Comments on: Serving Users and The Element of Surprise http://andyburkhardt.com/2011/05/19/serving-users-and-the-element-of-surprise/ Top of the Information Food Chain Thu, 16 May 2013 11:43:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: All Fun, All The Time | Information Tyrannosaur http://andyburkhardt.com/2011/05/19/serving-users-and-the-element-of-surprise/comment-page-1/#comment-1087 All Fun, All The Time | Information Tyrannosaur Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:51:47 +0000 http://andyburkhardt.com/?p=1572#comment-1087 [...] not serving our patrons. In fact our patrons take notice. This past semester I had a student ask me “why do you librarians smile so much?” The reason we smile is because we’re [...]

]]> By: Andy Burkhardt http://andyburkhardt.com/2011/05/19/serving-users-and-the-element-of-surprise/comment-page-1/#comment-1084 Andy Burkhardt Sun, 22 May 2011 17:20:50 +0000 http://andyburkhardt.com/?p=1572#comment-1084 You make a good point Sally. I think that for the most part our staff is engaged so I sometimes don’t realize how good we have it. I also think we could be more systematic about our customer service. Great customer service doesn’t just happen. Thanks for the link to the article. I think it’s an interesting idea that you talk about in there that the staff needs to come before the customer, so they are engaged, committed and can do their best work.

]]> By: Sally http://andyburkhardt.com/2011/05/19/serving-users-and-the-element-of-surprise/comment-page-1/#comment-1083 Sally Sat, 21 May 2011 19:24:10 +0000 http://andyburkhardt.com/?p=1572#comment-1083 While I agree completely with the need to deliver a WOW user experience, I think that libraries assume this can effectively implemented by providing staff with relevant training, such as customer service, presentation basics, and reference skills etc.

However in my view, great customer service (and a WOW user experience) only comes when library staff are equipped, motivated, trained and supported to do so. One way to assess whether staff are engaged or are able to do great things, is the internationally recognised Gallup Q12 survey. Gallup has undertaken extensive research to identify 12 core questions that can be used to determine the level of staff engagement in comparison to others in the same industry, country or perhaps across teams within an organisation.I recently wrote a blog post about how the first two Gallup questions can be applied in libraries. If you’re interested in reading more, it can be found at http://findingheroes.co.nz/2011/03/29/great-customer-service-requires-committed-library-staff/

]]> By: Andy Burkhardt http://andyburkhardt.com/2011/05/19/serving-users-and-the-element-of-surprise/comment-page-1/#comment-1081 Andy Burkhardt Fri, 20 May 2011 13:52:09 +0000 http://andyburkhardt.com/?p=1572#comment-1081 No problem Steven. It was a good presentation and I remembered some of the elements of it during our retreat. It’s good to get people thinking about more than just serving users, but impressing them.

]]> By: stevenb http://andyburkhardt.com/2011/05/19/serving-users-and-the-element-of-surprise/comment-page-1/#comment-1080 stevenb Fri, 20 May 2011 02:10:46 +0000 http://andyburkhardt.com/?p=1572#comment-1080 Thanks for mentioning my ACRL presentation and providing the link to the recording – first chance I’ve had to come across it. Also good to read that you are thinking about how these ideas can have an impact on our work and ability to connect with the user community.I’ll look forward to hearing about more of your experiences with the element of surprise.

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