Workshops

Committee Programs

Management Training Series

Library Leadership Ohio

Customer Service or Customer Servant?

Wednesday, March 31, 2004
9:00:00 AM - 4:00:00 PM

Location:
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Administration Building
2111 Snow Road Parma, Ohio
Map

Cost:
$65 CAMLS Members
$75 Affiliate Members
$130 Non-members
Free for guests/speakers

Deadline: Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Limit: 40
Registered Now: 17
Contact Hours: 6

**Notes:
Fee includes coffee and materials. Lunch is on your own.

While Library staff work to provide good customer service (and studies suggest they do pretty well), there continues to be a suspicion customer service is not being optimally delivered in libraries. Why is this seeming inconsistency occurring? Three environmental factors contribute to this problem: Libraries have no market "test" or restriction which limits the amount of service staff can deliver against a given amount of money paid; There has traditionally been no standard or limits (outside of judgement) placed on services offered patrons, and the customer service movement has encouraged library directors to emphasize customer service, with some using phrases like "We do whatever it takes to satisfy customers" or "The customer (patron) is king."

The combination of a bias to provide good service coupled with the absence of naturally occurring market forces to limit services delivered and no objectively constructed standards yields an environment that encourages upwardly spiraling customer expectations and a progressive "floor" of customer service delivery. This phenomena, if unchecked, may ultimately lead to a customer service failure, and/or the establishment of customer expectations which could not reasonably be met by any library staff, irrespective of resources or time available.

Course Content

Definition/relevance of Customer Service today
Library Customer Service currently delivered
Customer Servancy defined
Policies/procedures and cultural change needed to manage the Customer Experience
Essence of Customer Service Policy
Training the customer/staff in the Customer Service Model

Audience: Library managers, support and line staff. Anyone involved in planning or delivering customer service.

Presenter:
Bill Schroer is a management/research consultant and speaker working with libraries and other non-profit organizations throughout the Midwest. Mr Schroer's background includes 15 years of progressive responsibility in corporate marketing assignments for Stokely Van Camp, Jeno's and the Kellogg Company. Bill's Company, WJSchroer Co. provides quantitative and qualitative research studies, strategic planning assistance, training in customer service, branding, creative thinking, communications, negotiations and a wide spectrum of topics.