CUSTOMER

SERVICE:

HOLD THE

PICKLESVanessa Uribe

El Dorado County Law Library

ABOUT ME

Rural Upbringing Have worked in school and public libraries Currently work in a rural public law library

WHY NOW? WHY THIS AGAIN.........

Workplace Stress (“new normal”= more with

less)

Great Experiences = Job Security

Importance of teaching

ZINGERMAN’S DELICATESSEN

Ann Arbor, Michigan

MORE ABOUT MY TRAINING.......

LIBRARY CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING

IMPORTANT ZINGERMANS DIFFERENCES

• Customer Service is an Integral Part of the Mission/Vision/Values of the Organization

• Customer Service is a Bottom Line Result

BUILDING A CULTURE OF GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

TEACH IT

DEFINE IT

LIVE IT

MEASURE IT

REWARD IT

From Rework, by J. Fried and D. Hansson

1. TEACH IT! Discussion:

Is customer service a skill you are born with; can it be taught?

Why is it important to teach something? Engage people in open-ended questions

Why is it important?Why is it so hard to find?

2. DEFINE IT

Question:What does great customer

service look like at your organization?

DEFINING IT........CONTINUED

Two Parts:

• The Positive: The steps to providing great service

• The Negative: The steps to handling customer complaints

DEFINING GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE: THREE STEPS

1. Figure out what the

guest wants

2. Get it for them

3. Go the “Extra Mile”

DEFINING IT........CONTINUED

• Step 1: Figure out what the guest wants• Open-ended questions, restate request, be an

active listener• 10/4 rule• Engage them

DEFINING IT........CONTINUED

• Step 2: Get it for them• Accurately• Politely• Enthusiastically

DEFINING IT........CONTINUED

• Step 3: Go the “Extra Mile”• What is an Extra mile?• Definition: Doing something for our customers

that they did not ask us for

EXAMPLES OF EXTRA MILES.......

• Offer to search another library’s catalog for item not found in ours

• Offer to carry books out to car for customer with hands full

• Show customer some of the features of website• Demonstrate a catalog search• Compliment customer on book selection• Offer a book recommendation• Show customer a feature on website/database

FIVE STEPS TO EFFECTIVELY HANDLING

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

1. Acknowledge the complaint

2. Sincerely Apologize

3. Take action to make things right

4. Thank the guest

5. Document the complaint

A NOTE ON FAIRNESS:

Fairness is on another planet

3. “LIVE IT”

“We need to distinguish between the values and visions to which we give lip service and those that are truly the basis for our actions”

- Sam Keen, Hymns to an Unknown God

Barriers to Customer Service Study

Public Librarian #Lack of effective marketing 1Personality characteristics of patrons 2Unapproachability of staff 8Staff too reliant on computer resources "if it's not online it doesn't exist" 1Lack of face to face interactions due to technology 1Librarianship is trivilaized/not regarded as important ("women's work") 1Lack of funding 2Library facilities and signage 8Lack of measurement for CS outcomes 1Lack of appropriate training (communication & continuing education) 11Libraries too driven by policy and procedure 13Patrons and staff "not speaking the same language" 4Collection Development/collection 1Sexual harassment of library staff 1Staff stratification, no cross training 1Lack of Outreach 1Staff aversion to change 2Burnout/"compassion fatigue" 3Lack of seeing patrons as "individuals" 3Reference interactions, "negative closure" 3Staffing: turnover or part timers 3Bad morale 1Staff: lack of education 2

Total Responses 74

4. “MEASURE IT”

Systems role in customer service

In order to gauge how well systems are

operating, you have to measure their

effectiveness

Example forms:

“Code Red”

“Code Green”

5. “REWARD IT!”

Professional Advancement

Sell the Service

Group Rewards

PROMISING PRACTICES……

Peer Recognition Programs

Vouchers for library video rentals or items from book sale

Library manager does the job of staff member for an hour

Monetary rewards (“ZingBuck”)

Regular company communications

Customer service practices tied into promotions

Libraries Other Industries

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES IN RURAL LIBRARIES

Customer service training can be a tool to help overcome challenges in rural librariesManage stressful interactions with

patronsIdentify systemic problems with libraryIdentify positive attributes of libraryOngoing focus and dialog about

customer service eliminates the need for tedious trainings

Makes a better workplace and attracts like-minded potential employees