Contactless/curbside holds pickup started out as a method for safely delivering holds to patrons during the COVID-19 pandemic and will probably be here to stay… for good. And that’s a great thing! According to a recent Forbes article, curbside pickup is not going anywhere, even post-pandemic, because customers simply love it.
“The benefit of curbside is primarily the ability to order ahead, which should translate to no waiting. Customers don’t like to wait in line.”
(Kelso Why Curbside Pickup Is Here To Stay-Even After The Pandemic Ends)
Importantly, curbside/contactless holds pickup is not just convenient and safe for patrons… it also helps staff by ensuring they don’t get overwhelmed in any one channel. By offering multiple methods for pick up (curbside/contactless, circulation desk, self-checkout kiosks, etc), it allows you to service several patrons at the same time.
What’s more, if you have a mobile platform to facilitate scheduling and SMS communication – you’ll see higher adoption and usage.
Pickup Manager: Scheduling & Communicating Holds Pickups
Last November, Springshare released Pickup Manager – our robust and feature-rich contactless holds pickup tool that includes scheduling and mobile chat/SMS communication.
Patrons can:
- Schedule their holds pickup once they’re ready
- Communicate with the library via mobile-optimized chat or SMS/texting when they’ve arrived
- Provide their feedback by filling out a follow-up survey
- Receive reminders when they haven’t picked up their items
Pickup Manager has ILS Integration!
Pickup Manager integrates with a variety of ILS Tools and we even have a generic SIP2 integration… so if none of the below match your ILS, we can integrate via SIP2 if that’s an available option!
- Scheduling a Pickup Time slot: When patrons go to schedule their pickup time slot, they’ll be prompted to enter in their library barcode/pin. Pickup Manager authenticates to see if they have holds available that are eligible for pickup.
- Checking Out Holds During Two-Way Communication: When the patron arrives to pickup their items and initiates a mobile chat or SMS/text, during the chat exchange you can check-out items to the patron directly from the Pickup Manager dashboard. This removes an entire step – checking out the items via the ILS – from the process!
| ILS Integration: Scheduling a Pickup Time Slot | ILS Integration: Checkout Items When Communicating with Patron | |
| SirsiDynix Symphony |  |  |
| SirsiDynix Horizon | | |
| Ex Libris Alma | | |
| Koha | |  |
| Innovative Interfaces Sierra | |  |
Don’t Have ‘Curbside’?
A lot of our academic libraries don’t have curbside pickup because they’re usually walking distance from the dorms and don’t have nearby parking lots. But, that doesn’t mean Pickup Manager isn’t right for you! Use Pickup Manager to handle *any* location where you want to schedule pickups – from a table in the lobby, a kiosk outdoors, or even at the circulation desk. It provides another channel/method for patrons to pickup their holds AND it helps you know who is coming where and when!
Attend a Webinar – Learn More!
Join us for a 30 minute webinar to see Pickup Manager in action – we’ll cover the entire process from scheduling a holds pickup, two-way chat/SMS communication, and even statistics and reports. You need to see it to believe how cool it is! Can’t attend any of the live sessions? Just register for any session below and we’ll send you the recording.
All times listed in U.S. Eastern Time
- Friday, March 19. 1:00pm – 1:30pm
- Tuesday, March 23. 11:00am – 11:30am
- Friday, March 26. 10:00am – 10:30am
Citation
Kelso, Alicia. “Why Curbside Pickup Is Here To Stay-Even After The Pandemic Ends.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 22 Sept. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/aliciakelso/2020/09/22/restaurant-chains-rushed-to-add-curbside-pickup-during-the-pandemic-heres-why-theyll-keep-the-channel-after-it-ends/.