Based on my own experience, the answer to your question is that once you SEND to the patron, you are locked in on a session with them.

I sent an e-mail at the beginning of September encouraging people to begin using the new web chat client. If more than one VR operator is logged in and they are using different VR web clients then the following can happen (again based on my personal experience):

1. An operator logged in with old web client (https://libraryh3lp.com/webchat/) is in the middle of a chat with a patron

2. Second operator logged in with new web client (https://libraryh3lp.com/webclient/#/client) can take over other operator’s chat session without realizing the other operator is already chatting with a patron.

Using the new web client should prevent this from happening.

The old web client will be shut down by the end of 2015.

For technical questions such as these could you forward them directly to me and I will answer them or contact the vendor for clarification and post to the VR listserv.

Thanks,

Bill

VR Coordinator

Bill Poluha | Librarian, Sciences and Technology Library | University of Manitoba | 204.293.5635

Liaison for: Astronomy, Physics, Math and Statistics

From: <lib-virtual-ref-bounces@lists.umanitoba.ca> on behalf of Daisy Santos <Daisy.Santos@umanitoba.ca>
Date: Monday, October 5, 2015 at 4:21 PM
To: VR List <lib-virtual-ref@lists.umanitoba.ca>
Subject: [Lib-virtual-ref] Taking VR calls - lag time?

Hello:

Could someone please clear up - at what point does the VR automatically locks/assign the session to an operator? Is it after you’ve typed and hit SEND?

During some busy shifts when several VR staff are signed on, there was a confusion on who’s answering a call because there is no indication on the screen that a staff is already composing a response on the message box.

This happened a few times so I thought others might have the same question.

Daisy Santos

Reference & Research Services
Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library

204-789-3518