Providing excellent service to library visitors — while trying to get everything else done

Working and communicating with a team across multiple campus locations can often pose difficulties. Messaging tools like mobile phones and walkie-talkies aren’t sophisticated enough to work for teams on the move.

This was the case for a state college where librarians needed a modern, real-time communication tool.

Leading the charge was the Director of Libraries, whose wide-ranging responsibilities included purchasing, managing employees, customer service, and more. These duties meant that she her staff would often be away from the front desk.

The challenge became finding ways to serve patrons who came to the desk while the librarian on duty was away. In the past, library staff had relied on mobile calling when a customer needed help, which proved an ineffective system.

Solving the challenge with Orion and IFTTT

The Director of Libraries worked with Orion to set up a voice alert to ping a librarian when a patron came to the desk looking for help.

Using the integration service If This Then That (IFTTT), they connected the college’s Orion organization with an Alexa account. IFTTT connects thousands of internet services in potentially millions of ways so people can create their own automated workflows. Then, using IFTTT’s easy-to-navigate applet building interface, the librarians created a voice command and an alert for library visitors to use.

To trigger the alert, the patron would simply say, “Alexa, please reach the librarian.” Librarians would then receive a voice notification on their Onyx, no matter where they were on campus.

These alerts have freed librarians to work away from the desk, knowing they’ll never miss a patron who needs help. It also gives patrons direct access to library staff, providing a better customer service experience.

This innovative use of integration has boosted both employee productivity and customer satisfaction at the library, and it has contributed to a more optimized and efficient workplace.

Read the whole story

To learn more about how this educational institution automated their customer services with Orion, read the complete case study.

Orion is “the next level of team communication.” So says reviewer Brian Read from Automate Your Life, a video blog focused on home and business automation. In a new video, Brian shares his Onyx review and rates its technology, automation capabilities, and more.

Read our recap and watch the video below to learn why he rated Onyx a 9 out of 10, and find out why Onyx makes voice workflows so easy to set up.

Introduction to automation for Onyx

You’ll also get an overview of how Onyx works with the automation service IFTTT (If This Then That): “When you connect Onyx to IFTTT, your options become essentially unlimited.” He uses it to control devices in his own home and create advanced workflows that he can trigger with Onyx. Keep an eye out for our upcoming post that features Brian’s in-depth video on this topic.

Push-to-Talk within the Orion app

In the video, Brian mentions that you can use your phone like an Onyx as well. It’s true: you can use the Orion app to stay in touch with your teams or important people. The Orion mobile app works just like Onyx and lets you connect with other Onyx users, so you and your team can mix and match the devices that work best for you.

• 0:30 Technology review: 9 of 10
• 1:43 Automation review: 9 of 10
• 2:30 Life integration review: 9 of 10
• 3:20 Value review: 8.5 of 10
• 4:12 Overall rating: 9 of 10
• 5:00 Device setup (if you watched the previous video, you can skip this part)
• 7:15 IFTTT overview
• 8:30 Advanced use of IFTTT and Stringify with Orion

To bookmark the video or leave a comment for Automate Your Life, view the video on YouTube.

Learn more about Onyx

Want to know how your team can benefit from using Onyx? Learn more about Onyx and request a risk-free trial for your organization.