Presented at Indiana Library Federation Conference,
November 2007
Susan G. Akers
Building Relationships … TRUST is a must
Libraries are about people and information in an evolving, dynamic environment. We help people find what they need, answer questions, advance freedom of information, help people to discover exciting resources as we adapt to new technology, among other things. Libraries will be around for a long, long time!
When people begin to use a new service or visit a place for the first time, even under the best circumstance, they generally feel some uncertainty and vulnerability. These feelings are heightened when the service is personally important to a user, is a complex task or if requires considerable involvement.
Knowledgeable and friendly librarians can be one of the single, most powerful marketing tools available in today’s libraries. What good is it to ‘wow’ them with graphics, ads, outreach efforts and such if, when they arrive, service is lacking or employees are unfriendly? It is important to build trust with customers … and they will return time and again.
According to the “Handbook of Relationship Marketing,” some ways to demonstrate trustworthiness are
1. keeping lines of communication open
2. guaranteeing your service/good service delivery
3. having high standards of conduct
4. hiring the right people--those who are customer-oriented.
Building a Brand
A brand is what immediately comes to mind when a person hears your library’s name. Traditionally, price (or an exchange: what people are willing to pay) has helped to define a brand, but in a library what we offer is freee, so price isn’t an issue but their time is worth something. So equate “price” with “time.”
Ways of establishing a positive “brand” for your library
Raising satisfaction levels – Strive to deliver consistent quality throughout the library.
Perceived quality – Consistently offer good service; promote collections; use creativity in developing attractive displays and exhibits; make sure library grounds are clean and inviting (inside and out); keep common areas neat; don’t overload customers with signage.
Leadership – Be seen as a friendly partner in the community who cares about its constituent groups.
Perceived value – You exist to serve. Build on your strengths. Promote what makes your library special.
Personality – Work hard, have fun! Music area could have music playing low on CD player; create an ever-changing display of books and media material based on a themes; use posters; update the website so that it carries on the personality and brand of the library (make sure it’s easy to navigate); develop a mascot in the kids’ area; create a tagline that is used consistently to brand your library.
Organizational issues – Value characteristics of trust, reliability, great service within your library’s value system. When you can’t help the customer, let him/her know what you can do.
Is yours a flexible, open organization that can change when necessary? Are rules posted all over library on signs that are never read? Are policies outdated?
How Communication Helps Build Your Brand
Whether it’s in-person, by phone or e-mail, how you the customer receives info is as important than the actual info provided. Why? Because it affects how a person perceives the message given and how he/she feels about the organization. We constantly communicate even when not speaking.
Verbal Factors: tone of voice, choice of words, pace of words, knowledge.
Non-verbal Factors: facial expressions, recognizing user at counter, eye contact, listening appearance, posture, gestures, dress
Written: Choose words carefully; re-read that e-mail once more before hitting the ‘send’ button. Gather input about your print material from people other than staff. Look at your web site from the user’s point of view—try to use small focus groups to get feedback about website, newsletters, fliers. Avoid library jargon in writing.
Listening: not interrupting; show empathy, re-state your understanding, and stay away from judging or blaming.
Questions to Think About
To build successful customer relationships, ask what are your users’ needs, expectations?
How do you define “an ideal service interaction?”
How can you personalize interactions to foster relationship building?
Do you resolve problems efficiently and courteously?
How do we create service signals than can set us apart as caring about quality and caring about our users?
How do we get feedback from our users? Provide a suggestion box, comment cards, listening forums, outreach efforts, participate off-site in events—people tend to open up more when they’re not in the library and will tell you about their experiences.
November 2007
Susan G. Akers
Building Relationships … TRUST is a must
Libraries are about people and information in an evolving, dynamic environment. We help people find what they need, answer questions, advance freedom of information, help people to discover exciting resources as we adapt to new technology, among other things. Libraries will be around for a long, long time!
When people begin to use a new service or visit a place for the first time, even under the best circumstance, they generally feel some uncertainty and vulnerability. These feelings are heightened when the service is personally important to a user, is a complex task or if requires considerable involvement.
Knowledgeable and friendly librarians can be one of the single, most powerful marketing tools available in today’s libraries. What good is it to ‘wow’ them with graphics, ads, outreach efforts and such if, when they arrive, service is lacking or employees are unfriendly? It is important to build trust with customers … and they will return time and again.
According to the “Handbook of Relationship Marketing,” some ways to demonstrate trustworthiness are
1. keeping lines of communication open
2. guaranteeing your service/good service delivery
3. having high standards of conduct
4. hiring the right people--those who are customer-oriented.
Building a Brand
A brand is what immediately comes to mind when a person hears your library’s name. Traditionally, price (or an exchange: what people are willing to pay) has helped to define a brand, but in a library what we offer is freee, so price isn’t an issue but their time is worth something. So equate “price” with “time.”
Ways of establishing a positive “brand” for your library
Raising satisfaction levels – Strive to deliver consistent quality throughout the library.
Perceived quality – Consistently offer good service; promote collections; use creativity in developing attractive displays and exhibits; make sure library grounds are clean and inviting (inside and out); keep common areas neat; don’t overload customers with signage.
Leadership – Be seen as a friendly partner in the community who cares about its constituent groups.
Perceived value – You exist to serve. Build on your strengths. Promote what makes your library special.
Personality – Work hard, have fun! Music area could have music playing low on CD player; create an ever-changing display of books and media material based on a themes; use posters; update the website so that it carries on the personality and brand of the library (make sure it’s easy to navigate); develop a mascot in the kids’ area; create a tagline that is used consistently to brand your library.
Organizational issues – Value characteristics of trust, reliability, great service within your library’s value system. When you can’t help the customer, let him/her know what you can do.
Is yours a flexible, open organization that can change when necessary? Are rules posted all over library on signs that are never read? Are policies outdated?
How Communication Helps Build Your Brand
Whether it’s in-person, by phone or e-mail, how you the customer receives info is as important than the actual info provided. Why? Because it affects how a person perceives the message given and how he/she feels about the organization. We constantly communicate even when not speaking.
Verbal Factors: tone of voice, choice of words, pace of words, knowledge.
Non-verbal Factors: facial expressions, recognizing user at counter, eye contact, listening appearance, posture, gestures, dress
Written: Choose words carefully; re-read that e-mail once more before hitting the ‘send’ button. Gather input about your print material from people other than staff. Look at your web site from the user’s point of view—try to use small focus groups to get feedback about website, newsletters, fliers. Avoid library jargon in writing.
Listening: not interrupting; show empathy, re-state your understanding, and stay away from judging or blaming.
Questions to Think About
To build successful customer relationships, ask what are your users’ needs, expectations?
How do you define “an ideal service interaction?”
How can you personalize interactions to foster relationship building?
Do you resolve problems efficiently and courteously?
How do we create service signals than can set us apart as caring about quality and caring about our users?
How do we get feedback from our users? Provide a suggestion box, comment cards, listening forums, outreach efforts, participate off-site in events—people tend to open up more when they’re not in the library and will tell you about their experiences.
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