Fishing Story: The Experience Library by ChartHouse Learning
When the Cerritos Library in Cerritos, Calif., opened a spectacular new facility, it wanted to make sure the customer experience stood out as much as the building.
Fascinated by the story of the fishmongers and how their attitude at work translates into a memorable customer experience, the library introduced The FISH! Philosophy to the staff.
In response, the staff started to proactively Be There for library patrons instead of waiting for them to ask for assistance. “When employees are at the desk, they spend the majority of
their time standing up looking for people to help,” says Don Buckley, head of
support services. “Standing up or roaming the stacks makes them more visible
and more approachable. They don’t just hide behind the desk.”
The library came up with a number of ways to make its environment more
engaging and inviting—from adding an outdoor café, complete with entertainers (including one staffer who raps) and karaoke evenings, to fresh flowers in the bathrooms. “Sometimes it’s
the small things that make our customers’ days,” says Jackie Stetson, library
supervisor.
The library also encouraged people to read its collection of leather-bound classics, which had been seldom used in the old facility. So it created an Old World area with high-back chairs
and fireplace. The area became very popular, as delighted guests told the
staff, “We always wanted to read the classics and now it’s the perfect
setting.”
Since the new facility opened, it has experienced a 70 percent increase in circulation of its materials. Employee satisfaction has steadily increased. Reader’s Digest named Cerritos as the “Best American Public Library.” Authors Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, who maintain that the key to
success is creating compelling experiences for customers, named the library the
“Experience Stager of the Year.”
Through FISH!, the staff has learned that they are always “on stage” for customers and that they can choose the attitudes they bring to work. “Great customer service training requires a
new way of thinking and an ongoing dedication to the customer,” says Wayne
Pearson, director. “I love that our staff now has fun, even when dealing with
difficult situations. This is the best place I’ve ever worked.”
What can you do to create more compelling experiences for the people you serve?
#PSHeartbeat
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(Source: Fishphilosophynetwork.com)
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