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R U Serious?
Yep, you heard it right - LibAnswers now has SMS!
LibAnswers now aggregates questions from the web, Twitter, and SMS, with extensive reporting capabilities to boot. It's a simple, affordable way to offer SMS reference, all part of a fully-featured reference platform for libraries.
Check out all of the features to the right - we know you'll be blown away. :)
If you don't already have the SMS module, contact sales@springshare.com and we'll help you get started!
FIRST YEAR FREE
(save a 1-time $149 set up fee)
Patron Privacy
Springshare cares about your patrons' privacy, especially when it comes to mobile phone numbers.
Patron mobile phone numbers are not visible anywhere in your LibAnswers system - public or admin screens!
The numbers are stored in our database so that you can:
a) View messages from the same number, and
b) Calculate statistics
We will never mine, resell, or use these phone numbers in any way shape or form.
We can purge our database and delete the numbers altogether as often as you like but keep in mind:
a) You will lose statistics, and
b) You will lose the ability to view previous messages from the same number.
If you are okay with this send us an email to support@springshare.com any time you wish us to purge the database of numbers completely.
The bottom line is that we will not misuse the data in any way.
SMS Features
- Each library has a dedicated local telephone number.
No short codes to remember or special keywords for patrons to memorize. - The SMS functionality is fully integrated into the current LibAnswers workflow.
Any incoming messages go to to the Unanswered tab. You answer the questions in the same way you answer any other LibAnswers questions. You can collaborate on answers, claim questions, pass notes, see who answered which SMS, etc. - Send SMS messages to users.
You can now send messages to users from LibAnswers without having them send questions in first! Just click the Send an SMS link at the top of the My Home screen.
Why would you use this? Just think: a reference librarian is helping a user at the desk, but needs some time to complete the search or check in with someone else. The user can do other work in the library and the librarian can send them a text when they're done! Texting them is less intrusive than a phone call, yet more timely than an email.
There are lots of other scenarios where this is super useful - the sky's the limit! - SMS statistics are fully integrated with LibAnswers stats.
We provide a variety of reports on SMS usage. Want to see the monthly/daily/hourly distribution of SMS questions? Want to compare SMS stats with Twitter or Web reference stats? You can!
Furthermore, with the Analytics module you can go even deeper and analyze reference trends and staffing needs for each reference channel - an essential tool for evaluating and improving your reference services! - Customizable auto responders / auto-response keywords.
- Auto Responders: Customizable message to send to users if they text you a question when you're closed / the service is unavailable. You can define your library's hours on a day-by-day basis.
- Auto-Response Keywords: You can set up keywords/messages so users can text a keyword and immediately get the answer! Imagine texting "hours" and getting an immediate response with the library's working hours. How about texting "new books" and getting a list of new arrivals? You get to define whatever keywords/messages you want!
- Unlimited number of simultaneous logins.
All of your librarians can have an account in LibAnswers and answer SMS questions. There are no limits to the number of accounts or the number of users logged on at the same time. - Fully hosted solution.
You get your own local phone number without having to buy (and tote around) a dedicated phone just for SMS. Plus, all of your data lived in a cloud (nine) which means we take care of the back-end infrastructure for you. - Pricing
FREE for the 1st year, save for a 1-time setup fee of $149.
You get 400 messages per month (incoming + outgoing) and you can carry over any unused credits from month-to-month during your annual license term. This means you have 4,800 FREE messages for your first year! - Ongoing Charges
After the first free year, choose between the following plans.
As before, you carry over any unused credits from month to month for the full year.
Need more message credits? No problem! Buy a pack of 1,000 for just $50. If you anticipate needing more than 15,000 messages/year, talk to us and we will give you an even better deal!$30/month 600 messages/month (7,200/year) incoming + outgoing $50/month 1,200 messages/month (14,400/year) incoming + outgoing
LibAnswers Guide |
 Anna Burke   |
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