[Baynet] Infopeople's "Customer Service in a Self-Check World" workshop

[Linda Rodenspiel]

Since some people who may be interested in attending might not 
receive this notice directly, we would appreciate it if you would 
print and post or route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks!


Title:  Customer Service in a Self-Check World

Dates and locations:

Thursday, June 14, Buena Park Library District
Monday, July 9, San Francisco Public Library
Monday, July 23, El Cajon Library
Thursday, August 9, Alameda County Library
Wednesday, August 29, Los Angeles Public Library

There will be additional sessions scheduled in Sacramento and 
Fresno.  When the dates and locations have been confirmed, 
an  announcement will be made.

To register for this workshop:  Use the online registration form at
http://infopeople.org/workshop/342

Fee:  There is a $75.00 fee for this workshop.

Our customers are getting more and more diverse culturally and 
technologically, yet they share many of the same desires when it 
comes to being served. They are making greater demands and expecting 
faster turnaround times than ever before. Whether this is due to the 
Web or just the fast pace of life, we need to think differently about 
how we serve our customers. Self-check, self return, patron placed 
holds, recommender services, paying fines online, vidcasts of 
storytime, roving staff and rotating displays just scratch the 
surface of ways libraries are changing and offering new services to 
meet these new expectations.

Looking through the lens of studies that show us what customers want 
and how we can improve how we deliver services, we'll discuss 
questions such as:

--How do you please customers who expect Netflix or Amazon-like 
selection and convenience?
--What physical changes to the library should be made to account for 
new knowledge of how people shop?
--Is giving directions to the bathroom an interruption or your job?
--How do we take advantage of the OCLC study saying people associate 
the library with books and free-choice learning?
--Surveys say customers want to be independent -- what does this mean 
in a library?

This workshop will jumpstart your thinking through sharing of 
strategies of people in class and through examples of what libraries 
are doing all over the country. You'll end up with a list of customer 
service improvements to implement immediately and ideas for follow-up 
activities and conversations to have with staff back at your library 
to help get everyone on the bandwagon.


Workshop Description: This all-day workshop will provide ample 
opportunity to explore and discuss new knowledge about how people 
behave as "shoppers" and how people view the library.  We'll discuss 
ways to use this knowledge to create customer service solutions. In 
addition, we'll look at what libraries are already doing to meet 
customer expectations through new staffing models, use of technology 
and by taking advantage of Web 2.0 principles and technologies. 
Through individual and group exercises attendees will think about 
what changes can be made immediately at their libraries to improve service.

Preliminary Course Outline

New Customer Expectations
--Who are your customers and how are they changing
--What's affecting their expectations
--The experience of the library

OCLC Perceptions Of Libraries Report
--The new library brand

Empower Users to Self-Serve
--Make the library a jargon-free zone
--Teach not do
--Merchandise
--Benefits to the staff
--Taking advantage of your Web site

What We Learn From Envirosell
--California study of Northern California branches
--The Science of Shopping
--Why nobody reads our signs
--Taking advantage of product placement and adjacencies

Technology And Customer Service

New Staffing Models
--Roving or dispatched reference
--Single service Point
--Zone staffing

What Can Be Changed Now

Instructor:  Cheryl Gould.  Cheryl has been a training consultant for 
Infopeople since 1996. She has delivered workshops on a wide range of 
topics including: Increasing computer competency, search skills, 
Training the Trainer, Word, Powerpoint, Libris Design, Mastering 
Tough Public Service Situations and Cutting Edge Customer Service 
Techniques. In her role as Training Consultant, she has worked with 
over 100 different instructors to create workshops on more than 150 
different topics of interest to California libraries. Her current 
role as Training Consultant for Infopeople keeps her involved in all 
of the Infopeople workshops and allows her to not only spread the 
gospel of strong training techniques, but to keep current on what's 
going on in libraries around the state.

Who Should Attend: Anyone from the California library community with 
an interest in serving library customers.

Prerequisites: None.

Other Logistics:

*On-site check-in is from 8:30-9:00 AM;  instruction is from 9:00 AM-4:30 PM.

*Maps, directions, and parking information are available on the 
Infopeople Web site at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Directions. 
Infopeople does not validate or pay for parking.

*Infopeople does not provide refreshments or lunch.  Since some 
training locations do not have in-house or convenient food service, 
Infopeople recommends that participants bring a sack lunch.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general 
information about Infopeople training opportunities, go to the main 
Infopeople Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, 
please contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at 
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.