Case Study: Ask Ontario delivers fast, expert research help at scale with LivePerson

Providing Information as a Public Service through Digital Engagement

Ask Ontario is a consortium of 18 public and 10 college libraries in Ontario that set out to make trained research help available beyond the physical branch—reaching patrons where they are and increasing the number of people served per staff member. Facing the challenge of keeping libraries relevant in an era of instant online information, the group needed a scalable, online channel to deliver timely, expert assistance.

They implemented a distributed live-chat service using LivePerson’s LiveEngage platform, with “click to chat” buttons on library sites and a back-channel for staff collaboration. Over five years the service handled 92,000+ chats, with 82% of users saying they got better information than they would have on their own, 51% (college) and 60% (public) of inquiries resolved in under 10 minutes, agent ratings above 80%, and 100% staff enthusiasm; the program is now expanding into text and mobile channels.

AskOntario

Jan Dawson

Project Manager