Customer Service Focus on the Customer NCLA Regional

Customer Service: Focus on the Customer NCLA Regional Workshop NCLPA North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association Thursday, April 22, 2010 Presented by Jackie Frye, Harnett County Public Library NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

External Customers • External customers are the people you deal with, either face-to-face or over the phone, who use your library’s resources. [Excerpted from Customer Service for Dummies by Keith Bailey and Karen Leland] External customer service is the service that employees give to outside clients, or those who use facilities or products NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association 2

Internal Customers • An internal customer is anyone you count on or rely upon to complete a task or a function or to provide you with information so that you can get your job done…and anyone who counts on you to complete a task or function or to provide them with information so that they can get their job done. • [Excerpted from Internal Customer by Rosenberger 1998 ] NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

What is internal customer service? • Internal customer service is the service we provide fellow employees and other departments within our own organization as well as suppliers and anyone else with whom we work to get our jobs done. NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

Who are your Internal customers? • • Circulation desk employees Shelvers Cataloguers Reference librarian Children’s librarian Administrative assistants Custodians NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

More internal customers? • • • Booksellers Suppliers Equipment vendors Consultants MIS personnel NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

Your “Real” Job • If you see a gap between your “real” job and the needs of others in your organization, you need to rethink what your real job is. [From Scott Miller (www. entrepreneur. com)] NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association 7

Cycle of Dependence circ Library Board IT HR Paying bills Approve budget external customer Supplies vendor Process Building books maintenance book custodian vendor shelver NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

What are the tangible benefits? • • • Superior external customer service Positive employee morale Improved communication Teamwork Customer satisfaction NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

FOCUS • Superior internal customer service is the pathway to superior external customer service • Happy employees are productive employees. NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association 10

What are the desirable behaviors? • • • Friendliness Honesty Courtesy Respect for others Helpfulness • Information sharing • Positive attitude • Effective communication • Active listening NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association 11

Extra Special Desirable Behaviors • Positive attitude • Effective communication • Active listening NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

Your Attitude • • • Influences your behavior Determines the level of your job satisfaction Affects everyone you come in contact with Affects your job performance Is up to you NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association 13

Maintaining a Positive Attitude • What affects your attitude? • What can you do about it? • Is enthusiasm contagious? NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association 14

“NO” or “Compromise” • Explain why you have to say “NO” • Offer to do something else • Recommend an alternative NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association 15

Tips • • Begin with your perspective Enjoy helping Exceed your colleagues’ expectations Say thank you NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

Objectives Today We • Defined Internal & External Customer Service • Identified your customers • Discussed the tangible benefits • Specified the desirable behaviors NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association

Thank You • Organizations have more to fear from lack of quality internal customer service than from any level of external customer service. --Ron Tillotson NCLPA - North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association