King County Library System Improves Patron Engagement and Communication Using
MessageBee ILS Notifications

King County Library System services Metro Seattle, WA, and has 12 million cardholders out of the area's 1.5 million residents. The large library system is a frequent award winner and a valued part of a community that has invested in beautiful neighborhood branches.

Challenge

King County Library System’s notifications had not changed much since they originally began sending electronic communications. Staid and plain-text, notifications were not reflective of the library’s overall strategic communication initiatives, were challenging to track, troubleshoot, and edit while also lacking hyperlinks which was a "must-have" for their tech-savvy community. The liability of maintaining on-site server equipment for the library’s automated phone notices, which was aging, was also a concern.

Libraries rely on notifications to keep patrons informed, but traditional ILS notifications are often limited in design, branding, and effectiveness

Solution

KCLS adopted MessageBee beginning in 2020 to send out modern, branded email communications reflective of their overall library experience. The technical and circulation teams worked to quickly design, integrate, and begin sending the updated, enhanced communications. A commitment to customer service ensured KCLS understood and utilized all aspects of the service, easing any implementation concerns and not negatively impacting their patrons’ user experience.

Results

Patrons receive library-branded notices with nearly all patron transactional communications. Staff can quickly identify failed notices and troubleshoot why the message failed. Automatic reports keep staff up to date on all channel operations. Edits to notifications can be made quickly and easily, without requiring any tech wizardry or multiple library team involvement.

“MessageBee has been a huge improvement over what we had before. It's freed us up to do other things and move us into the 21st century. We can provide a more professional, modern service and incorporate our branding and reach more patrons. We are now better positioned to communicate with our patrons in the way they prefer to be served."

Cynthia Rivette, Circulation Services Coordinator,
King County Library System

Landscape

Many patrons experiencing inbox-overload and generic ILS-generated messages have several disadvantages including:

• Lack of visual appeal & branding
• Lower engagement & conversion rates
• Limited formatting options
• Potential for misinterpretation
• Lack of tracking

With MessageBee ILS notifications libraries can ensure brand consistency by including their library logo and colors, promote additional events and services, provide eye-catching content that will engage patrons closing the gap between patrons and libraries, all while providing the notifications essential to library service.

MessageBee offers all transactional notifications in multiple languages, with superior deliverability, multiple location options and in-depth reporting. MessageBee and BiblioCommons place customer service to our library partners and their patrons at the highest priority; we will be here to help you through the onboarding process and beyond.