This document discusses the importance of customer service for libraries. It notes that libraries now face competition from other information sources like bookstores and the internet. Good customer service is necessary to keep patrons coming back. The document provides tips for libraries to improve customer service, including training staff to understand their role in providing good service and adopting philosophies like FISH! that focus on being present and choosing a positive attitude. Fun ideas are suggested like rewards for loyal patrons or making sure policies are easy for patrons to understand. The overall message is that branding, marketing, and excellent customer service are all critical for libraries.

1. Branding and Marketing.
So What’s Customer Service
Have To Do With It?
Part II
Presented by
Libby Post, President
for Upper Hudson Library System
January 18, 2008
Why is Customer Service
Necessary For Libraries?
• Present and future patrons can choose
where they go for information services
– Barnes & Noble/Borders Phenomena
– Internet
• Web Sites
• Search Engines
• End-user databases
• Individual subscriptions to online news
• Electronic or print document delivery services
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2. Why is Customer Service
Necessary For Libraries?
• COMPETITION
– Libraries aren’t the only game in town
anymore
– Branding/Marketing brings them in the door
– Good customer service keeps them coming
back
Why is Customer Service
Necessary For Libraries?
• CSI Factor
– Just as juries expect prosecutors to present
evidence using all the bells and whistles we
see on CSI
– Library patrons have heightened expectations
because of the experiences they’ve had using
the internet and other information centers
• Quick info retrieval at home using Google
compared to slow retrieval at Library accessing
internal database
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3. Patrons=Customers
• Need to shift they way we see patrons
• They are customers
• Need to understand that they are actively
engaged in selecting the library’s
programs and services
• Selling a library’s programs and services
means constantly promoting and
improving them
How to View Customer Service
• Every aspect of a library’s operation
• Not just a smiling face behind circ desk
• How efficiently the library works
• How the phones are answered
• How easily patrons can access information
• Breadth of reference materials
• Time and effort it takes patrons to get what
they want
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4. Staff as Customer Service Reps
• Staff must live the brand of the library
• Understand the importance of customer
service
• Customer service encompasses the
library’s entire operation
– How comfortable moms and toddlers are
during story time to how easy it is to download
an audio book off the library’s web site
Engaging Staff
• Essential for staff to understand their role
in customer service
– They are the library’s ambassadors
• But how do we get them to live their roles?
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5. Engaging Staff
• Create a culture within library that
customer service is Job #1.
• Be clear about customer service
expectations when hiring
• Train!
Get on the
Customer Service Train!
• How does your staff live your brand
through customer service?
• Is your staff “present” when at the library?
• Do they love their jobs?
• Can we make their jobs more fun so they
enjoy being there and convey a positive
attitude to patrons?
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6. FISH! Philosophy©
• Speaks directly to what libraries are all
about: inspiration, creativity and innovation
– Be There
– Play
– Make Their Day
– Choose Your Attitude
FISH! Philosophy©
• Be There
– Be present while doing what you’re doing
– Listen for content AND emotion
– Don’t let tasks get in the way of your real work
which is serving patrons
– Antidote to being tired is being full present
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7. FISH! Philosophy©
• Play
– Look for productive play in the library’s
environment
• Having a good time doing their job
– What dull or routine tasks can you make more
fun?
– Shouldn’t exclude others or offend people
FISH! Philosophy©
• Make Their Day
– Make the world a better place to be one
person at a time
– Do something unexpected
– Don’t exclude the difficult co-workers or
patrons
– Make it a challenge to make their day
everyday
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8. FISH! Philosophy©
• Choose Your Reaction
– Stop blaming kids, parents, co-workers,
customers and management
– When you look for the worst, you’ll find it
– So, look for the best, you’ll find that too!
FISH! Philosophy©
• Choose Your Attitude
– Be the person you want to spend time with
– It’s not about being happy all the time
– If you don’t believe you have a choice, you
don’t (self-fulfilling prophesies)
– Be responsible for your attitude, it’s
contagious
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9. FISH! Philosophy©
• Take Responsibility
– Instead of “Why are they making us go
through all this change?” try “How can I adapt
to my changing world?”
– Instead of “When are my people going to
communicate better?” try “What can I do to
understand them?”
More on Fish! www.charthouse.com
Give Them The Pickle!
• PICKLES are those special or extra things
you do to make people happy.
– Walking the patron to the item they're looking
for rather than pointing
– Knowing and calling them by name.
– Figure out what your customers want and
then making sure they get it.
– That's the message behind Give`em the
PICKLE!
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10. Give Them the Pickle!
• Service: Make serving the patrons your #1
priority
– You work in a noble profession, be proud of
what you do
• Attitude: Choose it.
– How you think about the patrons is how you’ll
treat them
Give Them the Pickle!
• Consistency: Set high standards and stick
to them
– Patrons return because they like what
happened during their last visit
• Teamwork: Look for ways to make each
other look good
– In the end, everything ends up in front of the
patron
More Pickles: www.giveemthepickle.com
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11. Let’s Do A Little Work!
• Find the Handouts and Break Into Groups
• Fill out: What Keeps You From Changing
• Discuss Questions 1-4 on Be There
• Discuss and Answer 1-5 on Incorporating Play
• As a group come up with at least 10 Ways to
Play at Work
• Discuss and Answer 1-4 on Choose Your
Attitude
• Discuss and Answer 1-4 on Make Their Day
• Discuss and Answer 1-4 on Action
Report Back
• Each person in the group give a highlight!
• Do these exercises with your staff.
• Work together to develop new customer
service strategies and solve problems.
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12. Standards of
Library Customer Service
• Take Responsibility for
– Upholding confidentiality of records and
Intellectual Freedom’s Bill of Rights of all
customers
– Knowing, understanding and correctly
implementing library policies
– Being at your workstation when scheduled
– Creating a cooperative work environment
Standards of
Library Customer Service
• Take Responsibility for
– Exhibiting respect for all customers and co-
workers
– Helping create a welcoming environment in
the library
– Making each patron’s call or visit to the library
a high quality experience
– Meeting the needs of patrons and co-workers
– Verifying that those needs have been met
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13. Standards of
Library Customer Service
• Take Responsibility for
– Avoiding communicating personal value
judgments when interacting with patrons or
co-workers
– Providing service to the public above personal
activities or interests
– Being knowledgeable, courteous and
responsive when communication by phone, e-
mail, writing, speaking, etc.
Davenport Public Library, Davenport, Iowa
Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Reward loyal library patrons with a little gift
– I Love Libraries Button for checking out 100
items
• Keep in touch with Breakfast with the
Librarian events
– Get to know patrons on a personal level
– Ask them about concerns and likes
– Patrons will feel appreciated that you wanted
to know
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14. Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Voice Mail Tips of the Week
– Change your message on hold each week to
let them know what’s happening, what new
books are coming, easier way to access info,
etc.
• Thank You+
– Add on “See You Soon,” “See You Later,” or
“See You Tomorrow.”
– Tells them they are always welcome back
Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Good signage
– Let them know you’re always available to
help, especially seniors who aren’t “great”
with computers
• Know Your Services and Program inside
and out
– Create a manual for all staff
– In-service trainings to up date staff
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15. Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Create dialogue with Patrons
– Just because they’re not telling you doesn’t
mean there’s a problem
– Focus groups and surveys
– Random conversations with patrons
– “I wish” section of your website
Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Make sure your website is easy on the
eyes and easy to navigate
• Good examples
– www.albanypubliclibrary.org
– www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org
– www.guilderlandpublic.info
– www.voorheesvillelibrary.org
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16. Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Make sure policies and procedures are
patron friendly
• Allow food and drink in designated areas
• Identify staff as staff (badges, t-shirts)
• Make ready reference materials readily
available
• Wear a button that says “Please interrupt
me!”
Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Try arranging lists or other info by
important or popularity rather than
alphabetically
• Add copies of book jackets or other
graphics to stack ends to indicate what
kinds of materials can be found in that
area
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17. Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Arrange furniture to direct patrons away
from circ and toward the collections and
catalog workstations
• Recruit and train volunteer greets (Wal
Mart has greeters and they’re always
busy!)
• Trade links back and forth between library
and community organizations
Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Give organizations that have the library’s
link on their site “Internet tips of the week”
and other content for their sites that link
back to the library’s site
• Provide power strips for lap tops
• E-mail notification for pick-ups, returns,
overdues, events, etc.
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18. Fun Customer Service Ideas!
• Show off your bandwidth or wireless
service with a “LAN Party”—woo hoo!
• Live chat
• Give all staff generic business cards with
pertinent library info
• Plenty of parking
• Always be enthusiastic
• Live your brand!
Almost Done . . .
• So . . .
– Are branding and marketing necessary evils
or something you’re jazzed about doing?
– Is customer service a waste of time or the way
to keep patrons coming through the door?
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19. Remember
Success!
• If you coordinate your library’s branding,
marketing and customer service, you’re
more likely to win more friends and build
a loyal patron base
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