March 2007/Case Study – Improving Customer Satisfaction
The Markham Public Libraries (MPL) located in Markham, Ontario, Canada (immediately adjacent to Toronto) has retained the services of Mentor Group Training Inc. to support one of the library's key strategic objectives "through regular assessment of services and needs, the Libraries will anticipate and respond to changes, improve service, and demonstrate accountability to the community." Mentor Group has specifically assisted with the improvement of customer satisfaction levels through establishing measurable performance targets.
| Population Served: | 277K |
| Locations: | 6 |
| Demographics: | 50%+ of population-served not born in Canada, with Chinese being the largest group (30+% of population). |
| 2006 Circulation: | 4MM+ |
| FTE: | 113 |
| Staff: | Unionized |
| Case Status: | ongoing |
Early in ’05, MPL management identified a number of strategic issues related to customer satisfaction:
- Due to the financial means and computer/internet penetration rates in Markham, customers have many information and entertainment options available to them, many which were traditionally accessed primarily through the library:
- Starbucks – music and books
- Large book store chains – providing food, beverages and comfortable amenities
- National grocery chain offering “children’s story times”.
- Sporadic, yet persistent, customer dissatisfaction feedback covering a number of library areas.
In response, MPL management implemented a "pro-active service and staff roving" plan designed to more actively engage MPL customers by moving staff out from behind their desks.
When the plan was implemented, it was warmly received by customers, but several factors made it difficult to maintain the consistency of the plan across all Branches and to embed the related customer satisfaction ideals in the Library's operational culture: coping with exceptional circulation rate increases (52% in 2005) and the closure of one of its Branches for major renovations.
Shortly after implementing their plan, MPL subscribed to Counting Opinion's LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service product. LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service allowed the Library to monitor the effectiveness of the pro-active service and roving program through specific customer feedback responses within the customer feedback question set.
Upon identifying program "slippage", Mentor Group Training Inc., the group providing the original "pro-active service and staff roving training", was retained to reinforce the program goals and improve staff performance results.
Using LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service, MPL management and the Mentor Group were able to:
- Instantly assess the customer feedback results over time and on a Branch-by-Branch basis.
- Compare MPL results against LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service subscribers’ aggregate data for the same customer feedback questions.
- Establish benchmarks and set Branch-specific performance goals.
- Monitor and report ongoing progress on the achievement of individual Branch goals to Branch staff and MPL management.
The Mentor Group’s solution also includes:
- staff re-training/program refresher sessions
- e-mail “results” communication to all Branch staff
- monitoring, and program modification to support management and staff as required.
As Joan Giannone, President of the Mentor Group states,
LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service’s comprehensive reporting system enables us to capture, view and process customer feedback which we in turn, report directly (and in graphic fashion) to all Branch personnel. In this way we reinforce the training, and revitalize the focus on pro-active service and roving by engaging and supporting staff. LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service customer satisfaction data in our Target Reports gives us the ability to circulate and celebrate staff successes and highlight those areas still requiring action. This has created an environment where collectively, everyone can focus on improving the same areas of customer satisfaction – basically "singing from the same hymn book." As the age old saying goes, "Evaluate carefully what you want – because what gets measured gets managed and what gets managed gets produced. Nothing can add more power to an organization than concentrating energies on a limited set of targets.
Click here for a modified sample of the regular communication piece distributed to all MPL Branch staff.
The ability to accurately monitor customer satisfaction on an ongoing basis (LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service) has been instrumental in ensuring that from the perspective of our customers, our pro-active service and staff roving plan's effectiveness could be measured. This capability has enabled us to immediately identify issues and take supportive and/or corrective action, as required.
– Debbie Walker, Director of Library Strategy, Markham Public Libraries