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Customer Care: A training manual for library staff

Pat Gannon-Leary and Michael McCarthy, Bede Research & Consultancy, UK

Chandos Information Professional Series

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

 - 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

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.

Readership: Library staff working in higher education, public and special libraries but will also appeal to higher education staff generally, to records managers working in local authorities and in other public sector organisations and, indeed, to local authority and public sector staff generally. Not only practitioners but also students of records and information management, business information systems and knowledge management should find the book useful.

£49.50 / US$85.00 / €60.00

An e-book version of this title is available to purchase as part of a Collection or Pick n Mix. Visit Chandos Publishing Online

About the authors

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.

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.

Titles which may also be of interest:
Customer Service in Academic Libraries

Contents

Preparation
 - Your role as a facilitator
 - Notes on venue and facilities

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

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

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

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

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

Teambuilding
 - Aims
 - Background
 - Aim 1: To foster team spirit
 - Aim 2: To help understand how we work in groups
 - Further reading

Teambuilding
 - Aims
 - Background
 - Aim 1: To foster team spirit
 - Aim 2: To help understand how we work in groups
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

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
 - Further reading

Wrapping it up
 - Concluding remarks
 - Feedback

Wrapping it up
 - Concluding remarks
 - Feedback

Conclusion
 - Plenary
 - Some final words…

Conclusion
 - Plenary
 - Some final words…