questionpoint's patron interface is much improved - now what?

Last summer, I reported that up to 40% of our patrons were having trouble connecting to OCLC QuestionPoint.

I am pleased to announce that this figure has dropped to only 13%. This figure is not perfect (like, say, 0%), but it means that QuestionPoint is as accessible or better than any other chat reference software we've used.

The biggest problem for patrons is still that they sometimes have to wait more than 2 minutes. It is completely understandable why a patron would disconnect if they have been waiting that long.

We are going to continue to increase staffing during our busiest times. You can see a chart of when we need help at www.oregonlibraries.net/traffic/calendar.

I would also like to offer patrons something to do while they wait.

I love all the increased traffic we are getting, but I don't think we need to insist that everyone who needs help have a chat session with a librarian. The point is to fill a reference need, not to create a need for a chat service.

The web is largely a self-service medium, and we hardly take advantage of that at all.

This fall, students who visit our "schools" queue have the option of clicking on a link to the Homework Resources page that the Training Team developed. About 10% of visitors do, but is it because they are tired of waiting? Do they prefer self service? Are they just looking for the quickest answer?

Is there a way we could harness our buzz database as a knowledgebase and let people search for their answer to their question there?

I also wonder if we should encourage people who have in-depth questions that don't need to be answered right away to use our e-mail service.

What do you think? How will we serve more people, more efficiently, more effectively, and faster?