Practical tips on creating a positive customer experience
For the next month or so I'm going to do a series of posts offering practical tips for creating a positive customer experience. Many of the tips will be ideas that can be immediately implemented, while a few will require a little bit of planning. I offer these tips as a smorgasbord, not a laundry list. They are born out of my own experiences as a library customer, from the experiences of friends and family, as well as from ideas generated at a recent organizational planning day I participated in.Before I get into the tips, a caveat: Everything I suggest hereafter will specifically address the customer experience, but the uber-tip is that employees must be treated well, and with a basic level of trust. I don't just mean that management must treat employees well. I mean employees must also treat management well, and co-workers must treat co-workers well. I'm talking 360 degrees. There should also be some shared sense, organizationally, of being on the same team, united for the same general purpose. I believe that a strong commitment to the customer experience in no way conflicts with a strong commitment to employees, and in my experience the two commitments correlate highly with each other.
One other point before getting into the tips: I am consciously using the term 'customer experience' rather than 'customer service'. For me this not just a semantic difference but a reflection of how I'm beginning to think about these issues. 'Customer service' focuses on our behavior and offerings and looks at service from our perspective. (i.e. did we say "thank you", do we offer a decent phone menu system, do we have convenient hours, etc.)
'Customer experience' focuses on the customer's perception, and looks at service from the customer's perspective (i.e. were they able to use the catalog, was the library open when they needed it, did they receive help from someone who treated them kindly.) I am finding it more useful to look at and think about the customer experience, and then "reverse engineer" to craft the organization's services, offerings, and policies with an eye on improving the customer's experience.
So...
Practical tip #1: Start thinking about your customers' experience. What do they experience when they walk in the door? When they visit your webpage? When they call your phone? When they email you? Ask these questions and encourage co-workers to do the same. Get some pizzas for lunch and brainstorm in the lunch room. Make a list, pick one negative customer experience, and find a way to improve it.
Labels: Peter
posted by Peter Bromberg @ 3:07 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
In my opinion, I want the customer to experience the warm welcome and good servicing just by smiling. So, smile first so that it will create a good impression to you.
I do the walk through in the morning...and I try to do it at some point during the day, too.
One of the biggest barriers to creating a positive customer experience IMO, is not having a good "radar" for the patrons. Not knowing who is around you, not thinking actively about the possibility of helping every patron who walks through the door, or at least within your view, waiting for the patrons to come to us instead of greeting them proactively.
I did an experiment last week; while I was not interacting with patrons I made an effort to NOT look at my computer. It was such a different experience, focusing outwardly instead of inwardly.
Steve: You are so right when you say it is important to focus outwards (away from our computer screens) when we are not actively engaged in answering a reference question or doing research. So many library customers approach the reference desk with an apology for disturbing us simply because we look "busy". Looking up and looking around is so much more welcoming than a person engrossed in looking at their computer screen.
Aizal -- Thanks for pointing out the importance of a smile. A warm, sincere smile goes a long way toward creating a welcoming environment. This is especially important in libraries because so many customers are hesitant to approach us as it is; either because they don't want to bother us (as Janie points out) or because they feel stupid.
Zgirl -- Thanks for bringing up the usefulness of regular walk-throughs. I'm going to build on that great advice in my next tip -- although you fleshed it out so well, there's not much to build on :-) The library kit is also a fantastic idea. Everybody likes swag!
Steve -- your point about "radar" is well-taken. I love your experiment with not looking at the computer. I'm always conscious to put my pen down, and look directly at the customer (because I hate it when someone's helping me and they don't put their pen down-- the subtext is, "go away so I can continue writing..." I was working up a draft post on a "radar" experience I had recently at Wegman's Supermarket. Rather than hold off on it, it makes sense to share it now so here it is:
Thanks for the great ideas! -pete
Speaking of roving, when I started at a university library, I was reluctant to do it because it didn't feel comfortable. Really, I felt a little like a masher. However, I developed some routines, like pushing in chairs, fiddling with computers, picking up trash, etc. that let people know I was working there. (Nametags would have helped, too!)
Recently, one of my staff came to me and described the experience of being in the stacks with a cart and a laptop. She was weeding, but people asked her questions. So, we're going to get a sign to clip on our carts that say, "I'm a librarian and I can help you. Please ASK!"
Thanks for the comments Steve,
On the topic of roving/greeting: The Mount Laurel Library (NJ) has their greeters where a nice big "ask me" button. You may be interested in some of their documentation (they created the position out of whole cloth a year or two ago.) Take a look at the greeter training information at:
http://www.sjrlc.org/tradingspaces/toolkit
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