Library Garden

Patrick Jones, Mr. Inspiration AND Agents v. Gatekeepers

MPOW just had it’s 20th anniversary membership meeting at the lovely Seaview Marriott in Absecon, NJ. We were pleased to have YA author Patrick Jones on hand to deliver a morning program for SJRLC youth librarians AND a crazy brilliant afternoon keynote.

I’ve blogged about Patrick’s presentations over at SJRLC’s blog, and I invite you to check it out. Here, I’ll just add one “takeaway” that I forgot to mention in my other post: Patrick’s insight that, good as the YALSA Quick Picks list is, “The single most important list is the books that got stolen last year. Start your year by buying replacements. They have a track record!”

I’ll add one more thing. As I noted in a previous post, I’m currently enjoying Setting the Table , by Danny Meyer. I’d like to share a passage that I found myself thinking about during Patrick’s talk. Meyer writes,

In every business, there are employees who are the first point of contact with the customers (attendants at airport gates, receptionists at doctors’ offices, bank tellers, executive assistants). Those people can come across either as agents or as gatekeepers. An agent makes things happen for others. A gatekeeper sets up barriers to keep people out. We’re looking for agents, and our staff members are responsible for monitoring their own performance: In that transaction, did I present myself as an agent or a gatekeeper? In the world of hospitality, there’s rarely anything in between.

I love Meyer’s agent/gatekeeper concept. It’s a simple idea, but perhaps for that very reason it lends itself to practical use. I found myself easily using it today as a gut-check while answering the phone and responding to emails. Was I making things happen for others, or was I erecting barriers to keep people out. (In fact, I did have to tell someone that they couldn’t attend a program–but then I put on my agent hat and offered three alternative options.)

I guess Patrick got me thinking about this because maybe, just maybe, we tend to be a little more gatekeeperish with the teens. But whomever we’re serving — kid, teen, adult, genealogist — I like the idea of making things happen for... Anyway, that’s what gets me out of bed in morning!

December 6, 2006 at 7:36 pm 4 comments

Fried brain potpourri

The past few weeks have been post-free for me for a number of reasons: A week on Caribbean cruise (unspoiled by any sun, mind you) a week of catch-up (2 days just to revive my email which was almost fatally wounded by the avalanche of spam that built up in my absence) and a week, prior to the cruise, dealing with health issues (my own and the cat’s.— we’re both much improved thank you.)

Suffice it to say that I have:
1) A bit of fried brain
2) A lot of bits and pieces of possible posts lying around in draft.

Here then, be the bits and pieces for your piecing and, uh, biting pleasure.

1. Reading and enjoying Danny Meyer’s book, Setting the Table. I particularly like Meyer’s distinction between customer service and hospitality–something I never thought about before. Meyer writes, “ Hospitality exists when you believe the other person is on your side. The converse is just as true. Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. Those two simple prepositions –for and to express it all.”

2. I love this piece from Seth’s Godin’s Blog: “Here’s the short version: If you try to teach a customer a lesson, you’ve just done two things: a. failed at teaching a lesson and b. lost a customer” Amen! If the customer receives ‘service’ but feels like it’s being given as a favor, or worse, with reluctance or a with punitive spirit, then the customer might take their bidness elsewhere.
   
   
3. A Customer Service Shout Out to Comcast. I dumped Verizon DSL last year after years of service because my Internet went out one day and they didn’t care. And that is the mercifully short version! I promptly ordered Comcast Internet and have been enjoying their speedy connection ever since. Until my Internet slowed to near halt a few days ago and my cable tv went on the fritz at the same time.

   I called Comcast and quickly got through to a live human being (my favorite kind, mind you.) They said they could be out the next morning, but that wasn’t good for me, so we scheduled the morning after. Not only did the nice Comcast man show up 1/2 hour early, he was pleasant, professional, communicative, quick, and ended his visit by saying, “of course there will no charge today.” Of course!

   I don’t know if it’s just that my expectations have been so severely lowered by so many terrible interactions (with Verizon, with banks, with my oil company, etc., etc.) but boy did I feel good about Comcast. Even better than I did before my Internet and TV fritzed out. It’s almost a bit cliche, but how true nonetheless – every service problem is an opportunity to strengthen the connection with the customer.
   
   

4. From “Dont Coddle Me at Work” courtesy of the Chief Happiness Officer: “Before people can be happy at work, the thinking goes, they must be shielded from all manner of ills: angry customers, unrealistic deadlines, unfair decisions, overwork, boring meetings, stress, annoying co-workers, insecurity, diffiult situations, hard choices – you name it. Wrong. The best and happiest workplaces in the world haven’t become so by shielding their people from problems, but by giving their people the skills, the energy and the freedom to deal constructively with problems.” Hey, that sounds just like Nordstrom. Don’t set rules designed to deal with every possible worst case scenario; give your employees the power to deal with problems if and when they occur. Like Robert Spector writes in Lessons From the Nordstrom Way, “Dump the Rules!” Each one is a barrier between you and your customer.
5. Lovin the Elf! Library Elf, that is. I signed up for Library Elf last week after attending an informative presentation by Ralph Bingham of the Gloucester County Library System. GCLS has been actively promoting Library Elf to the delight of their customers. I didn’t think I would be able to participate since my library is a Triple I shop, but lo and behold the good people at Library Elf set me right up. I mentioned this to an administrator at my local library who was happy to hear the news. A recent customer survey had just revealed that “underdue” notices were greatly desired. This is the kind of simple convenient service that can have a great impact on customer satisfaction and also raise employee morale by reducing staff contacts with grumpy customers complaining about fines.
6. Just throwing this out there… Is it time to move Library Garden from Blogger to Typepad? Blogger, oh blogger. You seduced me with your simplicity. Those come hither eyes. So easy. So cheap. You’ll still respect yourself in the morning you whispered. But you’ve changed. Were you always this freaking tempermental? And your dirty code! Oh, is it dirty… I can write a post in 10 minutes but then you ask me to spend the next four hours trying to get my font sizes right. You don’t let me spice up our posts with photos anymore. I don’t know Blogger, maybe it’s me. Maybe I’ve grown. Let’s face it, we’ve grown apart. I need a software that’s more stable, more predictable. Someone I can grow old with… (I haven’t discussed this with my fellow Gardeners, but maybe it’s time to go with something a little more professional. What do you think guys?? Do I spend my December vacation time tranferring us to Typepad?)

November 22, 2006 at 1:00 pm 10 comments

Broken signage

I’ve been away from the blog for what feels like a while–but for a good reason! My wife and I met up with some friends that came from the west coast and we did a seven day cruise to the western Caribbean. Lots of rain, no sun, but a good time was still had by all. We swam with dolphins, played with monkeys, ate, slept, read. Who needs the sun anyway?

I never had any desire to vacation on a cruise ship, and while the service and food was generally excellent (with a few notable exceptions), the cruise ship experience is probably just not my bag.

Anyhoo, I’ll get around to getting the monkey and dolphin pics up on flickr, but in the meantime I thought this picture was worth sharing. Yup, that’s the emergency exit door on deck 1 of the Carnival Valor. What message does this sign send to the passengers? I think it should be subtitled, “In case of emergency, good luck suckers!” Hey Carnival, let’s barter: You give me a free seven day cruise and I’ll give you a kick-ass signage audit. 🙂

November 8, 2006 at 11:58 am 3 comments

Tom Asacker on Branding

Tom Asacker, who blogs about marketing and branding over at A Clear Eye, gave a short interview after his recent presentation at Brand Manager Camp. I want to highlight one of Tom’s statements, but check out the whole interview (which is short) and his blog (which is intelligent and stimulating.)

A brand is a customer’s perception and an expectation of receiving something.

This got me thinking: What are my perceptions and expectations of the various businesses that I interact with?

• My perception and expectation of Lubeworks is, a quick oil change, today’s paper to read while I’m waiting, fresh coffee, fresh flowers, honest, friendly and helpful staff, AND I’m going to leave with a smile on my face. (Everyone working there is having a good time! They care about me. I’m “tennis guy”.)

• My perception and expectation of Commerce Bank is, I never ever have to interact with a human being to accomplish my business. Yay! (and I’m an extrovert) But on those rare times that I do want to actually interact with a teller or service agent (or whatever they call themselves — I just noticed, I don’t really care), I’m going to be treated by someone with a smile. No charge to dump my jar of pennies in the “penny arcade” and convert my spare change into crisp twenties. Nice touch!

• My perception and expectation of Wegman’s is, they will have good prices, a great selection, a convenient ‘small’ size cart that’s just right for me and easier to push through the aisles (why don’t all stores have them?), friendly, attentive service, and never a long wait—because they have a few employees just roving to make sure the lines aren’t too long and coordinating the opening of new lines. If I’m honest with myself I have to admit: Going to Wegman’s is darn near recreational. (“Hon, what do you want to do tonight, go to movie? Hit the cookie counter at Wegmans?”)

• My perception and expectation of Petro used to be, a big headache, long waits on the phone, disconnects, arguments, mistakes in billing, a freezing home and no service. Just before I hit my limit with this crappy service, a friendly and helpful Petro service agent told me that they were overhauling their phone system, that it was a big nightmare but it was almost done, and PLEASE PLEASE hang in there with them. Now: I expect, no wait on the phone, quick, friendly service at any time of the day or night, a nice website where I can manage my account and — YAY! — request an oil delivery without having to pick up the phone or deal with a voice menu. Thanks for turning it around Petro!

• Our customers’ perceptions and expectations of our libraries are… [fill in the blanks] Am I copping out by not telling you my perception/expectation of my library. Uh, yes I am. Truth is, I am a member of two libraries and spend time in countless others. I get great service and really enjoy the feel of being in most of these libraries (and I always have–that’s why I became a librarian. Duh.) Lots of smiles, lots of face-out merchandising, coffee, nice nooks to sit in and read or think. Generally, my satisfaction with the physical experience of being at these libraries exceeds my satisfaction with my virtual experience. Libraries, get thee to a web designer!

So what do your customers expect and perceive when they visit your library or website? What experiences are you offering them?

My questions: How can we do this better? How can we offer a consistently positive customer experience across time? Across platforms? (i.e. in-person, on the phone, on the web.) If the experience isn’t consistent, how can customers ever come to expect it? In looking at my own behavior, I notice that I’ll tolerate a low level of consistently poor or mediocre service more than I’ll tolerate inconsistent service. Receiving consistently bad service is actually less stressful for me—as long as I know what to expect. It’s the uncertainty that stresses me out…

October 19, 2006 at 9:19 pm 2 comments

Improving library services

Jennifer Macaulay, an MLS student at Southern Connecticut, has a wonderful post on her blog, Life as I know It on the topic Improving Library Services: A Review of Techniques.

I’m listing her main points below, but I highly recommend the entire post. Her selection of topics is inspired (and inspiring); her annotations on each topic are concise and insightful.

If you want to make a positive change in your library, tack up Jennifer’s post on your door, throw a dart, and start doing whatever you hit (unless your aim is bad and you hit that old Calvin and Hobbes comic that you taped up in 1992– don’t, I repeat, don’t do what Calvin is doing…)

Here are the techniques Jennifer highlighted, but really, read the post.

• Use of integrated service points
• Cross training of staff
• Flexible management technique
• Redefine the library’s physical space
• Allow users to participate in decisions about which services to offer
• Focus on new models of professional development for the entire staff
• Adding content to library catalogs (OPACs)
• Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to advertise library services
• Re-evaluate the current library user and their information needs
• Re-evaluate library signage
• Beware of technology for technology’s sake

If Jennifer is at all representative of the future of our profession I think we’re in good hands.

October 5, 2006 at 8:46 pm