CUSTOMER SERVICE STRATEGIES

Provide customer-focused service

Create a personal customer service strategy/toolkit

• Define "quality customer service."
• Describe internal and external customers.
• Review library customer service philosophy and policies.
• Brainstorm ideas and measures to better serve customers.
• Evaluate two customer service transactions.
• Read at least one title on delivering positive customer service; record reaction in an interactive reading log.

Give complete and accurate answers to customers’ information and reference queries

• Use model reference interview behaviors during every transaction to
  • ascertain the customer's question
  • provide a complete and accurate answer
• Identify and appraise communication patterns and styles.
• Examine personal attitudes and values on interpersonal communication.
• List and practice the skills and behaviors in the stages of the reference interview.
• Practice techniques for giving/receiving feedback.
• Use coaching (supervisory and/or peer or documented self-evaluation) to practice techniques for giving/receiving positive reinforcement.
• Practice conducting reference interviews using model reference behaviors.
• Monitor performance; record in journal/learning log and review with supervisor.

Devise strategies for handling difficult/challenging questions, situations and customers

• Identify personal attitudes, opinions and "hot buttons."
• Identify types of challenging situations.
• Develop personal coping methods to diffuse "stressful" customer service situations.
• Practice communication skills and techniques for handling difficult and/or challenging questions, situations and customers.
• Monitor performance in "hot button" situations; record in journal/learning log.

INFORMATION-FINDING STRATEGIES

Develop/Use strategies and techniques to examine reference tools and find information

Identify and collate* reference tools

• Examine reference sources (print, non-print, electronic) in at least ten subject categories.
• Identify and list the strengths, weaknesses and special features of each tool.
• Develop strategies for approaching a question and evaluating resources "on the fly."
• Develop a "core basic reference collection" (to have on a "desert island") or
• Create a basic pathfinder for customer use in the selected subject reference category.
• Identify search engine tools and list strategies for using them.
• Construct electronic search strategies.

*collate: to examine and compare carefully in order to note points of disagreement

Develop/Use strategies and techniques to examine readers' advisory tools and assist readers select appropriate materials

Provide Reader's Advisory (RA) service to age-level customers

• Conduct RA interview to determine customer’s needs and interests.
• Examine and evaluate selected RA resources.
• Discuss criteria for award-winning titles.
• Read titles representing age-level genres and award-winning titles.
• Write short annotations.
• Demonstrate different "book talk" techniques.

LA LEARNING STRATEGIES

Take responsibility for personal learning. Devise strategies and techniques for improving performance skills and model self-directed learning for colleagues

Develop a personal action plan for continuous learning and performance improvement

• Identify your learning style.
• Draft a personal action learning plan.
• Discuss plan with supervisor.
• Contract to review progress with supervisor on a scheduled basis.
• Implement personal action learning plan.
• Keep a learning journal /log.
• Write in journal at least once a week, monitoring progress and evaluating learning growth and job performance.
• Enlist assistance and support from colleagues.
• Revise plan as evaluations indicate.
• Celebrate successes.