January 2006

 

Welcome to the third issue of LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service™ News and the first issue for 2006. Happy New Year.

In this issue:

• LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service approaches the end of its first year being offered to the Public Libraries across Canada – a key milestone for the product. A look back shows how the service continues to improve with the support and feedback of its subscribers.
• Counting Opinions continues to add features and value to LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service providing its subscribers with more ways to gain greater insight into their customers' satisfaction.
• Counting Opinions is planning the creation of several new "Mini-Surveys" to complement and expand the existing core survey questions. These new "Mini-Surveys" enable LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers to gather more specific and detailed data and feedback.
• Counting Opinions will also launch a new service to achieve greater efficiency in collecting, collating and reporting performance based data. The new LibPas™ Performance Assessment System is available for demonstration upon request.
• The OLAStore is again promoting LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service at the annual OLA Super Conference February 2–4, 2006. Be sure to look for LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service in Booth 540.
• Counting Opinions will also be conducting a session at the Super Conference entitled "MANAGING PUBLIC LIBRARY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION – A NEW SOLUTION". This session combines an overview of how to manage customer satisfaction with practical real-life examples. Session #312 (Room 206C) is scheduled for Thursday, February 2 at 9:05 a.m.
• The OLAStore now offers a poster printing service at a discount to LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service subscribers.

Please read on to find out more.

I hope you will find this issue of LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service™ News both interesting and informative. If you have any suggestions for future issues, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your readership.

Ian Reid
Category Manager, LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service™
Ontario Library Association

Counting Opinions to Launch Library Performance Assessment System

One of the key features of LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service is having a core set of regular and in-depth surveys. And, since LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service continuously gathers customer satisfaction data, you can perform short and longer term longitudinal and trend analysis. This enables you to benchmark your quality of service on a day-to-day, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis and conduct comparisons between any two periods of time.

Right now, LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers can benchmark their locations against each other. Counting Opinions is extending this feature to enable benchmarking of the services provided by one library against those provided by another with a view to sharing "best practices".

The challenge, however, is to determine a basis for comparison when benchmarking one Library against another. This is where Performance Indicator (PIPerformance Indicator(s), also Data Element(s)) data can help. By combining quantitative PIsPerformance Indicator(s), also Data Element(s) with qualitative LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Survey questions, you create the basis for meaningful comparison.

Examples of PIPerformance Indicator(s), also Data Element(s) data includes situational and operational components such as population served, active card holders, library square footage, collection size, staff head count, hours of operation, etc. While this comparative data is available from various sources, it is not currently accessible and available to be combined online with existing LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Data. As a result it has been Counting Opinions' worry that there would be an amount of extra effort required by LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers to input and maintain the additional information.

So how do you bridge the gap and create the means to conduct comparative analysis and benchmarking without imposing an added work requirement on each Library system?

The answer is LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service™.

LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service is a Library Performance Assessment System designed to enable Public Libraries to achieve greater efficiency in collecting, rolling-up and reporting data to stakeholders such as the Provincial and Territorial Governments and other organizations who gather this type of information.

Some of the data that you collect and submit to each organization is similar, but you are still required to separately collect, tabulate and submit this data. Additionally, accessing the final results for the collected PIPerformance Indicator(s), also Data Element(s) data requires a waiting period from several months to several years, thus significantly lowering the value to the Library. And finally, combining the results from these separate collections, or performing benchmark analysis, is essentially impractical for any one library to consider.

LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service provides a secure interface enabling Library Systems to enter each PIPerformance Indicator(s), also Data Element(s) data element only once for each reporting period. LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service automatically tabulates (rolls-up) branch level results and calculates key ratios based on the data entered. The result is a significant savings in time and effort typically required to prepare and submit this type of data to several independent stakeholders. But the real value of LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service is the ability to access the results immediately, online and in real-time. This enables Libraries to conduct benchmarking as and when the information is posted by each Library. This exciting new service developed by Counting Opinions will be launched at the OLA Super Conference.

Expect to see and hear more about this service in the coming weeks.

Counting Opinions to Present at OLA Super Conference

You've seen the LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Brochures. You've read the LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Newsletter. And, you've given the LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Demo a try. Now you want to know how it is being used by your colleagues.

At the OLA Super Conference on Thursday, February 2 from 9:05-10:20 a.m., Room 206C at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre, Counting Opinions will present "MANAGING PUBLIC LIBRARY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION - A NEW SOLUTION". Look for Session # 312. This session will highlight how and why filling the qualitative data gap in public libraries is important. You will learn how to support and complement your library's advocacy objectives with customer data. As well, the session will be attended by current LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers offering their personal insight and perspectives on how they are using the tool, including their own best practices.

For those of you unable to attend the OLA Super Conference and this session in particular, you can look forward to the next issue of LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service™ News for a review of the session and a selection of the best practices shared.

If you are planning to attend the OLA Super Conference, please come and see LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service on display in the OLAStore Booth # 540. I will be happy to give you a quick tour of the product and how you might use it in your Library System. Small, medium or large library, LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service is a practical, easy-to-use and affordable solution to help you achieve your customer satisfaction goals.

Mini-Surveys to be created by Counting Opinions

I have been asked by several Public Libraries about the possibility to reword questions or add custom questions to LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service. The simple answer has always been "Yes", but now Counting Opinions is making the process much easier, by providing ready-made Mini-Surveys.

The development of custom survey questions is always fraught with challenges and costs. There are issues of relevance, validity and localization that Counting Opinions hopes to eliminate or greatly reduce through provision of ready-made Mini-Surveys.

Through the feedback received from a growing number of LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers we have identified several common themes regarding your needs for deeper questioning and analysis. In response, Counting Opinions is creating several Mini-Surveys to complement the core regular and in-depth survey questions included with every LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscription. Each Mini-Surveys consists of a subject specific question-set pertaining to a particular topic (customer sub group, service, etc.). Survey respondents are offered the opportunity to complete a core survey at the conclusion of each “Mini-Survey”.

Counting Opinions will include these Mini-Surveys as a free "core" upgrade for all LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers. The availability of each new mini-survey is based on the support and feedback of our subscribers. Your support and feedback will help determine priorities and the objectives of each new Mini-Survey.

Mini-Surveys may be featured from time-to-time to encourage library customer-specific interest and participation. As you promote each Mini-Survey you will attract a wider audience, resulting in greater participation, responses, and information to substantiate your analysis and conclusions.

To find out more, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you are planning on attending the OLA Super Conference, please visit the OLAStore Booth #540 and myself or someone from Counting Opinions will be happy to answer any of your questions.

OLA Offers Customizable Posters and Printing

As a LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscriber you might be interested in taking advantage of a new service being offered by the OLA to help you promote your online Customer Satisfaction Survey.

The OLA recently acquired a colour printer plotter which can be used to produce a variety of posters and banners to convey and emphasize any message you want to share with your patrons. In particular, Counting Opinions has created a customizable poster template for LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers to use to promote their online customer satisfaction surveys at their libraries. These templates are available through the LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service secure Customer Portal by following the "Ready-Made Ads" link or through the OLA's website at [http:www.accessola.com www.accessola.com]

LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers will be pleased to find out that they will be offered a discount on the cost of printing.

You may also consider designing your own posters or banners to promote your survey. The OLA would be happy to provide you a quote for printing and any design support that you may require. Please contact Ryan Patrick at the OLA for additional information at 1-866-9867 ext. 28 rpatrick@accessola.com.

LibSat One Year Later

Did you realize that it has almost been a year since LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service was launched at the 2005 OLA Super Conference?

The last year has been an exciting year and we owe our thanks to our original LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Reference Sites (Ajax, Barrie, Brampton, and Thunder Bay) and our newest LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Subscribers (King Township, Kingston-Frontenac, Windsor, Markham, Oshawa, and Municipal District #23 in Northern Alberta). Thank you all for choosing LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service to support your need for immediate and continuous improvement and to help achieve your goals of exceptional customer satisfaction and customer advocacy.

LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service is a subscriber driven service and since the launch in February 2005, LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service has added several new features. The following highlights some of the key upgrades and improvements:

In-Depth Survey

In addition to the regular survey, all survey respondents are given the option of completing an in-depth version of the survey. This longer version has more questions, and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Almost 20 percent of respondents are opting to complete the in-depth version.

Location Comparison Reports

These reports enable comparisons between branches, and comparisons to the overall results for each Library. These gap reports provide details by selected time period, and for selected locations.

Custom Report Filtering

Filter your results by any set of questions values to narrow your focus on respondent subsets.

Summary Charts Report

Several new Summary Reports are available, including some advance charting capabilities. These charts are easy to copy-and-paste into your presentation and print material, such as annual reports.

Customer "Contact Me" Follow-up feature

An optional feature enabling survey respondents to specify that they'd like to be contacted by someone at the Library regarding their feedback.

Postal Maps

Real-time interactive scatter maps display the distribution of responses geographically, for those respondents that chose to provide their postal code.

Cross Tab Reports

Custom reports enabling determination of degree of correlation between defined dependent and independent variable (questions).