2018s Future-Ready Library roadmap with an overarching digital-first principle that targeted the skills and services required in a future-orientated workplace (Dee et al., 2020). The strategy outlined the necessity of the organisation to ‘embrace the opportunities of Digital Transformation’ (UOW Library, 2018, p. 6) and develop a digital-first mindset. One of the primary goals was to ensure the equitable and sustainable delivery of digital resources and services to the UOW community (Dee et al., 2020).

During Phase II, the library’s client services team worked to become digitally dexterous, progressive and agile. In addition to the business-as-usual tools, such as Microsoft Office Suite and SharePoint, the team used Asana to track progress for a review of the library's online help services. Furthermore, the team optimised communication between library floors using Slack and many functions in Springshare’s LibApps including Ask Us and Live Chat, LibWizard for forms and LibStaffer for rostering. Immediately prior to the COVID-19 crisis, MS Teams was introduced requiring the team to adjust to a new online tool. Finally, in late 2020, the library underwent a transition from the Library Management System, Sierra, to the new system, Ex Libris.

The ambitious Future-Ready Library Strategy allowed library staff to successfully navigate the pandemic and informed the development of the next approach, the Thriving Digital Library Strategy 2022–2024 (UOW Library, 2018), which was introduced to focus on the consolidation and optimisation of the digital-first library. While the Future-Ready Library Strategy set staff up to navigate a digital environment, the Thriving Digital Library Strategy emphasises fostering an environment that actively promotes and invests in staff professional development and sustaining open, personalised, human-centred services. Staff are encouraged to identify their own digital strengths and seek out opportunities for development.

Transforming Live Chat: Proactive Implementation for Improved User Engagement

The Future-Ready Library Strategy promoted additional attributes relevant to the proactive chat initiative: designing with the user in mind, empowering users to effectively discover and use digital resources, and demonstrating an understanding of the digital ecosystem at the time (UOW Library, 2018). Consequently, the client services team sought to explore how a proactive chat model could provide greater user engagement between the UOW community and the library, easier access to resources and services, and an opportunity for library staff to exercise flexible and agile digital skills.

Live Chat was first introduced by UOW Library in February 2017 with a static model, where the user had to initiate contact by clicking on the chat widget. This approach led to slow uptake as users had to notice the Live Chat button, which was a small red tab on the top right of a webpage, and take the initiative to engage with the service. Statistics from the first year show that library staff received fewer than 20 chats per week. A 2018 Live Chat service report submitted to the library executive team outlined recommendations for improving visibility. One of the recommendations was to pilot proactive chat. Proactive chat is a chat window that slides out over the top of a viewed webpage after a short pre-determined period, effectively inviting the user to engage with the library, unlike the static chat model.

Literature from other universities that had implemented a proactive chat model reported a 300-600% increase in chat interactions (Epstein, 2018; Kemp et al., 2015). Piloting and subsequent implementation of the proactive chat model would be a risky move, as an additional 40 staff hours, a change to the roster structure, a second live chat computer terminal, and the activation of a second client services email address and LibStaffer account were required to support the service.

After determining the changes needed to accommodate the predicted service demand, there was further realisation that back-end design and support were required from the university’s information technology department. Practical elements, including where the chat widget should slide out from (bottom or side of a webpage) and display and delay options, were discussed. The pilot of the proactive chat service was approved for a period of four weeks with the aim of assessing if implementation on a full-time basis would be feasible. This period ran during teaching weeks 11, 12, 13 and the study recess week of Spring Session 2019.

Throughout 2018 and 2019 with the static Live Chat widget, the average number of chats per week continued to be low, with a weekly average of 31. However, during the four-week pilot period, Live Chat enquiries increased by 634% compared with the same weeks in 2018. This reflects the experience of other libraries (Epstein, 2018; Kemp et al., 2015).

Due to the significant uptake of the proactive chat service, the proposal for permanent implementation on 2 March 2020 was approved. Following the introduction of proactive chat, the average number of chats per week in 2020/2021 was 231: a 633% increase in chat enquiries compared with 2018/2019. The data demonstrated that the Live Chat service swiftly became a channel of choice for UOW Library users. Qualitative data shows that the satisfaction rating also increased a percentage point each year despite increasing chat numbers (See Figure 1).

Figure 1. Number of chats vs client satisfaction ratings from 2019-2021.

Transitioning to Remote Work: The Evolution of UOW Library's Proactive Chat Service during COVID-19

The onset of the COVID-19 emergency required an abrupt pivot away from usual working practices and service delivery. Persistent dedication to an organisational culture of agility saw staff not only seamlessly move to an online service environment but embrace and enhance the new modes of delivery. Within days of the possibility of a lockdown, UOW Library staff were trialling the proactive chat service model from home. Prior to a complete lockdown, staff already had the benefit of resolving many of Live Chat’s technology, resource and service issues: determining the optimal number of staff on Live Chat at any one time and methods to mitigate the overwhelm of chat inundation. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the proactive chat service was entirely operated by our client services Tier 1 staff who responded to foundational enquires and referred complex matters to Tier 2 support where advanced use of information resources or specialist knowledge was required. This support had typically been provided face-to-face or via phone. As the lockdown became the ‘new normal’, the introduction of Tier 2 chat services replaced face-to-face support to allow for the triage of enquiries requiring specialised assistance (McKenzie & Konstanta, 2020).

To support the ongoing provision of Live Chat and reduce the number of staff on site, the client services team roster was restructured to enable as many staff as possible to work remotely during longer shift blocks. To prepare to work from home, each team member audited their home internet stability and hardware availability and set up WHS-approved workstations. The functionality of Springshare’s LibChat, LibAnswers and LibStaffer, Web Sierra, UOW’s VPN, and Microsoft Teams was also tested.

Looking back, it became clear the proactive chat trial had prepared the groundwork for remote work by the library’s client services team. The forward-thinking approach encouraged by the Future Ready Library Strategy and the potential that proactive chat could be permanent, meant staff took measures to further develop their digital literacy skills and become accustomed to online service delivery.

Digital Transformation in UOW Library: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 and Future Directions

Reflecting on the lessons learned since the implementation of proactive chat, one is the exceptional flexibility of the service itself. Beyond staff agility contributing to the success of proactive chat, the tool is flexible and capable of meeting changing demands. Its functionality enabled staff to improve user experience: canned responses were expanded or reduced to remain highly relevant to wide range of common questions, and Tier 1 staff now seamlessly transfer complex enquiries to Tier 2 staff allowing them to directly engage with academics, facilitating efficient and specialised assistance.

During peak times, the online chat service sometimes experienced an unprecedented number of chats. To address staff overwhelm, a mantra, ‘Only pick up what you can respond to well’, was widely communicated. This emphasised the importance of quality interactions, allowing staff to prioritise chats they could respond to effectively to maintain a high level of user satisfaction, while being mindful of individual staff wellbeing. Staffing hours were reviewed and adjusted as demand required and available staff not rostered on a service point could be contacted to assist. On occasion, the volume of incoming chats overwhelmed staffing resources. Users whose chats were not able to be picked up were informed that all library staff were busy and were offered the option to continue to wait or to submit a ‘ticket’ with the details of their question. Tickets were responded to when the chat volume eased. Additionally, procedures, training and two wellbeing videos were provided to support staff. These resources covered topics such as managing trolling and abusive interactions. To address staff concerns and facilitate knowledge sharing, fortnightly Zoom meetings were held during the adjustment period, serving as a forum to provide reassurance about the mechanics of the service, answer queries about entering analytics, and navigating the challenges of working remotely.

Employing a forward-thinking approach, leaders, and managers ‘creat[ed] an environment where ideas and solutions are encouraged, valued and responded to’ (Campbell & Konstanta, 2022). As Tier 1 staff are usually the initial contact for users reporting issues such as database outages, effective feedback loops were implemented to ensure relevant information was communicated accurately and rapidly where multiple chat enquiries contained the same question. This was done by adding canned messages in the chat system or using MS Teams to share suggested responses.

Looking beyond the COVID-19 crisis, flexible working arrangements for UOW Library staff and the provision of Live Chat are ongoing. The rapid upskilling during the pandemic ensured that staff are strongly positioned to provide services while working remotely. The proactive chat initiative has proven to be highly successful, with chat hours increased in response to the pandemic. Notably, the library has retained chat hours during all building opening hours. While physical libraries may not always be able to remain open, the library's expanded provision of online services demonstrably supports the learning outcomes of the UOW community with over 13,500 chats with library staff during additional chat hours alone since 26 March 2020.

Understanding the key elements for success when implementing new systems for digital service delivery provides an opportunity to develop digital dexterity for future endeavours. With the growing popularity of AI and chatbot technology, the library implemented an after-hours LibAnswers chatbot in April 2023 as one of the final deliverables of the Future-Ready Library Strategy.

The chatbot is designed to operate outside of Library staffed hours and provides users with relevant self-help resources, FAQs and the option to submit a question for a response by the next business day. While not a full chatbot, the service has embedded feedback options enabling users to rate their interactions and informs them when they are interacting with a chatbot and how and when they can connect with a human. Aligned with the digital-first, global mindset of UOW Library, this service allows users worldwide to connect with resources around the clock. Incorporating such improvements strengthens the ability of the library to provide efficient and effective service and further increases the flexibility and agility of library staff.

Conclusion

The success of UOW Library's proactive chat service during the COVID-19 pandemic can be attributed to the dedication of library executives to build an agile and empowered workforce culture, the groundwork laid by the ongoing Digital Dexterity programme, the rapid upskilling of staff to provide both Tier 1 and Tier 2 Live Chat services, and the positive attitude and flexibility of staff. This allowed staff to confidently assist users via a digital platform and meet their needs during an unprecedented time. Proactive chat proved to be a vital resource for the library while maintaining exceptional user satisfaction, exemplifying the capabilities of staff, and demonstrating the value of investing in digital technologies and ongoing professional development. Looking ahead, UOW Library will continue to embrace new technologies and explore opportunities to improve service delivery. The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the evolution of the proactive chat service will inform future decision-making as the library continues to build a culture of innovation, collaboration and human-centredness.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cate Slater

Cate Slater joined the University of Wollongong Library in 2016, starting in the Client Services team before transitioning into her current role as a Learning and Engagement Librarian. She partners with academic staff to create digital learning objects that support students to develop their digital and information literacy skills. Her areas of interest include the student experience, digital learning and teaching and utilising technologies to deliver content to students.

Leanne Campbell

Leanne Campbell began working at the University of Wollongong Library in 2016 following completion of a Graduate Diploma of Library and Information Studies through Curtin University. After spending six years in the Client Services team, including as casual staff coordinator and team leader during the COVID-19 pandemic, she is now leading the Resources and Discovery team providing optimal access to UOW Library’s electronic resources.

Lara Duggan

Lara Anne Duggan worked at the University of Wollongong Library for over 27 years supporting researchers, academics, and students. While in the Client Services Team she was part of the three-person team that investigated, trialled and implemented the pro-active chat before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. She now works at the Graduate Research School, University of Wollongong, administering scholarships and progression.