CRM Customer Relationship Management is inevitable in a competitive business world. The customer is a king in the service sector and any failures to understand his/her demand would shake the sustainability in the market. The purpose of the paper is to understand the application of CRM in libraries and why librarian should implement the marketing concept of CRM in the library. Library automation, internet and World Wide Web has enhanced the expectations of users for providing the better services by acquiring and making the e-resources accessible within their library and having hyperlinks on their library WebPages.
The goal of CRM is to optimize management of customer information needs and interests to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Application of CRM in libraries can improve customer data and process management, customer loyalty, retention and satisfaction. CRM refers to the methods and tools which helps an organization to manage its relationship with its customer in an organized way. Relationships between the staff and the users are explored using CRM framework.
Keywords:
CRM, Customer Relations, Relationship Marketing, Customer satisfaction.
Introduction:
Libraries are service centers with the ultimate aim of providing quality service to its customers-- readers. In an era marked by profusion of information resources and services, library readers have become more knowledgeable & demanding. Like any other service industry, libraries too face challenges to meet customer expectations, attract potential & retain present customers, with ever rising competitions. Due to constantly updating ICT gadgets & changing forms of resources libraries always experience shortfall of budget. To keep up with budget constraints & diversity of resources library and Information centers have to look forward to value their resources and apply business marketing strategies for better services.
In the changing pattern of economy and working environment of the institutions and organizations keeping better relationship with internal and external clients, is vital. Customer relation is crucial for the service sector like library and information centre, which requires maximum customer care. Cut-throat competition of retaining the existing customers and adding new ones has become a challenge for all kinds of service sectors. A librarian exercises all practices to maximize utilization of existing information resources and add variety of new resources, to develop and maintain good relationship with customers. In the library and Information Centre customers are at centre place. Most of good old libraries face lack of optimum utilization of existing resources and shortage of staff, resulting into the unsuitable arrangement and poor customer-friendly services. To overcome this situation and make library the most happening place for its users, and to build up an excellent relationship with them is need of the time.
What is CRM:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM), popularly known as CRM is a process or methodology or strategy used to learn more about customer's requirements and behaviors to develop stronger relationship with them. CRM is a strategy for studying, analyzing and learning about the customer's needs and expectations. Alternatively it can be defined as....
" A business, strategy that aims to understand, anticipates and manages the needs of an organization's current and potential customers"
" a generic term to describe processes that...seek to join up a company's customer-focused information systems and to track dealings with individual customers throughout the relationship life cycle...to meet individual customer's needs more effectively and efficiently" (Palmer,2005)
"CRM is an information industry term for methodologies, software, and usually internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way" - Digital Dictionary
CRM essentially focuses on
Creating value for the customer and the organization over the longer term.
Giving optimum priority to customer satisfaction.
Measuring the overall Return on Investment (ROI) on the customer services rendered.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is also described as "a customer-focused business strategy that aims to increase customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by offering a more responsive and customized services to each customer."
Components of CRM:
We may categorize the key component of CRM as
Information:
This is the raw material of CRM. It includes users' profile and their preference data which needs to complete a library transaction.
Process:
The methods and the associated inputs for service delivering.
Technology:
The tool or system which enables CRM easily. It includes software, database, networking applications etc.
People:
The customer of the library services as well as the skilled library personnel.
Why CRM in Libraries:
As like any other service industries, libraries too face growing challenges to continuously meet customer expectations and attract and retain users in light of overflowing competition.
Moreover with the explosion of information and advancement of technology readers have too many choices to get information rather than visiting a library. Everything is available at the click of a mouse. With this explosion of information in every field of knowledge and choice in selection of service, satisfying user has become a challenge nowadays for librarian. Collection, services, information products and clients of libraries varies according to its parent organization or categories...public, academic or research library. While reading habits among the students is decreasing, demands and requirements of every library user has to be satisfied and taken care of, because only satisfied reader will come again and influence potential customers of library. Accordingly, libraries have to build good relationship with its users by adopting CRM, as it offers an integrated approach to achieve this through anticipating and satisfying needs of customer quickly and effectively.
Application of CRM in Libraries:
CRM can help libraries to materialize their goals of obtaining increasing number of satisfied customers, building customer loyalty and leading to overall productivity by addressing customers need directly, improving service quality and creating value for library customers. Implementing CRM in libraries is not just a software package installation but building better and deeper relationships with the library customers. It requires technology oriented library process management approaches, new analytics and new strategies to enable library personnel to work harder and smarter to capture customer information. Steps of implementing CRM in Libraries are.
Access CRM needs.
Understand user value, needs requirements and behaviors
Involve all staff affected
Motivate the staff willing to participate.
Communicate continually with interested customers
Avoid over specialized solutions
Be critical in choice of methods, tools, equipment's etc.
Selection of a CRM Solution:
Flexibility, interactivity, product reliability, information security, economy and user friendliness are some common factors to be considered while selecting a CRM solution. Some major players in CRM software are Microsoft Dynamites CRM 3.0, SAP CRM, RightNow, Onyx software CRM, Oracle/Siebel, Salesforce.com, Amdocs, Pivotal CRM, Sage CRM Solutions , e-Synergy, Entellus CRM, Net-Suite CRM+ , Maximizer Enterprise 9 CRM , Infusion CRM etc.
Open Source CRM Software:
Till today, most of the established CRM solutions are mainly meant for profit seeking business organizations. Besides, they are highly expensive and require high level technical expertise for customization. In this context, open source CRM solutions that are designed to cater to the needs of non-profit seeking organization can be better alternatives for services sectors like library and information centers. The following are some well known open source CRM software which allow easy to customization and can be applied in library sector too.
CiviCRM (http:/www.civicrm.org)
MPower (www.mpoweropen.com)
Ubercart (http:/www.ubercart.org)
Like any other ideal services the aim to implement CRM initiative in libraries should be "Helping others succeed is a good service."
How CRM is useful for libraries:
CRM can be helpful in following ways:
It increases the usage of library & improves capacity utilization.
It helps to match the tastes, preference & requirements of users with the library collection.
Improve loyalty & contribution of library's customer community.
Increase compliance & cooperation between the users & the library staff.
Encourage suggestions & feedback from the users for the up gradation and expansion of library services.
It provides superior quality services to user.
Get more financial benefits from management.
It helps libraries to gain trust & loyalty from the valued customers. (Brand image of the LIC.)
These few sentences by the team members of 5 year CRM project of British library, UK reveals and reflect how CRM proved beneficial.
The library's executives decided they needed a CRM system that would help record information on interactions with customers and help the organization gain a transparent view of those interactions.
"Streamlining all systems into one single point of customer contact has made a huge difference. We are now able to tailor our service provision in order to achieve our aims of delighting end users and reducing internal costs"
The library has strived to "delight the customer, not just go through the mechanics of responding to the customer"
"As a result of these system improvements, the customer service employees spend less time retrieving files, and can access the history of each customer every time they call. Library workers have a better understanding of the customer, because all information is in one place."
This also helps the British Library meet its objective of delivering a better level of service to customers, as queries are handled faster and more efficiently.
"The system will evolve and improve, as will our processes and understanding of what we need to do to deliver systems which helps the business progress while keeping the customer happy."
"It is vital, especially in the current climate, that we help keep our existing customer base. And with our current CRM system, we have a tool which helps facilitate that."
Modes of CRM in libraries:
Value added services
To be a value added services provider librarians need to offer information. They also need to add value to the reader/user contact by
asking questions to understand thoroughly the user's inquiry, situation or problem before providing their services.
determining if there is more service you can offer
asking if the user/reader is satisfied with the services.
Quality services
Make every effort to deliver consistent quality throughout the library. Raise the satisfaction level of your readers by offering good services consistently. Use creativity in developing attractive displays and exhibits. Promote your collection. Make sure library is clean and inviting. Keep common areas neat.
Leadership
Be seen as a friendly partner. The user should like to come to librarian for any piece of information required and librarian must be ready to satisfy any queries from any user or ensure user to make available the required information.
Perceived value
Promote what makes library special. An information service, reference services, Ask librarian services etc. and answer for any queries is to be there in the library.
Personality
Hard working, pleasant, communicative, soft spoken, respect others, updated should be the qualities in personality of a librarian.
Organizational issues
Value characteristics of trust, reliability, and great service within your library's value system. When you cannot help the customer let him/her know what else library can do for them.
Levels of CRM:
After implementation of the CRM in library it is essential to measure and monitor the efforts done by the library towards CRM. These will certainly help librarian to improve CRM. These measures need to be followed at various levels and by various people as under:
Measuring reader/user satisfaction:
To measure user satisfaction the library staff should repeatedly think upon the following questions
Did I completely understand what the reader/user wanted?
Did I present the information in a clear manner?
Did the reader/user receive quality service?
Is the reader/user satisfied?
Steps to measure user satisfaction:
The following statistics will help in measuring user satisfaction
Number of new Readers/User per month
Reader/user lost per year
Average frequency of library usage year on year
Cost per reader/ per user
Reader/user testimonials and endorsements
Reader/user satisfaction survey score
Rules to follow by Library Staff:
We are here to help
Fulfilling expectations
Interaction= Profitability
Put the book in the hand
Collect information needs from user and build library collection accordingly.
Try to get into the inter library sharing network
Think first before saying no to user.
Questions to think about the services offered to user:
What are user's needs, Expectation?
How do you define an ideal service interaction?
How can you Personalize interactions to foster relationship building?
Do you Resolve Problems efficiently and courteously?
How do we create services signals that can set us apart as caring about quality and caring about users?
How do we get feedback from our users?
Conclusion:
Libraries are now operating in an extremely fast-moving competitive environment. In order to maintain their relevance to their customers, they need to actively seek to build good and sustained relationships with all kinds of users in any type of library. The librarians should try to apply CRM as a frame work for developing local services to meet local needs. The extent to which the detail of their service provision is similar or dissimilar is not the issue. Key significance is the extent to which building strong relationship with their customers led to improvements in the quality of service provision in their libraries as perceived by their core customers. It is to the right time for the libraries to adopt CRM concept and applications to secure user satisfaction in the challenging time which have been brought by proliferated information service channels, information explosion and users' higher expectation.
No other profession has faced the threat of emerging technologies as of librarian. The question of their existence has arrived; employers think that when all information is available on the internet and user has directly access to it what role librarian will play. New generation of librarians must embrace new technology and allow it to be our catalyst and not our eclipse. With the advent of commercial internet based information service libraries are coming under pressure to rethink their relationship with their users. Application of CRM could prove one of the ways out.
