Assessing Service Quality

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Assessing Service Quality puts customers at the center of the evaluation process. It provides cutting-edge measurement strategies and data collection methods to measure service quality in academic and public libraries. The authors examine service quality standards and explain how services can be quantitatively and qualitatively assessed. Librarians can select the service factors and customer expectations they want to assess. Practical assessment tools provide the keys to measure service quality and identify ...
See more details below
Paperback
$65.00
BN.com price
Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (10) from $50.95   
  • New (7) from $64.99   
  • Used (3) from $50.95   
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

Assessing Service Quality puts customers at the center of the evaluation process. It provides cutting-edge measurement strategies and data collection methods to measure service quality in academic and public libraries. The authors examine service quality standards and explain how services can be quantitatively and qualitatively assessed. Librarians can select the service factors and customer expectations they want to assess. Practical assessment tools provide the keys to measure service quality and identify strengths and weaknesses to narrow the gap between business-as-usual service delivery and customer expectations.
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

VOYA - Betsy Fraser
Having delivered a previous volume that established strong, consistent measures that librarians and managers could use to determine whether their customers were satisfied, Hernon and Altman address technological issues and reiterate the importance of customer loyalty. The opening chapter's discussion of service quality looks at the replacement of library "users" with library "customers" and the various dimensions of service quality. The customer's experience in the library is not underestimated: space is given to acknowledging customer complaints among the many ways of obtaining customer opinions. A number of methods to evaluate customer satisfaction and service quality are included. Each method, from surveys to focus groups, is given a thorough introduction, along with sample worksheets and forms, as well as information about interpreting findings. Public, school, and academic library examples have been included in this very complete summary of using research to evaluate customer satisfaction. This book will be useful to managers of public and senior high libraries. Reviewer: Betsy Fraser
Library Journal
As a complement to their earlier Service Quality in Academic Libraries (Professional Media, LJ 2/1/96), authors Hernon (GSLIS, Simmons Coll.) and Altman (Graduate Library School, Univ. of Arizona) now concentrate on how to assess service quality and customer satisfaction. Here they suggest new ways to think about library services, clarify the distinction between service quality and customer satisfaction, present strategies for developing a customer service plan, identify procedures to measure service quality and satisfaction, and, if you havent already guessed, challenge conventional thinking about these powerful principles. These ideas are built on long-held important elements that guide any successful business; the bibliography is replete with library literature indicating the wide-ranging adaptation of these vital components in libraries and the prevailing awareness of how important it is to focus the operations of a library around the expectations of the customer. Numerous excellent tracking forms and survey and satisfaction instruments provide mechanisms to carry out a commitment to satisfying the needs of customers, especially for leading librarians who long ago tossed that useless suggestion box. Kudos to these authors for providing an essential resource for librarians who understand that folks who walk into their libraries are not patrons but customers. Highly recommended, especially for MLIS faculty and students.Dale F. Farris, Groves, TX
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780838910214
  • Publisher: ALA Editions
  • Publication date: 1/1/2010
  • Edition number: 2
  • Pages: 224
  • Product dimensions: 8.25 (w) x 11.00 (h) x 0.47 (d)

Table of Contents

Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Understanding Ends and Means 1
2 A Look in the Library Mirror 18
3 "Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It ..." 27
4 Measuring and Assessing the Components of Service Quality 46
5 What Can Go Wrong with Numbers 72
6 Compliment and Complaint Management 79
7 Listening to Customers through Surveys 100
8 Listening to Customers through Focus Group Interviews 137
9 Customer-Related Indicators and Requirements 147
10 Satisfaction and Service Quality: Separate but Intertwined 180
11 Interpreting Findings to Improve Customer Service 195
12 Embracing Change - Continuous Improvement 210
Bibliography 231
Index 239
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)