March 2007
Contents |
In This Issue:
- Case Study: Improving Customer Satisfaction
- LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service Customers Share Their Experience
- Summer Reading Program (SRP) Outcomes Assessment
- Libraries411.comLibrary Directory and Mapping Service...It's FREE
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.
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. File:SampleMPLTargetReport.pdf
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
Counting Opinions is a customer driven company. We constantly listen to and respond to customers’ opinions to improve the services we provide. And, we are always pleased to hear from our customers how LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service has had an impact on their library system. A number of our customers’ LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service impacts follow.
- Orange County Public Library System, Orlando, Florida
- The Orange County Library System is actively using LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service to improve our customer service performance. After a big promotion for survey participation in October (where we had over 1,600 visitors take our survey) each of our 15 locations has developed a Customer Service Action Plan. Locations chose areas for improvement from survey results and are currently engaging in activities to improve survey results. Real results from real input!
– Debbie Moss. Assistant Director and Division Head for Technical Support, Orange County Library System (FL)
Click here to see how the Orange County Public Library System staff has “got involved” in promoting their LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service survey.File:OCLSStaffSurveyPromotion.pdf
- Whitby Public Library, Whitby, Ontario
- In just over five months of using LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service we were able to gather valuable information about why our patrons use our library branches and how our resources, specifically our print and audiovisual collections, could better meet their needs. The survey was instrumental in assisting us in allocating the library materials budget in a meaningful way to ensure we are meeting our users’ expectations. Using the survey on an ongoing basis not only assures constant feedback but also the ability to compare responses over a period of time to track improvements in performance.
– Rhonda Jessup, Public Services Manager, Whitby Public Library (ON)
The following is a sample of several other situations and experiences shared by our customers, which demonstrate the value LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service has provided to their libraries:
- “Recently, we narrowly lost a bond vote. As part of our postmortem analysis, we realized that we needed to have a better customer insight mechanism before trying again.”
- “It was time to update our strategic plan and LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service offered a cost-effective way to gather customer input.”
- “Being a large system, we felt our priority setting needed to be improved. How do you know ’How squeaky a noisy wheel really is?’ LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service has been a great tool in helping us to better manage this process.”
- “We have always believed in and benefited from customer feedback. But trying to manage open-ended comments was quite frankly, a nightmare. LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service’s comment management functionality solves the problem.”
- “Our relationship with a major funding partner was in serious need of repair. LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service provides us with an unbiased customer feedback mechanism that has added credibility to our presentations and, even more importantly, has helped us significantly reduce the issue of conflicting personalities.”
- “We wanted to validate anecdotal feedback when assessing the extent to which operational changes impacted our customers. LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service we believed, offered a solution – and it has!”
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.
Libraries411.com – It's Free
Libraries411Library Directory and Mapping Service is the synergistic, "mash-up" and is the result of employing existing, proven technologies in combination with a number of technology innovations.
For a public library, Libraries411Library Directory and Mapping Service:
- provides a free, 24x7, on-demand, mapping and locator service that can:
- be “custom” linked to its website(s), and
- automatically returns a user to the Library’s website.
- delivers a unique, self-management functionality that enables a Library to:
- achieve “pin-point” Library map location(s) accuracy;
- provide its customers (and potential customers) with:
- “closest” Branch searches (by name or ZIP/postal code),
- custom information in Library location pop-up screens.
- automatically and immediately updates any of a Library's displayed information (be it correcting an incorrect map location or, updating information for a Library’s “pop-up” info screen), on both the generic Libraries411Library Directory and Mapping Service maps (www.libraries411.com), as well as the Library’s custom “411” map links accessed via the Library’s Web site(s).
- does not impose any direct or indirect "advertising" on a Library website’s custom Libraries411Library Directory and Mapping Service map links.
Dedicated to providing innovative and cost-effective management and customer solutions for public libraries, Libraries411Library Directory and Mapping Service is a “value-added” service of Counting Opinions (SQUIREThe 6 key dimensions of service Satisfaction, Quality, re-Use, Importance, Recommendation, Expectation) Ltd.
Libraries411Library Directory and Mapping Service's combined functionality is neither available or possible, with any other “value-added”, web-based, mapping system.
For your Library system’s secure self-management access code, contact Ian Reid (ireid@countingopinions.com). Please place your name, job title, and work phone number in the body of your email along with a brief comment confirming that you are authorized to receive your Libraries411Library Directory and Mapping Service access code.
To find out more about Libraries411.com please visit www.countingopinions.com
Summer Reading Program Outcomes Assessment
"How effective is your Summer Reading Program (SRP)?"
It’s a perennial management question. In terms of library resources and desired impacts, the SRP is a significant annual library initiative. A cost-effective, easy-to-deploy system for measuring SRP program “Outcomes” is now available. Counting Opinions customer satisfaction management system (LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service) now includes an SRP module. Now you can answer the SRP “effectiveness” question using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data. You can even measure your effectiveness against other LibSatLibrary Customer Satisfaction Management Service subscribers. Act today.