Listening to the customer

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Listening to the customer

Peter Hernon and Joseph R. Matthews

Libraries Unlimited, c2011

  • : pbk

Available at  / 3 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-192) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

A thorough explanation of how a voice-of-the-customer program for libraries can give customers the opportunity to make their opinions known, enabling libraries to develop services that meet or exceed their patrons' changing expectations. A modern library is much like a business in that it must provide a set of products and services to meet the changing needs and expectations of its customers in order to succeed and survive. With libraries now focusing more on their "customers," Listening to the Customer is a critical resource that provides effective strategies for gathering information from the client perspective in order to meet library patrons' expectations and specific information needs. The voice-of-the-customer program described by Hernon and Matthews involves not only listening to customers, but also maintaining an ongoing dialogue with them. The book addresses different types of customers, assorted methods for gathering evidence, data reporting to stakeholders, and relevant metrics for libraries to report. The authors also devote a chapter to regaining lost customers and discuss leadership techniques and preparation steps to meet an uncertain future. Completely unique in its methodological focus, this book is one of very few titles to address the importance of library customer service in the 21st century.

Table of Contents

Contents Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Listening to and Valuing Customer Comments Kano Model Customer Excitement with the Library What Is a Library? Academic Library Scenario Public Library Scenario Libraries Are Still Service Organizations Types of Customers More on Lost Customers Library Brand Customer Expectations Are Librarians Really Aware of Customer Expectations? Customer Feedback Linkage to Strategic Planning Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 2: Obtaining Staff Buy-In Leadership Throughout the Organization Service Leadership Resistance to Change Staff Development Plan A Voice-of-the-Customer Program Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 3: Methodologies (Structured and Solicited Approaches) for Gathering Voice-of-the-Customer Data Surveys Types of Error Customer Expectations Community Surveys Interviews One-on-One Interviews Focus Group Interviews Telephone Interviews Exit Interviews Community Forums Mystery Shopping Some Libraries Using Mystery Shopping Characterizing the Results Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 4: Methodologies (Unstructured and Solicited Approaches) and the Presentation of Data Collected Complaints Compliments Ways to Comment Suggestions Suggestion Boxes Comment Cards Other Forms of Comments Those Posted on Web Sites Comments and Suggestions Made in Surveys What Are Libraries Doing? Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 5: Methodologies (Structured But Not Always Solicited Approaches) and Analyzing Study Findings Building Sweeps as an Observation Technique Some Other Methodologies Usability Testing Anthropological Evidence Gathering Customer Ratings Creating a Database Analysis of Open-Ended Question Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 6: Methodologies (Unstructured and Unsolicited Approaches) Discovery Tools Other Ways to Discover Customer Comments Social Search Engines Finding Information on Blogs Searching on Twitter, Microblogs, and Lifestreaming Services Message Boards and Forum Search Tools Conversations and Comments Search Tools Social News and Bookmarking Search Tools Brand Monitoring Tools and Techniques Application Example Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 7: I Was Once Lost But Now . . . Who are Your Customers? Lost Customers Another Meaning of Lost Customer Library Nonusers An Action Plan to Find Lost Customers Additional Customer Intercepts A Regaining Strategy Adding Value Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 8: Analyzing and Using the Customer's Voice to Improve Service Statistics Tallies Average Variance Gap Analysis Quadrant Analysis Conjoint Analysis Qualitative Analysis Benchmark Analysis Data Displays Examples Accountability and Service Improvement Using Information Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 9: Communication Benefits for the Library Benefits for the Customer Benefits for Library Staff Members Benefits for Funding Bodies A Communications Strategy Understand Your Audience Provide Context Perceptions That Resonate Positively Be Credible Improve Presentation Skills Stage the Release of Information Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 10: Valuing Library Customers Information Needs and Customer Expectations Differ Customer Service Pledges Myths The Management Context Key Metrics Returning to the Library of the Future An Alternative Approach The Workforce of the Future Concluding Thoughts Notes Bibliography Index

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