Using RefTracker with online chat reference systems

RefTracker can be used in conjunction with online/chat reference systems, such as our RefChatter product.

Access for staff to online/chat reference systems from within RefTracker

RefTracker’s Contact details hyperlinks can also be used to send outgoing communications to the client. Where such a product is utilised by your library, and supported by RefTracker (currently SMS and Meeting applications like Teams and Zoom), it can be instigated from within RefTracker using the provided hyperlink in the client contact details. This means that by simply clicking on the Client contact hyperlink (e.g. in the Answer screen) you can contact the client without having to load any external program, without using any external device, or entering any client contact information!

Sending questions that cannot be completed in the chat product, to RefTracker using email importing

Many online reference systems allow the transcript of a chat to be emailed to a specified email address.  If the email address specified is an email address monitored by RefTracker email importing, the transcript will be automatically imported as a new RefTracker question.  Make sure that the transcript contains the client’s contact information (such as their email address) so that the further research can be passed on to them, as the RefTracker question created in this way will have the email address used to send transcripts form your online reference system as its client email address, and that will need to be Changed.

Sending questions that cannot be completed in the chat product, to RefTracker using a form

No matter what online/chat reference product you use, RefTracker request forms can be used with it to pass questions that cannot be completed online, to RefTracker for further research and provision of an answer to the client.

Any RefTracker request form can be used, and it can be used by sending the URL of the form to the client for them to complete, or by the staff member obtaining sufficient information from the client whilst still online with them, so that the staff member can fill out the RefTracker request form themselves.