November 2007
In This Issue:
- The Process of Continuous Improvement
- NEW Reports – LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Dashboard
- NEW – "Friends" Prospecting Feature
- From the Annals of Customer Experience
- NEW – Collaborarion Agreement
LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service is a continuous, web-based (and paper compatible) PL customer satisfaction survey data gathering and processing system (including open-ended Customer Comments management) in combination with a comprehensive, secure, real-time, on-demand management reporting functionality. There is no hardware or software to purchase and IT resources are not required to implement.
From the Annals of Customer Experience
Windsor Public Library – LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Data Supports Continued Hours of Operation
Background
Library funding had been significantly reduced and relations with the Library’s major funding partner was fractious and required attention. A strategy was required to mitigate sensitive budgetary issues and demonstrate that a constructive working relationship was achievable.
Requirement
Obtain direct customer feedback as it related to the possible reduction in services (e.g., open hours) as a result of library budget reductions.
Solution
Implement LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service so that library management would have the ability to obtain continuous feedback from customers.
Result
Customer feedback overwhelmingly supported more hours of operation. As a result, management and the Library Board were able to demonstrate that reducing hours of operation would be detrimental to community wants and needs.
Windsor Public Library – LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service Strengthens Budgetary Negotiations
Background
Library funding had been significantly reduced and relations with the Library’s major funding partner was fractious and required attention. A strategy was required to mitigate sensitive budgetary issues and demonstrate that a constructive working relationship was achievable.
Requirement
Supplement and support budgetary negotiations with better data.
Result
Using LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service, library management was able to quickly and effectively examine and process its own data in combination with its library’s peers and strengthen their budget negotiation arguments.
Note: LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service and LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service (beta) has helped support an improved “evidence-based” reporting capability that assisted WPL management when arguing that funding levels were already near the bottom provincially on a per capita basis and that further cuts would be untenable.
Jacksonville Public Library – Outcomes-based Measurement Using LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service
Background
The Jacksonville Public Library (JPL) received a $200,000 private donation, to be distributed over the course of five years, for youth services during the summer.
Requirement
Terms of the $200,000 private donation specified that outcome based measurements must demonstrate the impact of the funding.
Solution
JPL used the results from the FY07 LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service SRP survey as a baseline for developing and measuring service based outcomes for the grant.
Result
In FY08, the LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service SRP component will help us measure outcomes, report results and justify continued funding.
Ajax Public Library – LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service Saves Time and Effort
-only ISO 9001 certified public library in North America.
Background
Annually, the Library Director prepares a comprehensive statistical report for his Board. Being a participating data contributor to CULCCanadian Urban Library Council/Conseil des bibliothèques urbaines du Canada (Canadian Urban Library Council), an analysis of relevant CULCCanadian Urban Library Council/Conseil des bibliothèques urbaines du Canada data is available.
Opportunity
The CULCCanadian Urban Library Council/Conseil des bibliothèques urbaines du Canada data analysis component was taking several days of the Director’s time.
Solution
By participating the COCounting Opinions LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service beta process and employing its functionality, it has been concluded that the amount of time required by the Director to complete his CULCCanadian Urban Library Council/Conseil des bibliothèques urbaines du Canada data analysis can be reduced by over 75%.
Result
Senior management time can be spent addressing other issues.
Ajax Public Library – LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service Instrumental in Budget Increase for Collection Development
Background
Evidence from a number of customer areas (including data garnered from LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service and LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service) indicated a problem/need with regard to the library’s collection.
Opportunity
With supporting data, confront the issue and attempt to achieve a solution.
Result
APL was successful in obtaining a special budget increase of 20% of their current collections’ budget for each of the next 5 years.
Ajax Public Library – LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Tools Offer Practical Outcomes-based Solutions
Background
In order to maintain ISO certification, APL is required to demonstrate a methodology of managing all customer comments. In order to comply, APL had implemented a manual process of distributing, collecting and analyzing comments on paper forms. It was a time consuming process for staff.
Opportunity
To simplify the customer comment collection and management process.
Solution
Counting Opinions expanded LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service to include a comprehensive, built-in customer comment management system.
Result
- A simple but sophisticated automated process for collecting and managing customer comments.
- ISO certification review process no longer a major issue.
- APL dramatically increased its ability to garner insight from its customers’ feedback.
APL Case Vignette #4 – LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Improves Operational Insight and Action
Opportunity
Upon management review of LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service results, including the associated open-ended customer comments, a staff training need was identified.
Solution
Armed with the data, management sought and received approval for an un-budgeted expenditure to conduct a system-wide training regimen.
Result
By being able to track pre- and post-training customer satisfaction feedback results, management was able to demonstrate to its Board and funding partner that the training investment paid off by way of improved customer satisfaction results. [[Category:November 2007]
New LibSat Dashboard
“Where do we need to improve?” “Where do we need to deploy library resources in support of optimizing operational improvement(s)?” “How can we track our results?”
Management needs to be able to quickly ascertain “Where do we need to improve and how do we track progress?” The answer enables management to distribute finite resources (e.g., management time) against the areas of highest need combined with the highest potential of success (i.e., return on investment).
In response to this management need for immediate information, the LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service “Dashboard” Reports have arrived. These reports are intended to provide a quick summary of results for library management so that trends can be quickly identified and monitored. The Dashboard also allows management to view Branch results, set targets and track performance over time.
LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers can access their LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service “Dashboard” reports through the Customer Portal (www.countingopinions.com ), click on Reports and in the toolbar, you will see “Dashboard” – click and see how you compare to the aggregate results of other LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service subscribers. Keep checking the News section in the Customer Portal and your LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Reports screen. If you have suggestions as how these reports can be even more helpful, just let us know. We’re listening.
Process of Continuous Improvement
What are the drivers of change in a library?
There are many. But any list will likely include customers, technology, content and fiscal environment.
Regardless of the change driver, the challenge is having an effective way of monitoring the success (or failure) of a particular (or multiple) strategy vis à vis its objectives.
“Has the process we implemented 8 months ago still having the desired effect?” “Did library customers react positively to our new procedure or did they even notice?”
This challenge gets particularly acute when monitoring a variety of actions/strategies at various stages of their implementation or life cycle.
A key element in meeting this challenge is access to timely and effective data (both feedback and performance).
This can be achieved in a variety of ways ranging from Tom Peter's MBWA (Managing by Walking Around) to comprehensive data management systems (e.g., LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service and LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service).
Regardless of how outcomes are measured, based on the evidence that we see on an ongoing basis, the benefits of measurement far exceed the costs (both tangible and intangible) of not measuring.
Read how one library employs LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service to monitor a major “roving” program implemented with staff some 18 months ago. Click here to read the Markham Case Study.
SJ-SLIS – CO Collaboration Agreement
The San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science (SJ-SLIS) and Counting Opinions have entered into a collaboration arrangement. Under the agreement, Counting Opinions will be providing faculty and students of SJ-SLIS with access to its aggregated public library customer feedback data for the purposes of research and special projects.
File:SJSU SLIS Press Release.pdf
“Friends” Prospecting Feature
With LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service, it is now possible, in real-time, to identify and pre-qualify Library customers who represent high-potential Library Friends or Supporters.
The feature was developed as a result of feedback from LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service subscribers combined with input by Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA).
Here’s how it works…
In real-time, LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service ascertains whether or not a LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service survey respondent is “Very Satisfied” with the Library. If “yes”, then LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service dynamically and automatically presents those respondents with an additional survey question that asks if they "are interested in learning more about the Friends program." If “yes”, the respondent is automatically forwarded to the Friends of the Library information or “sign-up” web page.
If however, a ‘Very Satisfied” customer responds "that they are not interested in finding out more about the Library Friends Program or Supporting the library," LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service poses a follow-up question to determine why.
This new feature includes a set of real-time reporting tools and is invaluable in improving prospecting efforts and converting “Very Satisfied” customers into Library advocates.
The goal is clear…improving overall customer satisfaction leads to more potential Library Friends (or Supporter) prospects and helps to continuously strengthen the number of Library advocates.
And by the way, this feature can be adapted for other uses e.g., identification of student volunteers, etc.