Employees as Customers

Samina khan
Dec 2010
Topics
 Definition of concepts
 Reasons for instituting an Employee as Customer program
 Goals of such a program
 Program Overview
 Empowerment
 Training
 Rewards and Recognition
 Communication
 Benefits to
 Library
 Employee
 Patron
Employees as Customers:
What is it?
 An organized system of management that begins
with needs analysis, continues with training and
motivates through rewards and recognition.
 A mutually beneficial system in which highly trained
and motivated employees deliver a high level of
customer service to patrons, who in turn advocate for
the library.
 A culture of service.
 Much of what you are probably already doing, but
formalized into a structured program.
Employees as Customers
What it isn’t…
 “Customer is always right” mentality
 A motto
 A primary school system of rewards- one
without a strong basis
Why an Employee as Customer
Program?
 Helps solve problems of recruitment and
retention
 Leads to a better institutional culture
 All parties benefit!
Program Goals
 Improve morale
 Increase motivation
 Gain advocates- in employees and patrons
 Improve customer service to library patrons
 Improve overall performance
 Improve retention
Program Overview
Empowerment
 All employees, especially front-line
(circulation, access services, reference…)
should be empowered to make decisions and
resolve complaints.
 Trust employees to make decisions
Empowerment
 Teach employees to run to the problem- your best
and worst customer is your most recent customer.
 Be open to receiving complaints
 Empower employees to resolve complaints
 Encourage employees to bring solutions with their
problems.
 Encourage creativity and input- implement
employees ideas when possible.
Training
 The basis and backbone of an “Employee as
Customer” management technique.
 The key to successfully empowering
employees.
 Begins with a thorough orientation program,
and continues periodically throughout
employment.
Training Areas
 Mission & Customer Service Philosophy
 Policies and Procedures
 Decision-making (in most cases, deciding in the customer’s
favor is also deciding in the library’s favor)
 Conflict resolution

 Periodically revisit these topics to keep them fresh

 Use mistakes as opportunities to retrain
 Use complaints/ problems as opportunities to review
procedures
Training- Setting Goals & Objectives
 In order for employees to be successful at customer
service, they must have a clear understanding of
what is expected of them.
 Job descriptions should make it clear that marketing
and customer service are a part of all employees’
jobs, and that they can be held accountable during
evaluations.
 Managers should work with staff to set up
individual/ departmental customer service goals.
 Library-wide goals and philosophies must be clearly
communicated to staff at all levels.
Training Through Modeled Behavior
 To promote customer service among staff,
management must model the behavior they want to
promote.
 Never belittle customers
 Treat problems as opportunities
 Encourage staff to bring problems- and solutions- to your
attention
 Make time for your staff, and encourage them to do so for
each other.
 Listen- to customers and staff. Mingle.
Rewards & Recognition
 Saying thank-you
 Great motivator
 Morale booster
 Encourages increased service and productivity
 Before you begin
 Get a sense of how employees want to be recognized
 Not all forms of recognition are appropriate for all people
 Have a basis for a reward system- if it is haphazard it
won’t be taken seriously
Rewards & Recognition
 How to
 Could be monetary, but doesn’t have to be.
 Verbal or written thank-you
 Acknowledgement of accomplishments at meetings/ gatherings
 Free… lunch, parking, time off certain duties
 Small plaques or awards
 However you choose to recognize employees, be sure they
are comfortable with it, and understand the basis for it.
 Also, be sure it doesn’t become “childish.”
 Encourage peer-to-peer recognition as well.
Communication
 Regular communications with staff are
extremely important.
 Without communication, staff will feel like
their opinions are not valued, and in turn they
will feel underappreciated.
 Do not make the mistake of thinking that no
news means there is no need
for communication.
Communication
 Communication must come from all directions to be
effective:
 Top-down:
 Managers and director must keep staff in the loop as decisions
are made and events happen.
 Information from direct report and other upper-level meetings
should be communicated to staff in a timely manner.
 Consider intranets, staff listservs, newsletters, emails, staff
meetings, etc. as ways to get information out.
 Informal communication is also important. The most effective
managers always have a rapport with staff- they mingle, visit,
stop-by.
Communication
 Bottom-up:
 Staff also need to be able to communicate freely with
supervisors.
 Supervisors and director should consult staff and
solicit opinions and feedback for decision-making
whenever feasible
 Open-door policies will make staff feel valued and
weclomed.
 Remember about modeling behavior- if you don’t
want staff to appear too busy to help customers, then
you must not be too busy to talk to staff.
Communication
 Lateral:
 Staff must communicate with one another and keep
each other up-to-date, both within and among
departments.
 Innovations, new policies, new technologies, etc.
should be shared among all staff.
 Decision making does not have to be restricted to a
single department- after all, no decision ever only
impacts one department.
 Staff must respect communications from one another.
Benefits
 With a well-planned program, all parties benefit:
 Employees are:
 Empowered to make decisions
 Motivated
 Satisfied
 Customers are:
 Well-treated
 Satisfied
 Library:
 Gains advocates
 Recruits better employees
 Retains employees longer
Thank you