Transcript Training - BC ELN - BC Electronic Library Network

Effective Reference
Encounters:
Achieving Service Excellence
Preconference Presented by
Marie L. Radford, Ph.D.
[email protected]
British Columbia Library Association,
Burnaby, BC, Canada
1:30pm-4:30pm
April 16, 2009
1
AGENDA

Defining & Delivering Excellent Service
 In

FtF & Virtual Environments
Promoting Positive Encounters
 Stress


& Problematic Behavior
Approachability & NV Communication
Overcoming Barriers to Excellence
Reference Environment:
What’s Changed?
More complex society, systems, sources,
& services.
 Factors adding to complexity:

 High
Tech
 Rapid Change
 Time Constraints
 Budget Constraints
 Diversity of Users
3
Why Bother??


Satisfied?
 Remembers
18 months
 Tells 4-8 friends
Dissatisfied?
 Remembers 23.5
months
 Tells 9-16
friends
 Takes 7 things
going right to
recover from 1
thing going
wrong!
Management Literature Comes
to Consensus

Front-line staff are vital link.
 Must
be empowered to address user needs:
Knowledge
 Authority
 Adequate Resources
 Confidence
 Training

5
If we can reduce the stressful
encounters and multiply the
satisfying ones, our working
lives will be more enjoyable!
6
Expectations: 2 Views
Users
-Short-term objective
-Immediate gratification
-Expects to use less
effort than actually
required
-Technological Idolatry

Librarians
-Long-term objective(s)
-Creation of “Independent
User”
-Instruction Opportunity
-Expects good attitude &
effort

Service Excellence:
2 Views
From Library USER’s
Point of View



Satisfaction increases
Complaints decrease
Positive library
experience enforces
positive feelings
From YOUR
Point of View






Numbers go up
Support up
PR improved
Morale up
Effectiveness up
Your day is pleasant!
Reference Research

Radford & Connaway


Radford







Seeking Synchronicity Chat (2005-2008)
Encountering Virtual Users (2006)
The Reference Encounter (1999)
Approach or Avoidance? (1998)
Dewdney & Michell (1996) Oranges & Peaches
Ross & Dewdney (1994) Best Practices
Relationships & communication important for
success & satisfaction
Present in all venues FtF, e-mail, & chat!
9
Dual Dimensions

Content
 The
“WHAT”

Relational
 “HOW”
message is
to be taken
 Information
exchange
 Relationship
of
participants
10
Reference Success:
2 Views
Users
 Highly value

Librarian’s attitude &
personal qualities.

 Some value
interpersonal aspects
more than receipt
of info.
 In VR info valued highly.
Librarians
Highly value content,
transfer of info.
Also value
relationship qualities
(but to a lesser
degree).
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ALA/RUSA
Guidelines (2004)
Components
 Approachability
 Interest
 Listening/Inquiring
 Searching
 Follow-up
Approachability & Interest

Extremely important
for service
excellence

Mostly
communicated
nonverbally
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Activity
Approachability
Quiz
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Nonverbal Communication
Messages





65% or more of
communication
Powerful, instant,
judgments
Diverse user base, likely
to be NV differences
Wrong to interpret NV
behavior of one culture =
NV behavior of another
See handout for NV
behaviors
Positive NV Behaviors







Immediately acknowledges
user
Frequent eye contact
Nods, or indicates that request
is being understood
Uses sympathetic noises
(mmm)
Holds head up
Cheerful facial expression
Leans forward
16
Negative NV Behaviors








No immediate acknowledgment
No change when approached
Stays seated
Body turned away
“Do not disturb” posture
Annoying nervous gestures
Makes negative noises
Uses sharp tone of voice
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Major Cause of Problematic
Behavior
STRESS

Interpersonal relationships
with co-workers & library
users are the major source
of stress to library staff

But also the major source
of satisfaction!
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Causes of STRESS





Modern Life
Economic Woe
Emotional Woe
Relationships
Staff Stressors
 Short
staffing
 Ever-growing & competing
user demands, expectations
 Lack of compensation
 Time pressure - overwork
19
TECHNOSTRESS

Stress brought on by dealing
with technology
 Rapid change
 Software problems
 Hardware meltdown
 Training lag
 Technological idolatry
 Upgrade fatigue
20
Burnout – Another Type of Stress
Characteristics:

diminished personal
accomplishment
 emotional exhaustion
 depersonalization
21
Who is Most Susceptible to
Burnout?
 People
in helping professions
who have significant amounts of
interpersonal contact.
 Sound
familiar?
22
10 Trends Complicating Our LivesMaking us Cranky
Compressed Time
Communication Overload
Dis-Connectedness
Cost
Competition
Customer Contact
Computers
Change
Coming of Age
Complexity
(Adapted from Charles, 1999)
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Activity

Cranky Quotient
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Coping with STRESS
Yours & Theirs

Lowering Your Stress- Common Sense
 Rest,
Exercise, Nutrition
 Spirituality/Meditation
 Balance Work/Fun

Beating Burnout – “Triple A” Approach
 Awareness,

Analysis, Action
Knowing Strategies when Other is Stressed
 Be
Prepared for Stressful Encounters
 Reduce Stressful Encounters
25
BREAK TIME

Please return on time, Thanks!
26
Video Clips
27
Small Group Activity

Break into groups of 3
 Remember
a difficult interaction you had
(or observed) recently with a library user.
 What happened?
 What went well? Not so well?
 What did you learn?
 What would you do differently?
Take turns discussing.
 Report out.

28
Take the LAST Approach for
Difficult Interactions
 Listen
 Apologize
 Solve Problem
 Thank Them!
29
HALT!
Hungry
Angry
Late
Tired
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When the Answer is NO…
Focus on what you CAN do, vs. CAN’T do
 Offer alternatives
 Offer partial accommodation
 Show genuine regret
 Provide some explanation
 Broken Record Technique - be polite, but
firm in repeating “no” if necessary

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Chat vs. FtF -- Similarities?
Real Time
 Negotiating Questions
 Answering Questions
 Service Excellence as Goal
 Diverse Variety of Users
 Building Relationships
 Time Pressure!

32
VRS Session Times

Session time
 Mean – 12.42 Minutes
 Median – 12 Minutes
 Minimum – 12 Seconds
 Maximum – 71 Minutes

Wait time
 Mean – 1.87 Minutes
 Median – 1 Minute
 Minimum – 1 Second
 Maximum – 67 Minutes
33
Chat vs. FtF – Differences?
Keyboard Woes!
 Lack of NV Cues!
 Limited Knowledge of User
 Limited Knowledge of Available Resources
 Technical Problems
 Transcript produced
 Other Differences?

34
Transcript Analysis Results
2 Major Themes

Relational Facilitators
 Aspects
with positive impact on interaction that
enhance communication.

Relational Barriers
 Aspects
with negative impact on interaction that
impede communication.
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Transcript Examples

Natural Resources of Washington (Positive)


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Telekinetic Powers (Negative)
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Question Type: Ready Reference
Subject Type: Economics
Duration: 19 min., 21 sec.
Question Type: Subject Search
Subject Type: Parapsychology & Occultism
Duration: 7 min., 29 sec.
Physics (Negative)



Question Type: Subject Search
Subject Type: Physics
Duration: 17 min., 8 sec.
Small Group Activity
•Looking at transcripts
•Facilitators, Barriers
•What works?
•What doesn’t work so well?
•Comments?
Recommendations:
Chat & FtF



See Recommendations in handout
Training in basic interpersonal skills
Awareness user may need reassurance
 Recognize

& provide reassurance
Awareness of appropriate self-disclosure
 When
to disclose
 Acknowledgment of user’s self-disclosure

Humor – importance of acknowledgment
38
More Recommendations

Greetings & Closings.
 Beware
negative closure!
 Beware robotic scripts!
Inclusion (use of we, let’s, etc.).
 Take cue from user & mirror relational
strategies.
 Don’t B afraid 2 use informal language,
abbreviations & emoticons as appropriate.

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What Library Users Expect…
You care
 Keep Promises
 “Fair Fix”
 Apology (if appropriate)
 Professional Response

40
Bottom Line for Service Excellence

Area of Ongoing
Improvement, but…

Worth it!!

See list of additional
readings.

Questions?
End Notes

This is one of the outcomes from the project
Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference
Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian
Perspectives

Funded by IMLS, Rutgers University, & OCLC
Online Computer Library Center, Inc.

Special thanks to Co- PI, Lynn Silipigni
Connaway, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist,
OCLC
Project web site:
http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/synchronicit
y/
