Digital Reference: QuestionPoint thumbnail history

Friday, January 27, 2006

QuestionPoint thumbnail history

QuestionPoint is currently hard at work finalizing the development of their new chat tool (1.52 MB PDF) in time for the late-February launch. This past week, I've been thinking about how I'm going to train my colleagues here at Baruch College on the new software. I'm somewhat anxious that everything will be done in time for the February cutover to the revamped chat software; I'm even more concerned about how I am going to have time to train my colleagues prior to that launch if the version of the software I have to use for the training isn't in fact the final version.

As I struggle with these issues, I've begun mapping out some of the training sessions I hope to give. One thing that I think my colleagues need to be clear on is the relationship between the 24/7 Reference chat software (a modified version of eGain) that our library has been using since 2003 and the new chat tool developed by QuestionPoint. To understand that relationship, it helps to have a handle on the history of QuestionPoint; to present this, I've made this handout with a very simplified history of QuestionPoint and 24/7 Reference. If I've gotten some detail wrong, please add your corrections to the comments section of this post.

3 Comments:

At 7:28 PM , Sarah Houghton (LiB) said...: I'm a bit concerned too Stephen. Let's hope we get what we were promised when it launches.
At 6:37 PM , Dan said...: I'm surprised. It does not sound like you are or can practice with the Questionpoint Chat Pilot?

We've followed the tutorials, and paired off asking each other questions.
At 10:09 PM , Stephen Francoeur said...: Sarah: I do think that someday OCLC will be able to fix all the problems, but I doubt that it's all going to get done by the launch. I sense that they'll roll out the chat tool with a promise to continue to do future installs as longstanding problems get worked out. In particular, I think the co-browsing problems won't get resolved until later this spring (grrr).

Dan: We can actually "practice" with the Flash Chat Pilot, but honestly, I've been reluctant to demo it because it looks so threadbare. It doesn't help that the co-browsing tools are barely functional right now. We do, though, have our first practice session planned for February 15, which is three days after the next install of the pilot. I'm hoping that install will make the product look more finished. At the moment, the software has all the visual panache of the Chrysler K Car.