Introduction
We can be asked to provide information and advice at any time and by anyone; not just our “regular” customers. For example, someone walking by might pop in to ask for advice or directions to another part of the city or for information regarding another library site. The questions will not necessarily be something that you, as an individual, specialise in. To complete the activities for this section you will need to also access Section 6 in Teams.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this section you will be able to:
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Locate key information sources that can help answer customer enquiries
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Identify questions frequently asked by our customers
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Describe ways to manage difficult queries where the answers might be unknown
Knowledge of the University and Local Area
Our students are also visitors to the area and our local knowledge can contribute to the student journey.
Have a look at page 29 in your guide (when you receive one). Ensuring that our customers leave with a positive impression and a feeling that we did more than they asked for is important.
Students and other library users may ask for a whole range of things and being able to give the answers (or direct them to someone who can help) will help them and encourage them to use the Library. They might also recommend the Library / University and therefore the area to their friends and prospective students.
On page 30 you can add information about our local area in your own time. But for now we’re going to focus specifically on the University itself.
Please go the Section 6 on Teams and access the 'Frequently asked questions whiteboard'.
We would like to see some examples of the questions you think are most frequently asked in the library, but also of more unusual questions that you have had to answer.
Double click on the space where you want to type and you will be able to do so. Also, use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in and out, if necessary.
Sources of Information
For a diverse service such as ours, finding information, especially when you are put on the spot, requires using a variety of different sources.
Information sources we can use include:
- Library Help FAQs (staff FAQs can be used to complement public ones)
- Library Help tickets and answers
- University website, Library website, University calendars
- Campus maps
- Subject Guides, Resource Guides and Skills Guides
- CS Learning Lab
- Your colleagues
Can you think of other sources?
Finding information quiz
The purpose of this quiz is less to give the exact answer and more about the possible ways of searching for information. That is why more than one of the answer options will lead you to an arguably positive outcome for the customer
What if I don’t understand the user's question?
For example: Where can I find a sphygmomanometer?
Don’t panic!
- Stop and think
- What are they asking?
- How can I find information? Or…
- Who might know?
This is just an example but it is important that when you are unsure of a question, that you extract as much information as possible. Do not refer a question without having all the information, because you might be referring it to the wrong person... or you might discover that you can answer it yourself after all.
In previous sessions we were asked to provide more information about the Academic Skills and Liaison Teams. These teams work closely together, but they have different areas of responsibility. The Liaison team is responsible for liaising with staff in the schools and delivering teaching and providing support with finding, evaluating and managing information (literature searching, referencing). The Academic Skills Team are experts that can help customers with study skills that directly impact on assessment (note taking, avoiding procrastination, critical thinking, academic writing etc.). You may benefit from exploring the presentation that members of the two teams put together to explain their roles. This could help you answer some customer questions in the future.
Things to remember:
- Don't make assumptions: not everything that is obvious to us will be obvious to our customers
- Present accurate and useful information to customers
- Make time to acquire local knowledge (or specific to your team) and use it to add to the customer experience
- Use maps, guide books and other online (or printed) sources of information to assist visitors
- Take care to give directions that customers can follow successfully
Accessible information
The University is taking steps towards ensuring accessibility of information provided and we are legally required to do so. In line with this, the Library's visual identity has been adapted. This includes Library notices, documents, workbooks, websites etc. When we present a document to a customer, we need to make sure it has been saved in an accessible format.
Creating FAQs and answering tickets: links on separate lines, or attached at the bottom.
Read the University's guidance for making content accessible and take a look at the Library's Accessibility and Visual Identity Guide.
Summary
Very often when we live or work in an area, we take for granted the facilities around us. If we are to encourage people to use the Library, we have to make a conscious effort to promote services, make people aware of information sources and not assume that what is obvious for us is obvious to others.
To do this we need to have a good knowledge of our own services and facilities.
We don’t expect you to know everything going on across the University but a good knowledge of your own section and where to find information about other sections will help you provide a good customer service.
