Telling the patron “Goodbye” at the end of a chat session is important: it provides an indication to the patron that the librarian has concluded the session and, equally important, it is a mark of politeness to the patron. Compare an interaction where the librarian ends with a friendly goodbye message (e.g., “Goodbye, and thanks for using our service!”) to a librarian who simply disconnects. Ending the session without saying goodbye is like hanging up on someone, abruptly, on the telephone (or closing a door in their face).
Many (but not all) libraries in the Cooperative have provided a Goodbye script for chatting librarians to use with their patrons. You can find these scripted messages in the lower left of the librarian chat monitor, under the “scripts” tab. Libraries take different approaches with their Goodbye scripts. Here are a few examples:
1. Generic friendly
This simple approach is taken by the AskWA service (state of Washington). This script does not include the name of the service, so it can be used by both WA librarians helping Coop patrons as well as Coop librarians helping WA patrons. Note this script references the possibility of a survey (it’s only a possibility since this script is designed to conclude sessions regardless of the library, which means the chatting librarian won’t know if a survey link has been set up or not).
03_Goodbye:
Bye! I hope the session was helpful and that you'll use us again soon! If you provided an email, you will receive a transcript of this session shortly. You may also see a link to a survey, which you may use to rate this service. Thanks!
2. Service name included
Many libraries use the Goodbye script as a way to promote the service by including the service’s name in the closing message. This has the advantage of reminding the patron of the service’s name, which makes it more likely patrons will remember that name when next they need assistance. This is most common among statewide services that have a separate portal page or statewide name. Ask Here PA (Pennsylvania statewide service) is a good example:
PA Goodbye:
Thank you for using Ask Here PA. It has been a pleasure assisting you and I hope you will use Ask Here PA again.
Note the script name is “PA Goodbye”, to be used only with patrons entering via a PA chat queue. Since this script does mention the service name, PA has a non-service specific script for PA librarians to use with Coop patrons:
24/7 Goodbye (use w/ non-PA patrons):
Thank you for using our service. If you need further assistance, please contact us again. Goodbye for now...
3. Service name plus more information (marketing; transcript access)
Maryland AskUsNow! has 2 goodbye scripts, one for chat via the usual chat form and one for the Qwidget. The shorter Qwidget message is in response to the (generally) smaller Qwidget space.
02.5_Qwidget_Thanks_Goodbye:
Thanks for using Maryland AskUsNow! If you have any further questions, please contact us again. You can end the session by clicking on the "x" at the top right of the widget box. If you provided an e-mail address, you should receive a full transcript from "[email protected]" in a few minutes. Bye for now - and please take a moment to fill out the survey!
The ending for non-Qwidget chats refers to the service’s Facebook page:
02_Thanks_Goodbye:
Thank you for using Maryland AskUsNow! If you have any further questions, please contact us again. You will have an opportunity to send the transcript with links to yourself but if you already provided an e-mail address, you should receive a full transcript from "[email protected]" in a few minutes. You can go ahead and click Exit to end your session. Bye for now - and please take a moment to fill out the survey!
"LIKE" us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/askusnow or find us on twitter @askusnow
Note the instructions to patrons for how to end the session differ, depending on whether it’s a Qwidget patron or a chat form patron.
Tips for Goodbye Scripts: Patron Library
A Goodbye script can accomplish several things: marketing the service by repeating the name, soliciting feedback about the service by referencing the survey link, providing useful information such as how to access the transcript, and pointing to additional engagement options such as Facebook and other social media.
Script Placement: if you choose to present a Goodbye script to the chatting librarians, be sure it is clearly labelled and that it is high enough in your script list so that chatting librarians can readily find it at the conclusion of the session. If the chatting librarian has to scroll through many scripts, this reduces the chances of your Goodbye script being used. The Goodbye script is the most commonly used script, so it should be at the top (either first or just after the greeting in your list of scripts).
Tips for Goodbye Scripts: Chatting Librarians
Ending the session with a friendly word is a mark of politeness and respect to the patron: it’s essential to providing good customer service. It is not required that you use a Goodbye script but it is highly recommended, since the patron library’s Goodbye script may contain information that the patron library wants their patrons to have. The 24/7 Best Practices state: send the appropriate Goodbye script provided by the patron’s library. If no Goodbye script is available, thank the patron for using the service and encourage the patron to return.
But, if you use a Goodbye script, be sure you use the script of the patron library! It is very confusing for a PA patron to see a message that says “Thanks for using Maryland AskUsNow!”
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