In a recent seminar conducted in Cleveland, I offered participants the point of view that Library services have nothing to do with Customer Service, and that, furthermore, when we talk about offering better Customer Service we often mean we are going to provide more “services”.

We had a fascinating discussion about how libraries are particularly good at confusing the two concepts: customer service and services. This confusion can ultimately be harmful, however, as when extended services are offered in lieu of genuine customer service costs go up. Further, customer satisfaction isn’t necessarily enhanced. Instead, new expectations are created in the mind of the customer/patron and the old standard by which the service is delivered is no longer good enough. In effect, unintentionally, (or as a result of good intentions out of control) staff increase the cost of doing business, change standards, risk dissatisfying customers by now providing one level of service while other staff continue to provide the “old” level, etc.

In effect, all kinds of problems occur when “services” are substituted for “Customer Service”.

While the seminar went on to discuss the how’s and why’s and what to do about this phenomena, we’re going to take a right turn here to discuss the positive side of the issue: If more services aren’t customer service, what is?

Customer service has been described every way from “smile” training to in-depth, highly detailed protocols involving customer analysis, sequencing of steps involving customer interaction, etc. I’m reminded of Oliver Wendell Holmes line about Obscenity: “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.”