Customer Care
A Training Manual for Library Staff
- 1st Edition - March 15, 2010
- Latest edition
- Authors: Pat Gannon-Leary, Michael McCarthy
- Language: English
Customer Care provides a detailed course suitable for delivery to library staff at all levels. It can be used as a stand-alone reference work for customer care processes and… Read more
Customer Care provides a detailed course suitable for delivery to library staff at all levels. It can be used as a stand-alone reference work for customer care processes and procedures or, alternatively, it can be used by library staff to tailor a customer care course to suit the requirements and training needs of their own staff.
- Dual use – reference work and/or training manual
- Potential as a text book
- Applicable to a wider context than LIS – could be used for a whole HEI institutional approach to customer care or in local authorities/public services
Library staff working in university, public, and special libraries; Records managers working in local authorities and in other public sector organizations; Practitioners and students of records and information management, business information systems and knowledge management
List of figures and tables
About the authors
Acknowledgments
Preface
Chapter 1: Preparation
Your role as a facilitator
Notes on venue and facilities
Chapter 2: The introduction
Aims
Background
Aim 1: Introductions
Aim 2: Expressing concerns and creating a climate for learning
Aim 3: Understanding the aims of the course
Aim 4: Establishing the ground rules
Aim 5: Clarifying the role of the facilitator
Chapter 3: What is customer service?
Aims
Background
Aim 1: Identifying the constituents of good/bad/excellent service in practice
Aim 2: Recognising the importance of customers’ expectations and feelings
Chapter 4: Who are our customers? The customer service chain
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To identify more clearly the different kinds of customer
Aim 2: To recognise the special needs of different customers
Aim 3: To recognise from whom we receive service in general
Aim 4: To recognise our internal customers
Chapter 5: Communication
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To recognise the barriers to communication
Aim 2: To recognise the importance of body language or NVC when dealing with customers face to face
Aim 3: To improve communications, whether face to face, over the telephone or in writing
Final comments
Chapter 6: Questioning and active listening
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To identify the different types of questions and their effect on communication
Aim 2: To use questions to communicate more effectively
Aim 3: To encourage more active and effective listening
Chapter 7: Handling complaints
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To identify the appropriate steps in handling customer complaints
Aim 2: To develop a positive proactive response to customers’ problems and complaints
Chapter 8: Dealing with challenging situations
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To identify behaviours that create positive relationships with customers
Aim 2: To recognise signs of aggression in a person
Aim 3: To identify appropriate strategies for dealing with challenging situations
Chapter 9: Life positions and the OK Corral: being more confident and assertive
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To recognise aggressive, assertive, adaptive and apathetic styles of behaviour
Aim 2: To use assertive language in response to customer and staff statements
Chapter 10: Suggestions for improvement
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To identify how participants can help improve the effectiveness of their section
Aim 2: To identify how managers can help participants make improvements
Chapter 11: Teambuilding
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To foster team spirit
Aim 2: To help understand how we work in groups
Chapter 12: What are we good at, and what is our future? Action planning
Aims
Background
Aim 1: To celebrate success and take pride in achievements
Aim 2: To actively share information about team successes
Aim 3: To make a commitment to improving customer service skills
Chapter 13: Wrapping it up
Concluding remarks
Feedback
Chapter 14: Conclusion
Plenary
Some final words…
Index
"This title is recommended for library administrators and courses in library and information science programs on public services management and improvement."—Reference and User Services Quarterly
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: March 15, 2010
- Language: English
PG
Pat Gannon-Leary
Dr. Pat Gannon-Leary is a consultant and joint partner of Bede Research & Consultancy with Mike McCarthy. Prior to that, Dr Gannon-Leary worked as a researcher at the Universities of Northumbria and Newcastle. Her earlier career experience includes working in academic libraries in the UK and the USA in a variety of roles including Customer Service Manager. During that time she facilitated customer care courses for library staff.
MM
Michael McCarthy
Michael D McCarthy served as a Senior Officer in the Logistics Branch of the RAF, including 3 years as a specialist instructor to Officer Cadets. On leaving the RAF he moved into the management of Customer Support in major Aerospace Companies in the UK and in Sweden. He has wide experience of customer support activity throughout the European aerospace community, covering both major contractors and suppliers. Following early retirement, he has recently spent 2 years working in a support role in a University Library in order to obtain ‘hands-on’ experience of the demands of customer care in this particular environment.
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