Cutting Edge Customer Service Techniques for Libraries: Learning from FISH! ® and Pickle An Infopeople Workshop Spring-Summer 2005 Instructor: Cheryl Gould

What’s Today About? Creating a win-win situation more enjoyable work happy customers Two customer service approaches The FISH! PHILOSOPHY ® Give Em the Pickle

Visible Values What are the visible values in your library? When customers: walk in the door interact with equipment interact with staff

Redefine Customer Service Put yourself in their shoes not reactive or proactive but interactive Attitude is everything- customer is not an interruption Everyone teaches Flexible – the customer doesn’t know your roles!!! Role is defined by the needs of the work not by a job description

Bring Your Whole Self to Work 70% of your time is spent on work related tasks, why not make it better How are you being when you’re doing what you love? What hidden talents could you bring to work?

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The FISH! Philosophy ® Play ™ Be There ™ Make Their Day ™ Choose Your Attitude ™

Play Look for productive play in your environment What dull or routine tasks can you make more fun? Play should not: exclude others (not being there) offend people (not being there)

“Life is what happens while you're making other plans. “ John Lennon

Be There Be present while you’re doing what you’re doing Listen for content AND emotion doesn’t take any more time Don’t let tasks get in the way of your real work of serving the customer Antidote to being tired is being fully present (not necessarily doing less)

Make Their Day Make the world a better place to be one person at a time Something unexpected Don’t exclude the difficult co-workers or customers Make it a challenge to do everyday!

Choose Your Reaction Stop blaming kids parents co-workers customers management When you look for the worst, you’ll find it everywhere

Choose Your Attitude Be the person you want to spend time with! It’s not about being happy all the time If you don’t believe you have a choice… you don’t Be responsible for your attitude, it’s contagious

Take Responsibility Instead of: "Why are they making us go through all this change?" Try: "How can I adapt to my changing world?“ Instead of: “When are my people going to communicate better?" Instead of: “When are my people going to communicate better?" Try: "What can I do today to understand them?" Try: "What can I do today to understand them?"

Aboriginal Knowledge “Each child is named at birth, but it is understood that as a person develops, the birth name will be outgrown, and the individuals will select for themselves a more appropriate greeting. Hopefully, one’s name will change several times in a lifetime as wisdom, creativity, and purpose also become more clearly defined with time.” From “Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan

Give Em the Pickle Service - Business isn’t what you sell, it’s serving people. What’s your pickle? Attitude – customer is the boss. How you think about them is how you will treat them Consistency – non-negotiable high standards. Ordinary people doing extraordinarily well Teamwork – group of people that go out of their way to make each other look good

Why FISH! © Why Pickle? Improve service Accountability Encourage creativity and innovation Make work environment fun recruitment and retention

Bringing It Back to the Library Have a Plan! What is the inspiration for doing Pickle or FISH! © How does it relate to the libraries mission? Who are the leaders (formal and informal) and are they “on board” Who will be introduced to Pickle or FISH! ® how will you do it

With Your Staff Show the video Discuss, don’t tell Invite people to participate Talk about how it works for you use your own language Let them tell you how to implement Model the behavior you want to see!

Change What are the risks of changing? What are the risks of NOT changing?

What’s Keeping You From Changing?

Challenges to Expect 1. I can’t do it 2. What if nobody else does it 3. They won’t let me do it 4. This is silly 5. We’re too busy to play 6. We don’t have anything to throw 7. Leave me alone

Encourage Change Attitude starts with one person and usually attracts others Allow people to share doubts Can’t be forced It doesn’t happen overnight

“The future is unknown The past is finished Right now is your opportunity to be whatever you want to be This moment and the moment after” Thich Nhat Hanh