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Over the past year or so, I\u2019ve started to see new \u2018customer experience\u2019 job titles (like Chief Customer Experience Officer and Deputy Director of Customer Experience) pop up in libraries that have been present in the consumer space for some time. Makes sense. Having someone focus on how people use your products and services across the entire range of your organization and throughout their life with you is such an important part of doing business today.<\/p>\n
And while developing a truly user-centric strategy may sound like a big, strategic move, you can start to plan small changes that inspire broader transformation in just a week.<\/p>\n
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A recent discussion on community discovery and ideation at OCLC\u2019s Americas Regional Council Meeting<\/a> (ARC) put this idea of customer first in perspective. Mary Lou Carolan, Director at Cornwall Public Library<\/a>, spoke passionately about how to collaborate with communities on creating great library services and spaces. Instead of thinking about the library as the \u201cheart of the community,\u201d she advocated that the \u201ccommunity is the heart of the library.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe juxtaposition of a library-centered and a community-centered focus presents an entirely different depth and breadth of influence and impact to the innovative role the library can play today,\u201d said Mary Lou when I reached out to her after the conference. \u201cCommunity-centered puts the customer first.\u201d<\/p>\n This mind shift can be brilliantly simple. When customers\u2019 needs are met consistently, they are delighted. And delighted customers are more likely to come back and recommend services to others\u2014helping you deepen your impact with patrons and the community on the whole.<\/p>\nThe community is the heart of the library. #OCLCnext <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n If you\u2019ve been thinking about being more customer centric, I\u2019d like to suggest seven quick steps pulled from my own experiences and conversations with libraries to help build a foundation for future success. Apologies in advance\u2026there will be homework on the weekend.<\/p>\n Listening is the main ingredient in a customer-first strategy. When you ask, \u201cWhat counts as success?\u201d it makes it easier to define and achieve. Mary Lou sums it up nicely, saying, \u201cOur programs, services, and collections reflect the expressed needs and interests of the community\u2026 We see ourselves as an integral part of the ecosystem of our town and, as a result, the community responds and supports us.\u201d<\/p>\n Give it a week to think and plan…to start. Then take the next step. Because that\u2019s all a user-first strategy is; a continuous journey of next steps.<\/p>\nSeven-day challenge<\/h2>\n
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Listen, adapt, repeat<\/h2>\n
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