November 2007/From the Annals of Customer Experience
Windsor Public Library – LibSat 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 LibSat 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 – LibPAS 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 LibPAS, 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: LibSat and LibPAS (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 LibSat
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 LibSat SRP survey as a baseline for developing and measuring service based outcomes for the grant.
Result
In FY08, the LibSat SRP component will help us measure outcomes, report results and justify continued funding.
Ajax Public Library – LibPAS 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 CULC (Canadian Urban Library Council), an analysis of relevant CULC data is available.
Opportunity
The CULC data analysis component was taking several days of the Director’s time.
Solution
By participating the CO LibPAS beta process and employing its functionality, it has been concluded that the amount of time required by the Director to complete his CULC data analysis can be reduced by over 75%.
Result
Senior management time can be spent addressing other issues.
Ajax Public Library – LibPAS Instrumental in Budget Increase for Collection Development
Background
Evidence from a number of customer areas (including data garnered from LibSat and LibPAS) 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 – LibSat 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 LibSat 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 – LibSat Improves Operational Insight and Action
Opportunity
Upon management review of LibSat 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.