CUSTOMER
SERVICE:
HOLD THE
PICKLES
Vanessa
Uribe
El Dorado County Law Library
ABOUT ME
Rural Upbringing
 Have worked in school and public libraries
 Currently work in a rural public law library

WHY NOW? WHY THIS AGAIN.........

Workplace Stress (“new normal”= more with less)

Great Experiences = Job Security

Importance of teaching
ZINGERMAN’S DELICATESSEN

Ann Arbor, Michigan
MORE ABOUT MY TRAINING.......
LIBRARY CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING
IMPORTANT ZINGERMANS
DIFFERENCES
•
Customer Service is an Integral Part of the
Mission/Vision/Values of the Organization
•
Customer Service is a Bottom Line Result
BUILDING A CULTURE OF GREAT CUSTOMER
SERVICE

TEACH IT

DEFINE IT

LIVE IT

MEASURE IT

REWARD IT
From Rework, by J. Fried and D. Hansson
1. TEACH IT!

Discussion:
 Is customer service a skill you are born with; can it be
taught?
 Why is it important to teach something?
 Engage people in open-ended questions
 Why is it important?
 Why is it so hard to find?
2. DEFINE IT
 Question:

What does great customer service
look like at your organization?
DEFINING IT........CONTINUED
Two Parts:
• The Positive: The steps to providing great service
• The Negative: The steps to handling customer complaints
DEFINING GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE:
THREE STEPS
1.
Figure out what the
guest wants
2.
Get it for them
3.
Go the “Extra Mile”
DEFINING IT........CONTINUED
•
Step 1: Figure out what the guest wants
• Open-ended questions, restate request, be an active
listener
• 10/4 rule
• Engage them
DEFINING IT........CONTINUED
•
Step 2: Get it for them
• Accurately
• Politely
• Enthusiastically
DEFINING IT........CONTINUED
•
Step 3: Go the “Extra Mile”
• What is an Extra mile?
• Definition: Doing something for our customers that
they did not ask us for
EXAMPLES OF EXTRA MILES.......
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Offer to search another library’s catalog for item not found in
ours
Offer to carry books out to car for customer with hands full
Show customer some of the features of website
Demonstrate a catalog search
Compliment customer on book selection
Offer a book recommendation
Show customer a feature on website/database
FIVE STEPS TO
EFFECTIVELY HANDLING
CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS





1. Acknowledge the
complaint
2. Sincerely Apologize
3. Take action to make
things right
4. Thank the guest
5. Document the
complaint
A NOTE ON FAIRNESS:
Fairness is on another planet
3. “LIVE IT”
“We need to distinguish between the values and visions to which we give lip service and
those that are truly the basis for our actions”
- Sam Keen, Hymns to an Unknown God
Barriers to Customer Service Study
Public Librarian
#
Lack of effective marketing
1
Personality characteristics of patrons
2
Unapproachability of staff
8
Staff too reliant on computer resources "if it's not online it doesn't exist" 1
Lack of face to face interactions due to technology
1
Librarianship is trivilaized/not regarded as important ("women's work")
1
Lack of funding
2
Library facilities and signage
8
Lack of measurement for CS outcomes
1
Lack of appropriate training (communication & continuing education)
11
Libraries too driven by policy and procedure
13
Patrons and staff "not speaking the same language"
4
Collection Development/collection
1
Sexual harassment of library staff
1
Staff stratification, no cross training
1
Lack of Outreach
1
Staff aversion to change
2
Burnout/"compassion fatigue"
3
Lack of seeing patrons as "individuals"
3
Reference interactions, "negative closure"
3
Staffing: turnover or part timers
3
Bad morale
1
Staff: lack of education
2
Total Responses
74
4. “MEASURE IT”

Systems role in customer service

In order to gauge how well systems are operating, you
have to measure their effectiveness

Example forms:

“Code Red”

“Code Green”
5. “REWARD IT!”

Professional Advancement

Sell the Service

Group Rewards
PROMISING PRACTICES……
Libraries
Peer Recognition
Programs
 Vouchers for library
video rentals or items
from book sale
 Library manager does
the job of staff
member for an hour

Other Industries
Monetary rewards
(“ZingBuck”)
 Regular company
communications
 Customer service
practices tied into
promotions

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES IN RURAL
LIBRARIES

Customer service training can be a tool to help
overcome challenges in rural libraries
 Manage stressful interactions with patrons
 Identify systemic problems with library
 Identify positive attributes of library
 Ongoing focus and dialog about customer
service eliminates the need for tedious
trainings
 Makes a better workplace and attracts likeminded potential employees