Archive for March, 2014

Editorial

I was surprised and delighted to win the “Customer Service of the Year” award at the local Mayor’s Oscars on Friday. This is the second time I have won the award, with the 2012 one now having to move up to make space in the downstairs toilet.   After the shock wore off, it got me thinking about what makes, in my eyes good and bad customer service and so that’s what this post is going to be about.  Now, there’s a danger that this whole editorial is going to come across as arrogant blather and if it does then move on and ignore it.  However, it’s what I’ve learnt over 20 years and they work for me so they may work for you.  As you will see, if you disagree with any of them, I would positively welcome your complaints ….

• Never be too busy.  The main point of my job is to serve the customer.  Yes, I manage a couple of libraries but that person is standing in front of you now and needs help.  Giving him or her inferior help so you can get on with the paperwork is going to make it more likely they don’t come back. Which brings me on to..
• Think long term. That young parent with children asking for a picture book may take up a long time but she’s going to remember that help and come back.  Her kids will too.  You could be saying no to several people’s life use of a library if you say “no” to helping them as well as you can. I notice this having worked at the same place for twenty years … schoolchildren I remember serving are now bringing in their own kids. They wouldn’t have done if I’d have been nasty to them just once.
• Treat customers like friends and they become friends which means that pretty soon you’re not working but going to see your friends each day which means the job is fun which means you’re good at it.  But beware of not …
• Treating everyone the same.  It’s tempting to give more time to the nice ones and ones you know, less to the others … but that person who you don’t like serving is as worthy of help as anyone else.  You can quite often make more of a difference to theirs lives too.  Also, people notice if you treat some people better than others.
• Find ways of ending conversations.  Always be polite but if someone else is waiting then you need your own plans about how to stop the conversation as nicely as you can.  It may be fun but you’ve got work to do. Chatting 15 minutes to a friend is poor customer service to everyone else.
• Don’t gossip about customers.  Ideally, don’t talk about them at all, off or on desk.  While often a human failing, gossip can lead to disparaging of customers and a decline in service … and if customers hear you do it, they’ll write you off (after all, if you gossip about x then you’re going to gossip about them too – you wouldn’t want that to happen in shops you went to, would you?).
• Don’t clump.  Humans are social animals and so it’s natural for library staff to chat to eachother in quieter periods.  However, this means that they look busy to customers and also, have their backs to them.  It also means that anyone walking in will think only one thing … that the library is overstaffed. Not a good idea these days.
• Outreach breeds publicity breeds usage. I’m an extrovert, can’t help it really.  I do pantomimes, I do public speaking, storytimes, the works. The bigger the audience the better. If you speak to 200 people for five minutes and you make an impression then that is as much as a whole day or two at the desk.  The rules are to be relevant and not to be boring.  That’s it. The rest is window dressing.
• Self service doesn’t mean the end of customer service.  We’ve had self-service machines for two years but that award was still won.  Smile at users as they walk in – every customer should have some sort of acknowledgement.  Measure them up, see if they need help.  You’ve been doing this job for years: you know the signs. Smile and say hello to those who don’t need help, help those who do. Not a challenge.
• Go the extra mile.  You don’t know the answer so take down details and ask others until you find the answer.  You don’t have the book so phone up a library that does and get them to put it to one side for them.  Buy in the book if it is not in stock.
• Check check check.  You know the best way to deal with an enquiry: open questions, closed questions, answer then check to see if the answer is correct.  Then check to see if the user needs anything else.  Do that and you’re winning.
• Complaints are welcome. I love complaints.  They tell me what we’re seen as doing wrong, for free.  Take them as a gift to improve things.  Thank the complainer.  Look into the reason for the complaint and change practice if necessary.  There’s always room for improvement.  We never have all the answers and we’re never always right.  If we think otherwise then we’re wrong.  Similarly, I deal with hundreds of enquries a month but I still remember the ones from years ago that I did not do well and hopefully have learnt from them.
• Enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying your job, you’re doing it wrong.  Find a way to enjoy it.  Game it if necessary. People notice if you’re not enjoying things.  They even notice, would you believe it, on the phone … and my personal theory is they notice it in email too.  They’ll certainly notice it on Facebook.
• Be your own manager. Don’t look for your manager or colleagues for praise or for how best to do things.  If they do help then great but they may be too tied up to notice. Look to yourself for how you do things and take the pride with you. You’re the one that has to live with yourself after all.
• Be proud.  You’ve got the best job in the world, in a place you fought hard to work in, helping others.  People campaign to support you.  You provide a valuable service that people rely on.  So be proud of it and others will be proud of you.

Some of these of course rely on there being sufficient staff and resources but not all.  Anything which I have missed? Anything you disagree with?  I’d welcome your comments.

Please send any comments, thoughts, news or anything else to me via ianlibrarian@live.co.uk. I’d love (and enjoy) hearing from you.

Changes

• Wolverhampton – 51 jobs to be cut, some compulsory redunandancies.  Library service now down to 12 full-time and 75 part-time.

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Editorial

A fair bit of good news today, with refurbished libraries opening in Carmarthenshire, Hillingdon and Lambeth.  There’s also some good ideas from across the Atlantic and, footballers promoting books.  To cap it all, Arts Council England have come out with a response to the Sieghart Inquiry into public libraries which makes a fair bit of sense in parts.  I also love a great article by Mobeena Khan on the importance of reader development in libraries.

Changes

• Hillingdon – Uxbridge refurbished, marking the completion of programme to upgrade all 17 libraries.
• Lambeth – Streatham Library opened after £1.4m refurbishment

Ideas

• Mobile digital lab – Missouri, USA.
• Mobile workplace – St Paul, USA.
• Monthly poetry meet – with online forum and publishing on library website – Washington DC, USA.

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Editorial

The DCMS has released the latest (2013) reports showing how well each library authority are doing compared to the others.  This was a flagship (in so far as anything libraries-related Ed Vaizey does can be so called) policy last year and it is intended to allow anyone to hold their authority to account.  It is also intended to show who are the most successful councils which the others can then copy.  Sadly, there wasn’t much evidence of this happening last year: or at least it didn’t hit the newspapers. I was looking for mentions and there were barely any.  More could doubtless have been made of the data but the minister, in his wisdom (presumably the DCMS is so cash strapped it needs the money too?) has decided to charge £475 (plus VAT, naturally) to each authority if it wants the fully accessible works.  One could see that as shooting one’s own policy in the foot a little as, on the one hand, Ed is keen to show how open the data is but, on the other hand, £570 is too much for many to actually go the whole hog and actually use it.

This year, the cracks are starting to show even further.  It is entirely voluntary whether library services send in the data that the reports depend on. Unsurprisingly, it looks like 10 out of the 151 have simply refused to do so this year.  It’s impossible to tell why (budget cuts meaning there’s no staff to send in the information? A desire not to be embarrassed? The suspicion no one actually uses it?) but the mere fact that it’s not comprehensive limits its usefulness. Even worse it has, as of checking now, only 78 authorities actually on the list: one hopes the omission of the others are only temporary. In fact, this half-baked launch is inadvertently demonstrating the very weakness of Vaizey’s own approach – making things voluntary means the loss of the comprehensive and efficient and cutting staff to the bone means things don’t go right. How ironic, Mr Vaizey.

Changes

• Cheshire West and Chester – Elton and Willaston Libraries to close, Bishop’s High Library to become a school library only. One mobile to close. A net 16.43 full time equivalent staff to be lost.

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Editorial

This is a great video you need to watch.  Have a listen and think about the differences between the can-do attitude of this librarian and how we should be the same.  This, let’s not beat about the bush, is an utterly fantastic talk that shows how important and adventurous libraries should be.

What to expect from libraries in the 21st century: Pam Sandlian Smith at TEDxMileHigh – Friends of the Aurora Public Library.

Highlights include a child’s puppet show (with an important point at the end), the need to say yes, and (honestly) 300 goats. The difference between timorous rules-bound UK public libraries and the well-funded open-minded US model is what strikes me as well.  This library includes a puppet stage, media room and a 3D printer.  Does any library authority in the UK have all three? I doubt it.

“You can learn anything if you make it playful”

“Would you risk jail time to defend your favourite book?”

“We are the cornerstones of democracy. Everyone has a seat at our table, whether you’re a millionaire of if you’re homeless”

Ideas

• Library of things – Including power drills etc.

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Editorial
Well, that’s it. Looks like I’m working in the wrong country.  Check out the quote from Jane Purdie below from Wales where they’ve quite clearly been doing things so much better than in England.  They  have a national marketing strategy, with refurbishments, central support and a pile of other stuff which has led to a 9% increase in usage since 2007/8.  England, with it’s emphasis on localism and austerity, on the other hand have not been so successful.  Perhaps those doing the independent review into public libraries in England should know about it – along with any other thoughts you may have about ways forward.  It’s basically your last chance to tell them, though, because submissions end on Friday. Go for it, I say.  At this point, what exactly do English public libraries have to lose?

Changes

• Halton – Opening times, staffing, bookfund, mobile library, cafes may be cut.
• Monmouthshire – Gilwern Community Council may take over responsibility for Gilwern Library.
• Newham – New library opened at East Ham. £14.3m joint use building includes 30,000 books, language lab, customer service centre.
• Plymouth – 2010/11 budget was £3.9 million: since then budget cut by quarter and bookfund halved. Volunteer co-ordinator appointed. Aim to co-locate more.

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