Service and policy
From PLN
Service and policy
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You're paying attention to good service, of course--aren't you?
Your library policies are intended to assure the best service across the board--aren't they?
That's a complicated question. "The best" and "across the board" add variables to what might seem like a simple stance. On one hand, most libraries must be service agencies; otherwise, they really are little more than warehouses. On the other, it's never just a matter of the customer is always right--good businesses know that's not true and libraries can't thrive with that as an absolute attitude.
Policy should support good service--but policy applied without flexibility can get in the way of good service, particularly as service needs and expectations change more rapidly than policy can.
Service attitudes provides a range of non-library comments on service. The notes here come from library sources, although they're mostly not directly about library experiences. These notes come from several library-related blogs, generally with permission of the bloggers.
And the policy is...
- by Barbara Kelly, adapted from this post on December 10, 2007 at Manage this!
Just give me the coffee.
I recently had an interesting conversation with some thoughtful (and funny) folks regarding the library policy manual--its history, role, future, and most importantly its weight and thickness.
Since then I have become a little more aware of policies (or the lack of policy) at places I frequent. As some of you know, I live in a rural area (meaning rocks, trees, and water) of northern Ontario and I must confess that when I’m in locales with services beyond a food co-op, I head for Starbucks.
I am certain that Starbucks has a policy manual covering everything from smiles to foam and it may even rival the average weight of a library policy manual, but in the past month I have had a few Starbucks’ situations that make me wonder if perhaps there is an override on their manual.
In Virginia Beach I purchased my standard soy cappuccino to take on the road and did something that I thought was impossible to do; I left it on the roof of the car. As I drove off I said to my kids “some idiot has just thrown his or her (yeah I know it’s goofy but we actually do say 'his or her' in our house) coffee cup out onto the road." I then righteously reached for mine which was, you guessed it, not there. I, the idiot, had left it on the roof. So back I went to Starbucks to purchase another. As I made my order the smiling barista said “Didn’t we just make you one of these?” “Yeah,” I said. And with some embarrassment I told her what happened to it. Well they laughed and gave me a new one, free.
The other librarian in the car and I both were impressed that they didn’t seem to be worried that if they did that for me, then everyone would be coming in with some cockamamie story to get free coffee. Doesn’t their policy manual tell them that if you give customers an inch they will take a mile?
In Buffalo, during the store’s morning rush, I mixed up our to-go orders. Of course, I realized this as they were being made, and being me, loudly slapped my forehead and exclaimed “oh no, I meant venti and soy and extra shot!” “Not a problem” the smiling barista said and no they did not want me to get back in line to pay the difference of over 2 dollars. Well okay, yes, maybe, they just wanted me to go home. But they sent me home so happy!
And then this weekend in Sudbury I wanted my mother-in-law’s coffee in a Christmas bag even though it wasn’t the bag for the coffee I bought. I just politely asked if it was possible, the smiling barista said “it was not policy,” then winked at me and did it. And she did it right in front of the smiling and nodding manager, and a line-up of a gazillion Christmas shoppers.
So what am I saying here with these little Starbucks’ vignettes (other than wow, am I ever a demanding customer)? Well these situations bring to mind that:
- Policy guides us in what we do to serve the community, such as how hot the coffee should be and what to do with well meaning donations of National Geographic
- Policy guides our decisions when we are faced with situations such as using the wrong coffee bag or extending internet time
- Policy serves our mission statements and guides us in treating community members so that we smile when serving the extra-low-fat-no-foam-tall-latte-with-hazelnut to the guy with the kids rearranging the displays or when serving the patron with fines and a complicated ILL whose kids are rearranging the displays
- Policy is good, but it needs an override--an override with common sense, courtesy humor, and sometimes a wink. When policy gets in the way of providing reasonable service, it is no longer serving its function and must be put aside.
Good coffee and good library services; the things that really matter in life.
Comments
- Peter Bromberg suggests that the Starbucks employees may not have been violating policy. In part:
- ...I question your premise that in these situations the Starbucks employees were violating some policy or other. Maybe they were. My guess is that they’re simply empowered to do what’s necessary to ensure that the customer leaves happy.
- I’m a former Nordstrom employee, and I can tell you that Nordstrom simply doesn’t have rules and policies regarding what employees can or can’t do for the customer. On your first day of work at Nordstrom you’re handed an “Employee Manual” (my recollection is that it was a bi-fold pamphlet) that simply said “Rule #1: Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no other rules.” Then they tell you that you should feel free to do whatever you need to do to provide great customer service. Boo-yah! Now go do it!
- Robert Spector has written about the Nordstrom culture in two books that I highly recommend (The Nordstrom Way and Lessons From the Nordstrom Way). Spector suggests that every rule is a barrier between you and your customer. Every rule. While I wouldn’t argue that we shouldn’t have procedures, and even norms, I would like to see our libraries ditch every rule that limits what we are able to do for our customers.
- Short of that, I vote for the override! But that’s where it gets tricky. It comes down to good leadership and good management communicating that it’s not just OK to override policy when it gets in the way, it’s necessary to do so, and such behavior should be acknowledged and rewarded.
- Kelly's response (in part): "I do believe that you are correct! Both in thinking that Starbucks employees were not necessarily breaking policy but following a higher directive to give good service and in thinking that good leadership and management are critical in supporting staff to interpret and implement policy that best serves the community, and in the end the organization."
- Walt Crawford, not on the blog but while editing this:
- Could you ditch every rule? Probably not, unless you could be sure all your employees had an understanding of the reasons for policies. "I want to check out these 75 DVDs and I don't have any proof that I live in town." Is that a reasonable patron request? "I'd like to take [this still-highly-used print reference work] home for a week to do some research." Is that a reasonable request? Do either of those represent good patron service for the community? (Tell a Nordstrom employee that you'd really prefer to pay $10 for a $150 pair of shoes, and I'm guessing there are, in fact, policies that the employee won't deviate from.)
- Could you--should you--encourage staff to deviate from policies when (a) it doesn't damage the community as a whole and (b) it makes good common sense? I believe so, and a couple of these anecdotes deal with that--but that's a somewhat more nuanced position than "ditch every rule that limits what we are able to do for our customers." Unless, of course, you're always able to take into account the overall needs of the community, not just the immediate desire of the person standing in front of you...
Just give them the ichthyo...
- by Tyler Rousseau, adapted from "'Just give them the ichthyo-' Lessons in customer service through the eyes of a fishmonger", posted January 28, 2008 at Library garden.
Scenario 1
Can you imagine walking into a fish market, asking the fishmonger for a pound of cod and him responding, "Here, I'll show you how to fish."
"That's okay," you assure him, "I'd prefer to get the fish from you."
"But if I show you how to fish, you won't have to ask me for it." His demeanor is still pleasant but he is clearly showing his time could be better spent doing other things than finding and weighing fish for you.
You assure the monger that you understand but, at this time, you would rather just get the fish. And besides, looking around the store, you wouldn't even begin to know where the cod was located. Your response incurs a sigh of annoyance as the fishmonger proceeds to process your request.
As bizarre as the scenario sounds, it's not uncommon to see this type of customer service in library staff.
We've been trained with the idea that we need to teach our patrons to use library resources. And while this can be beneficial for patron and staff alike, do we always have to turn an information request into a teachable moment?
What's wrong with just giving them the fish?
What's more bizarre is that we feel the need to inculcate this attitude but then get upset at patrons who do try to find their own information.
Scenario 2
You decide to take the fishmonger's offer and learn to fish. After a five-minute lesson on casting a line and setting the reel he sets you on your way. When you finally catch a fish you bring it to the fishmonger. He takes a quick look at it and snaps that the fish is no good. He cannot believe that you would even consider taking this fish from the pond and eating it.
You're confused. You go into detail of how, as he instructed, you went to the pond, cast the line and caught a fish on the end of the line. As far as you're concerned, the trip was successful because A) you wanted a fish and B) you caught one.
"Yes, but you're using the wrong pond! And look at the fish, it is not meaty, healthy or well fed. Don't you know the difference between a good fish and a bad fish?"
Ummm, Isn't that why you came to the fishmonger in the first place!?
First, we hassle the patrons by insisting they do the research themselves. Then, once they do, we are annoyed by the resources they choose.
Sure, the difference between good and bad resources might be obvious to us, as well it should be. We went to school and got a Masters in Information Sciences for this very thing. Our patrons did not.
As much as we want to create independent researchers, we need to take our efforts a step further and teach our patrons how to find quality resources.
And don't quality resources depend on what the information's intended use is?
Scenario 3
The fishmonger continues to chastise you for your fish.
"What could you possibly want to do with this fish!? This fish is not acceptable for a four-star restaurant and I hardly find it passable for consumption in a household."
"Actually, I was going to stuff it and mount it on my wall," you say. "I didn't think I needed to worry about its taste."
"Ohhhhhh...well, that's different."
The fish is good enough because it meets the needs of the patron.
Sometimes, librarians get so caught up worrying about the quality of the information that they lose site of the information itself.
If you're looking for movies your favorite actor stars in, isn't Wikipedia good enough? Do we really need to bother hunting down the latest encyclopedia of film actors so the patron has the most legitimate resource? [Editor's note:] Better yet, wouldn't the patron love to know about IMDB, where they'll get a more complete list of movies and TV shows and won't have to wonder whether the actor's not "notable" enough for Wikipedia?, e.g. Rowena Gaukroger?
Sometimes correctness is all that is needed of a resource. Sometimes, a quick and simple answer can suffice.
The fishmonger lost sight of what the customer's needs are. He focused on his own criteria without knowing the customer's needs. He forgot his job's basic purpose: selling fish to people who want it.
Personally, if I went to a fish market and was hassled about how to fish, where to fish, quality of fish, etc. I would eventually say to myself, "Screw fish, I'm gonna cook some burgers instead..." Leaving the fishmonger to wonder where all his patrons went and why the public doesn't seem to see the value of his store.
What can we learn from the fishmonger?
- Sometimes, it's okay to just give them the damn fish
- If they want to know, show them why it's a good fish
- Offer to teach them how to scale it, if they need to learn.
Lessons in customer service
- by "Karen K," excerpted and adapted from this post on May 7, 2008 at Library garden.
Last week I had two really bad customer service experiences. So awful they made my staff and I send notes to two organizations that have never been anything but pleasant and helpful. I think what I experienced is a good reminder for those of us who do customer service (and we all do!) on a regular or daily basis.
The blood drive
On Saturday, my Library held a Blood Drive through the American Red Cross. They were bringing the bus and asked us to have 45 donors sign up. At first we were having trouble getting donors. As an incentive, we decided to give away t-shirts to those who signed up and arrived to donate on the day of the blood drive.
We went through a local store to order the t-shirts, with the understanding that we could pick them up the day before the drive. Friday afternoon we got a phone call telling us he was having trouble with one of the graphics. (Um...wait...aren't the shirts supposed to be done already??)
We scramble to make sure we have something he can do quickly...but when we arrived at the store, he was downright rude, as if this were all our problem, not his. We were shocked. I have never been treated so poorly in a store! He was even rude about the graphics and whether they were done by a professional graphic designer! This really left a bad impression.
One of my staff, after experiencing this, sent an email to Charlie at our local UPS Store, with whom the Library does lots of business. She just wanted to thank him for always going out of his way to accommodate us, even when we wait to the last minute.
Paying off a student loan
I decided this year that I would take my tax refund and pay off my one remaining student loan from my undergrad degree... I called a month ago, received the payoff amount and made the payment online through my bank. Last week I received a notice saying I was delinquent. How was that possible?? I call and was told maybe my bank made a mistake (on when the check was cashed), that the payment was late and I still owed them money. After [putting me on hold], he informs me he will have to look into this and get back to me.
This experience prompted me to email my contact at the Credit Union that held my very first student loan to thank her for always being courteous and friendly and helpful.
Lessons learned?
How often in the daily grind are we unaware of how our actions or tone of voice affect those we serve? Maybe we have had a bad day or are frustrated because we are really trying to help the customer or patron but are struggling to really be of assistance.
I think the old saying that about a satisfied customer telling one person and a dissatisfied customer telling ten is probably true. Maybe we should take the time to thank those who really do provide outstanding customer service--and remind ourselves how great it is to get that service.
Comments
- "Customer service can be grueling.... We don't often talk about the good experiences we have as customers. Sending a note of thanks goes along way and is always well received."
Two more examples of good customer service
- by Walt Crawford, excerpted and adapted from this post on May 3, 2008 and this post on May 9, 2008, both at Walt at random. I chose not to relate these directly to library service and policy; I'll leave you to draw the connections.
Hhonorable service
My wife and I are going on a real vacation, for the first time in a couple of years. It’s a cruise, and it makes sense to fly to the departure port a day early and stay overnight. To make it even more fun, we’re going with a dear friend of ours–who’s also flying in a day early.
As we investigated places to stay overnight, we found that this is one of those cities where we could either spend a lot of money, or stay in an iffy part of town or in an iffy establishment, or maybe both. But if we stayed nearer the airport, we could stay in a Hilton at a reasonable price.
I’ve accumulated some quantity of Hilton Hhonors points over the years. Turns out I had enough points for one free night at this category of hotel. In fact, I had more than enough points for two free nights. Now, back in the "good old days," this was a multistep process: You’d mail in a request for a certain kind of award certificate, they’d send the certificate, you’d book the award with certificate in hand, taking maybe a month total. Now, you go to the Hhonors website, log in, find the hotel and verify availability, and the certificate is created at the point of use: You get two emailed confirmations, one your actual reservation, one your award certificate. Fast, easy, well-designed. Cool.
But that's not the story. This is:
The best use I could think of for the rest of the points was to pick up another free room for our friend–-if the friend wanted it. Which, it turns out, they did. How would I go about reserving a room in somebody else’s name and paying for it with points from my Hhonors account?
I called the Hhonors 800 number. One clear menu choice. Another clear menu choice. Then a crisp message: You can book awards online, but if you’d like to speak with a representative, just wait. I waited….for about ten seconds, maybe less.
Five minutes or less: That’s what it took to ask whether this could be done (it could), provide my information, validate who I am, give the hotel info, give the other person’s name, deal with a slight variance and get an award certificate number…following which, an automated voice from the hotel gave me the reservation confirmation code. Within one minute after hanging up the phone, both confirmation certificates were in my email, ready to forward to the friend.
I’ve heard enough horror stories about telephone assistance with even straightforward issues, much less slightly complicated ones like this. For some reason, this exercise struck me as remarkably smooth and pleasant: No waiting, phone trees used to save me time rather than to avoid actual contact (don't ask me about Virgin Mobile right now...), really slick combined use of the human touch and computer backup–-I mean, those emails were there when the call was done.
- Nobody from Hilton violated policy, as far as I know--but their policy was flexible enough to handle a slightly awkward case. What they did do: Design their procedures to smooth the process, use a combination of human and automated tools well--and have people on the other end of the phone, not human parrots.
What do you expect for super-cheap movies?
On April 29, I started up Disc 8 of the Hollywood Legends 50-Movie Pack for my "exercise viewing.". I was really looking forward to this one, because the second movie is The Man with the Golden Arm, which I’ve never seen and is supposed to be excellent.
Except that, when I started Side A of the disc, the two titles weren’t what I was expecting. Instead of The Town Went Wild and The Man with the Golden Arm, the menu showed Heartbeat and He Found a Star. Somehow, in the point in disc manufacturing where the two sides of a two-sided DVD are pasted together, the wrong Side A got matched up with the right Side B.
Well, OK. not a huge deal. I don’t have any idea how long ago I purchased the set or who I purchased it from; probably at least a year, and I probably paid no more than $15-$18 for the 50-movie set. I sure didn’t keep a receipt that long. These things happen–-particularly when you’re running such a low-cost operation.
The website for Mill Creek Entertainment has a contact email. So, just for fun–-and to let them know, if it was a widespread problem–-I wrote email. Not angry email, mostly amused. Part of it:
- Since I have no idea how long ago I purchased the set and I certainly don’t have a receipt, I’m not going to make a federal case out of this (particularly since your prices are excellent and I admire the work you’re doing in putting the public domain to use). Still, I’ll admit that I was really looking forward to The Man with the Golden Arm, one old movie that I do regard as a classic–and have never seen. So if there was an easy and affordable way to send me a replacement copy (that actually has the right movies on the disc, not just on the label), I’d be delighted.
One business day after I sent the mail, I got a response–-with an apology and a note that they’d be sending off a replacement DVD and include a bonus DVD set with their compliments. I immediately responded with thanks.
A few days later, the box arrived. It included a replacement disc (this one has the right movies on each side) and several other interesting old-movie releases (20 early Alfred Hitchcock movies and more). I would have been more than satisfied just to get the replacement disc, particularly this long after the original purchase. The extras were, well, extra.
- Does this apply to library service? Maybe not--but it's frequently easy to go one step beyond in being helpful. Printer jam? Seems like a good time to offer that printout for free, and I'm guessing a lot of library people would do exactly that.
Related articles
- Service attitudes - Notes on service from beyond the library community.
- Face time or Facebook? - Jeff Scott considers the relative worth of technological solutions vs. face-to-face service.
- Who needs reference librarians? - Jamie LaRue discusses changes that make reference librarians more important--but only when they're more active in their roles.
