LiveChat: eGovernment Customer Relationship Management by the Library

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

LiveChat librarians help citizens quickly navigate county government services online, connecting real-people, with real-needs in real-time to the information they seek. Whether it’s zoning information, filing a fictitious business name, finding affordable housing, or reporting child or elder abuse, library staff can quickly point citizens to the online information, department or service they need to efficiently and effectively transact business with the county online. Launched in 2011 by Contra Costa County Library in coordination with County Administration, the Department of Information Technology, and the Office of Communications and Media, LiveChat responds to 9,000 information requests annually, providing help when and where help is needed. LiveChat has helped improve the county website by identifying popular services and frequently requested information that residents, businesses, and visitors are having difficulty finding online. The Library is uniquely positioned to provide the LiveChat information service for all county departments and to tackle the shared problem all departments face in helping citizens locate county services online. This is something librarians do every day and by embedding LiveChat throughout the county website, citizens are able to quickly discover how their local library is ready, capable, and happy to help them find the government services they seek.