Listening to the Customer

Peter Hernon is professor of library and information science at Simmons College, Boston, MA. Joseph R. Matthews is a consultant who has assisted numerous academic, public, and special libraries in a wide variety of projects.

• ContentsIllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1: Listening to and Valuing Customer CommentsKano ModelCustomer Excitement with the LibraryWhat Is a Library? Academic Library Scenario Public Library ScenarioLibraries Are Still Service OrganizationsTypes of CustomersMore on Lost Customers Library Brand Customer ExpectationsAre Librarians Really Aware of Customer Expectations? Customer Feedback Linkage to Strategic Planning Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 2: Obtaining Staff Buy-In Leadership Throughout the OrganizationService LeadershipResistance to ChangeStaff Development Plan A Voice-of-the-Customer ProgramConcluding ThoughtsNotesChapter 3: Methodologies (Structured and Solicited Approaches) for Gathering Voice-of-the-Customer Data SurveysTypes of ErrorCustomer ExpectationsCommunity Surveys Interviews One-on-One InterviewsFocus Group Interviews Telephone Interviews Exit Interviews Community Forums Mystery Shopping Some Libraries Using Mystery Shopping Characterizing the Results Concluding ThoughtsNotesChapter 4: Methodologies (Unstructured and Solicited Approaches) and the Presentation of Data Collected ComplaintsComplimentsWays to Comment SuggestionsSuggestion BoxesComment Cards Other Forms of Comments Those Posted on Web Sites Comments and Suggestions Made in Surveys What Are Libraries Doing?Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 5: Methodologies (Structured But Not Always Solicited Approaches) and Analyzing Study FindingsBuilding Sweeps as an Observation Technique Some Other MethodologiesUsability Testing Anthropological Evidence GatheringCustomer Ratings Creating a Database Analysis of Open-Ended Question Concluding Thoughts NotesChapter 6: Methodologies (Unstructured and Unsolicited Approaches) Discovery Tools Other Ways to Discover Customer Comments Social Search EnginesFinding Information on Blogs Searching on Twitter, Microblogs, and Lifestreaming Services Message Boards and Forum Search Tools Conversations and Comments Search Tools Social News and Bookmarking Search Tools Brand Monitoring Tools and Techniques Application ExampleConcluding Thoughts NotesChapter 7: I Was Once Lost But Now . . . Who are Your Customers?Lost CustomersAnother Meaning of Lost Customer Library Nonusers An Action Plan to Find Lost CustomersAdditional Customer Intercepts A Regaining Strategy Adding Value Concluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 8: Analyzing and Using the Customer's Voice to Improve Service Statistics TalliesAverageVarianceGap Analysis Quadrant Analysis Conjoint Analysis Qualitative Analysis Benchmark AnalysisData DisplaysExamples Accountability and Service ImprovementUsing InformationConcluding Thoughts Notes Chapter 9: Communication Benefits for the LibraryBenefits for the CustomerBenefits for Library Staff Members Benefits for Funding Bodies A Communications Strategy Understand Your Audience Provide ContextPerceptions That Resonate Positively Be Credible Improve Presentation Skills Stage the Release of Information Concluding ThoughtsNotesChapter 10: Valuing Library Customers Information Needs and Customer Expectations DifferCustomer Service PledgesMythsThe Management ContextKey MetricsReturning to the Library of the FutureAn Alternative Approach The Workforce of the Future Concluding ThoughtsNotesBibliographyIndex