Group: The Customer Voice  
RSS
Threads [ Previous | Next ]
Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
Showing 11 results.
Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
5:09 PM EDT 3/12/09
Betha and I noted this fact that was shared in lesson 1:

The better your customer knows or loves your products or services, the higher their expectations will be, AND the harsher their judgment will be if they become unhappy with the service.

I thought this was really interesting and true to some of my experiences working at a circ desk. The regular patrons, who know the full scope of library services, are often the most demanding, and the most vocal. And unfortunately, these folks are often the last ones to verbalize how much they love the library emoticon, but I think it's important to let them know that we appreciate their "input" as a way of thanking them for their patronage.

Do you find this phenomenon to be true? Higher expectations from the most frequent users?
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
5:36 PM EDT 3/12/09 as a reply to Jennifer Peterson.
This notion stopped me in my tracks. If customers have higher expectations and harsher judgment the better they know a product/service, then where does that leave libraries? Viewed one way, libraries have a continuity and "brand recognition" that should be the envy of Madison Ave. But viewed through this lens, that familiarity may be working against us.

Do you see evidence of this in your interactions with patrons?
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
10:16 AM EDT 3/13/09 as a reply to Betha Gutsche.
Betha Gutsche:
This notion stopped me in my tracks. If customers have higher expectations and harsher judgment the better they know a product/service, then where does that leave libraries? Viewed one way, libraries have a continuity and "brand recognition" that should be the envy of Madison Ave. But viewed through this lens, that familiarity may be working against us.

Do you see evidence of this in your interactions with patrons?


I certainly can see it in retrospect, but honestly don't think I have ever recognized it in the process of interactions with customers. I wonder if there really is any general way that we can address this situation where familiarity raises expectations or if this is just one of the things that we have to keep in mind whenever we are interacting with a customer.

Also, it is very hard for me to step back from my sense of the inherent unfairness of this situation and even more so for the situation in which a poor customer service experience leads to expectations of near perfection. However, if I accept that unfairness and proceeding in interactions with customers using all of the strategies that I can think of to get past these unfair expectations seems highly disingenuous. Are there circumstances in which good customer service requires you to be knowingly hypocritical?
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
2:58 PM EDT 3/13/09 as a reply to Jennifer Peterson.
I think one thing we have seen in the academic library is that the presence of better technology has definitely had an impact on customer expectations. Students have come to expect that information for research papers will be just as accessible as the Google search engine has made information available to the general public. Students seem to tire easily in searching databases if what they are searching for does not pop up in the first page. Today's patron desires quality information to be quickly accessible. This puts challenges on to the librarian and information professional to offer and design tools which will meet and exceed the customer's expectations.
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
3:13 PM EDT 3/13/09 as a reply to Dawn Krist.
Dawn, great observations. I just started a new topic thread about how technology raises expectations, thus unintentionally splitting the flow of conversation. Oh well, such is the nature of discussions.

So, a big challenge is how to reorient expectations sot that students understand what it takes to deliver quality information. Hopefully, we'll learn more about matching service with needs in chapter 4.
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
3:20 PM EDT 3/13/09 as a reply to Sheila Kearns.
>>Are there circumstances in which good customer service requires you to be knowingly hypocritical? <<

Ooh, that's a provocative question. I don't know. Maybe Peter's Nordstrom experience can help us out here.

I think there is some inherent unfairness that we just have to accept. It's the nature of expectations. But I don't agree entirely with the premise that familiarity with libraries breeds harsher judgment. I think this is an area in which libraries differ significantly from the marketplace. There is a higher level of trust and recognition of community value. Libraries are not just another business.
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
3:57 PM EDT 3/13/09 as a reply to Betha Gutsche.
Betha Gutsche:
>>Are there circumstances in which good customer service requires you to be knowingly hypocritical? <<

Ooh, that's a provocative question. I don't know. Maybe Peter's Nordstrom experience can help us out here.

I think there is some inherent unfairness that we just have to accept. It's the nature of expectations. But I don't agree entirely with the premise that familiarity with libraries breeds harsher judgment. I think this is an area in which libraries differ significantly from the marketplace. There is a higher level of trust and recognition of community value. Libraries are not just another business.


I do believe the library is different than other businesses, but this has not always translated well. My memory of the stereotypical librarian of the past ("Music Man" and experience), is quite different than the librarian who will succeed today. People want service and should be able to obtain such. The sour, frowning, "hushing" behemoth of the special knowledge (how to use that literal card catalog or where in the shelves the knowledge a patron was seeking was hidden), cannot compete is this day and age. The patron has many options to finding his information. We want to draw community in to the library and provide valuable service. In that sense, it is like a business. Circulation is one of the bench marks often used. That's hard to create if people are afraid of the librarian.
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
3:01 PM EDT 3/19/09 as a reply to Ranita Ashbrook.
When we hear that intimate customers are the most critical, we may immediately think of them just venting at us. But I am thinking of those who use the (product/service) all the time to the point that that they feel very protective of it, and a sense of co-ownership. In other words, they treat the business like family, and feel comfortable telling the business what can be improved. So, these folks can be the best advocates for the business in one sense. They may not be the ones to complain to all their friends when they have a poor experience, but instead bring it directly to the business.
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
9:01 AM EDT 3/20/09 as a reply to Ranita Ashbrook.
I think that some of my sense of being hypocritical in the face of what feel to be unfair expectations is addressed by Betha & Ranita's suggestions that there are significant differences between libraries and the marketplace. I hope that the primary goal of "the sale" that rules the marketplace does not carry over quite so directly to libraries and that we can honestly seek solutions for our customers without having to do whatever is required to uphold the notion that the customer is never wrong.
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
6:59 PM EDT 3/20/09 as a reply to Sheila Kearns.
Sheila, the conversation starting around lesson two relates to your concerns about potential hypocrisy in dealing with customer expectations. There are approaches other than the "customer's always right" one. Like Dawn, I like the concept of the "proactive no."
RE: Lesson 1 question: Higher expectations from those that know you?
9:21 AM EDT 3/24/09 as a reply to Betha Gutsche.
Betha,

Yes, I also think that the discussion around empathy and expectations is a useful context in which to think about my initial question.

Your comment also helps to remind me that I need to think more holistically about the course rather than treating the individual topics as discreet lessons.

all the best,
Sheila
Showing 11 results.