Working with LibAnswers

Overview

LibAnswers is organized by queues, each visible only to relevant staff. For example, SeERs Team staff can access these three:   

• ESupport: for notifications of e-resource additions/updates, and reports of broken links and other access problems
• EResources: primarily for vendor COUNTER usage statistics for the Electronic Resources Librarian, but tickets meant for ESupport sometimes go astray here
• Cataloging: problems/questions about catalog records

There are other queues that e-resources staff don't have/need access to (e.g. EReference); also, a spam queue and error queue (see below).

Tickets sent to the wrong address can be transferred to other queues and assigned to specific staff members.

Items originate from direct email messages or from various forms on the Library website (e.g.: the "Report a Problem" link on the Databases page).

Several filters are available at the top of the dashboard page to view only tickets from a specific queue, open/closed status, etc.

When new items enter a queue, email notifications are sent to multiple staff members assigned to monitor that queue.

Claiming tickets

Unowned tickets can be claimed:

• by clicking on the "View this ticket at" link in a notification email
• by clicking on a ticket's subject line in the website dashboard

To view a ticket without claiming it, click on the eyeball icon at the end of the subject line.

If you claim a ticket by mistake, use the Unclaim button at the top of the ticket page. It will return to unowned status.

To claim ownership of an owned ticket, see "Assign/Transfer" below.

Responding to tickets

• Choose the tab for what you want to do:

• • Create a Reply (default) - to send an email message to the ticket's sender, plus anyone listed in the "CC Answer to" box near the bottom
    Always check the Contact Details at top right of the screen to make sure the reply is going to the correct person. Forwarded messages will sometimes retain the original source, which may not be the intended recipient. In these cases, you can click the Question Actions gear icon near upper right of screen, select Edit, and update the Asked By and Email fields.
•  
  • Post an Internal Note - to record the ticket resolution, or steps taken so far, when a message is unnecessary
•  
  • Assign/Transfer - to transfer the ticket to a different staff member or queue
    Note: You can use this to transfer a ticket owned by someone else to yourself, if appropriate.
    
    
• Type your message into the box provided. If just transferring a ticket, a message may be unnecessary.
  
  
• If ready to close the ticket, add Analytics.
  For the ESupport queue, select ESupport Analytics, choose a Question Type, and include Patron Type if known.
  
  
• Click the submit button, choosing the desired option:
  

  • Submit as New - when transferring a ticket on which no work has been done

  • Submit as Open - when adding information, or sending a message, on a ticket not yet resolved

  • Submit as Pending - similar to above, but used when waiting for more information before taking further action

  • Submit as Closed - when closing a ticket that has been resolved

Other notes:

Tags
These are optional, but can be useful to highlight repeated issues with the same provider or title; tags are one element that tickets can be filtered by. To add a tag, click in the Add Tag box (at right under Contact Details) and start typing. Existing tags that match will appear as you type; select one of these by clicking on it or add a new one if no match is found.

Tickets that just won't die
A reply to a closed ticket will reopen it, even if it's just a thank you. These will need to be closed again, but it isn't necessary to re-add the Analytics.

Spam queue
The LibAnswers system will send suspected spam messages into a separate queue, accessed via a tab on the main dashboard. Legitimate messages may sometimes be misdirected here. Items should be reviewed and then marked as Not Spam (they will automatically move to the intended queue) or deleted, as appropriate.

Error queue
Undeliverable replies will be bounced back to this queue, accessed via a tab on the main dashboard. Staff who sent the reply should recheck the Contact Details on the ticket and resend the reply if the correct email address can be determined.