BlueReach: Harnessing synchronous chat to support expertise sharing in a large organization

We present a case study of BlueReach, an expertise sharing application that uses synchronous chat to connect question askers with subject-matter experts. We discuss how the solution evolved over time, and the generally high level of acceptance from users and volunteer experts. We include survey findings and usage data, which indicate that in spite of initial concerns that the experts would be overwhelmed by questions, usage has been fairly low and relatively flat. We examine this phenomenon and conclude with a discussion of lessons learned.