libraryh3lp logo

LibraryH3lp is software used by libraries, educators, and non-profits for better customer service.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Updated widget

We recently released a few noteworthy privacy and usability updates for the LibraryH3lp guest's chat widget.  Let's take a look!

The Clear Chat History button appears automatically after the guest sends their first message. 
Obliviate!
The only visible change to the guest widget is a new "clear chat history" button, which appears after the guest sends their first message.  The text for the button is localized in languages for which we already have widget translations.

By clicking the button at any time, guests can wipe out the widget's displayed chat history.  This is especially handy when guests use shared computers.  Clicking the button does not remove the operator's view of the chat history, but it will tell the operator that the guest has left the conversation.  

Wait, what did you say before I clicked?
We've improved embedded widget usability by preserving the chat history when the user navigates away and then returns.  Embedded widgets are simple and highly visible, which make them a popular choice for web pages.  But sometimes guests accidentally navigate away from embedded widgets when clicking links on the containing web page.  Previously, the guest would lose their prior chat history even if they navigated back immediately.  Now, that chat history is preserved, and of course the guest can always clear it with the Clear Chat History button.

Elvis has left the building
Finally, we've included a few extra tricks within the updated widget to better detect when a guest leaves the chat.  If the guest navigates away, closes the page containing the widget, closes a pop-up widget, or uses the "clear chat history" button, the operator is notified consistently.  

No comments: