Besant, L. X., & Sharp, D. (2000). Libraries need relationship marketing. Information Outlook, 4(3).
What: article about why libraries should use relationship marketing and how this could be implemented.
Why: Since the 1960s there has been a paradigm shift to user-centered service, but libraries have in general not bought into this, unlike the business world where RM is all the rage.
Summary: The article gives an over of what relationship marketing is, and why libraries have not used it up to this point. It discusses the general history of RM in the business world as well, and concludes with ways this type of marketing could be implemented in libraries.
Conclusion: Libraries need to focus on improving their relationships with users if they want to survive and thrive in today's world.
Evaluation: While it doesn't deal with CRM directly, this article provides good background reading on why a library would want to use CRM in the first place. This is suggested reading for anyone looking to implemented CRM in their library because it provides good justification for use of relationship marketing, which is the conceptual basis for CRM software.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Resource Review #7: Using Customer-Service Software to Manage Serials Online Access Issues
Ann, B. C., & Graves, T. (2006). Using Customer-Service Software to Manage Serials Online Access Issues. The Serials Librarian, 50(3/4), 213-215.
What: the University of South Florida (USF) library's experience using CRM to manage online serials access issues
Why: Originally a listserv was used, but tracking problems was difficult. CRM software was implemented to improve efficiency and workflow
Summary: After implementing SFX from Ex Libris, USF hired a serials access manager after not having one for over a decade. With the implementation of SFX, a listserv was initially set up to deal with access problems, but this proved to be an unsatisfactory format as emails tended to get buried and thus went unanswered. The CRM service has a web form for reporting issues, sends out an automated confirmation email after a submission (which includes contact info for talking to actual people as well), queues the problem to a particular library staff member, and reminds the staff person responsible for handling the problem via email to respond if nothing is sent within three days. The software shows repeated patron use and the general consensus is the CRM is an improvement on the old system.
Conclusion: The use of CRM greatly improved USF's online serials access workflow and their customer service in that regard as well.
Evaluation: This article is a good example of how CRM can be used in technical services, an area often overlooked when thinking about CRM in a library, as TS folks are typically back-end workers, although this use of CRM has applications across all types of libraries, especially as more resources become digital.
What: the University of South Florida (USF) library's experience using CRM to manage online serials access issues
Why: Originally a listserv was used, but tracking problems was difficult. CRM software was implemented to improve efficiency and workflow
Summary: After implementing SFX from Ex Libris, USF hired a serials access manager after not having one for over a decade. With the implementation of SFX, a listserv was initially set up to deal with access problems, but this proved to be an unsatisfactory format as emails tended to get buried and thus went unanswered. The CRM service has a web form for reporting issues, sends out an automated confirmation email after a submission (which includes contact info for talking to actual people as well), queues the problem to a particular library staff member, and reminds the staff person responsible for handling the problem via email to respond if nothing is sent within three days. The software shows repeated patron use and the general consensus is the CRM is an improvement on the old system.
Conclusion: The use of CRM greatly improved USF's online serials access workflow and their customer service in that regard as well.
Evaluation: This article is a good example of how CRM can be used in technical services, an area often overlooked when thinking about CRM in a library, as TS folks are typically back-end workers, although this use of CRM has applications across all types of libraries, especially as more resources become digital.
Resource Review #6: Customers, relationships and libraries: University of Malta – a case study
Broady-Preston, J., & Felice, J. (2006). Customers, relationships and libraries: University of Malta – a case study. Aslib Proceedings, 58(6), 525-536.
What: a case study for adopting CRM in an academic library
Why: Library use was declining while student and faculty populations increased. CRM was used as one way to improve library service and increase use.
Summary: Library staff, university faculty, and students were all consulted on how to improve the library. CRM was implemented as one of many strategies used; others included strengthening the collection, creating liaison librarian positions, and implementing information literacy instruction. A follow-up study has not been completed but anecdotal evidence shows improved user satisfaction and library usage.
Conclusion: In order for libraries to survive, they need to emphasize user retention and long-term user relationships.
Evaluation: This is a good article showing a case study of a library that improved through user-centered service. There are many good quotes from interviewees. The case study shows how the library implemented many different strategies, which is something all libraries should keep in mind: CRM is not a magic bullet. The foundations of good service have to be there already. It would be interesting to see a follow-up study with some empirical data.
What: a case study for adopting CRM in an academic library
Why: Library use was declining while student and faculty populations increased. CRM was used as one way to improve library service and increase use.
Summary: Library staff, university faculty, and students were all consulted on how to improve the library. CRM was implemented as one of many strategies used; others included strengthening the collection, creating liaison librarian positions, and implementing information literacy instruction. A follow-up study has not been completed but anecdotal evidence shows improved user satisfaction and library usage.
Conclusion: In order for libraries to survive, they need to emphasize user retention and long-term user relationships.
Evaluation: This is a good article showing a case study of a library that improved through user-centered service. There are many good quotes from interviewees. The case study shows how the library implemented many different strategies, which is something all libraries should keep in mind: CRM is not a magic bullet. The foundations of good service have to be there already. It would be interesting to see a follow-up study with some empirical data.
Resource Review #5: Highrise CRM from 37Signals
http://highrisehq.com/
What: A contact-management oriented CRM from the company 37Signals.
Why: This is the CRM we use at Wendt library. It was recommended to us by Eric Larson, formerly of Wendt Library. Eric now works for the UW-Madison Library Technology Group.
Summary: For privacy issues, I'm not going to post anything from our CRM, but Highrise has a video tour of the software.
Highrise is a basic, easy-to-use CRM. The price ranges from $30/month for a single user to $150/month for unlimited users. It is a cloud application and allows for file storage as well. 37Signals also had other types of CRM that are organized in different ways; check out their site for more information.
Contacts generally consist of people, departments, or vendors; basically any entity you will have a long-term relationship with. You add tasks related to contacts and tag contacts to organize them in customized ways. "Deals" are a way you can organize projects you have which involve multiple contacts. Finally, you subscribe to RSS feeds related to contacts or deals.
Software Evaluation: I like this software a lot. I started using it my first day on the job; it's very intuitive and I never had any problems with it. The few times we've had to contact 37Signals with questions, they have always responded very quickly.
Wendt is a medium-sized academic library. We currently use Highrise for reserves, and are in the process of expanding it out for use by departmental liaisons, instruction librarians, and technical services folks.
Conclusion: The semantics are still very business-oriented, and it's not open source so that can't be changed. Possibly not affordable for very tiny libraries, but in general the cost is very low ($3/person for the group versions, vs. $20-50/person for the group versions of CRM giants like Sugar and Salesforce), and it's really worked quite well for us. Overall I would give this an A-.
What: A contact-management oriented CRM from the company 37Signals.
Why: This is the CRM we use at Wendt library. It was recommended to us by Eric Larson, formerly of Wendt Library. Eric now works for the UW-Madison Library Technology Group.
Summary: For privacy issues, I'm not going to post anything from our CRM, but Highrise has a video tour of the software.
Highrise is a basic, easy-to-use CRM. The price ranges from $30/month for a single user to $150/month for unlimited users. It is a cloud application and allows for file storage as well. 37Signals also had other types of CRM that are organized in different ways; check out their site for more information.
Contacts generally consist of people, departments, or vendors; basically any entity you will have a long-term relationship with. You add tasks related to contacts and tag contacts to organize them in customized ways. "Deals" are a way you can organize projects you have which involve multiple contacts. Finally, you subscribe to RSS feeds related to contacts or deals.
Software Evaluation: I like this software a lot. I started using it my first day on the job; it's very intuitive and I never had any problems with it. The few times we've had to contact 37Signals with questions, they have always responded very quickly.
Wendt is a medium-sized academic library. We currently use Highrise for reserves, and are in the process of expanding it out for use by departmental liaisons, instruction librarians, and technical services folks.
Conclusion: The semantics are still very business-oriented, and it's not open source so that can't be changed. Possibly not affordable for very tiny libraries, but in general the cost is very low ($3/person for the group versions, vs. $20-50/person for the group versions of CRM giants like Sugar and Salesforce), and it's really worked quite well for us. Overall I would give this an A-.
Resource Review #4: SugarCRM Community Edition
http://www.sugarcrm.com/crm/community/sugarcrm-community.html
What: The free, open source edition of SugarCRM
Why: The majority of CRM is prohibitively expensive for libraries.
Summary: If you would like to see the visuals of the things I'm talking about, check out Sugar's demo page.
To use the community edition, you also need PHP, a webserver, and a database. There are stack editions available on the download page that include these along with the software. The stacks are available for Windows, Macs, Linux, and Sun; there are also roughly 100 language packs. There is some overlap: there are not hundred languages available, although many major languages are represented. Also included are regional dialects, i.e. Latin American Spanish.
All the default language is geared towards a business, as this is what the software is intended for. The semantics differ somewhat in libraries and all the categories available would not be applicable in our field. There is fairly complete software and could be intimidating to people will low tech skills. SugarCRM isn't difficult, but it's not a training-wheels sort of program either. As it is open source, the code can be edited to suit the users' needs. The catch here is that if you're not a programmer, or don't have someone on your staff with these skills, this is a moot point.
Since it's free, you're on your own as far as tech support goes, but there is a wiki and a forum; the community seems fairly active. SugarCRM has free training seminars available under their Sugar University page as well. There are also certified extensions available for purchase if you want to tweak the software.
Software Evaluation: I downloaded this and played around with it. I am neither a technophile nor a technophobe: I tend towards the former at least in that I actively seek out knowledge, although I am not a technology cheerleader.
I found the software relatively easy to set-up: I didn't necessarily understand the nuts and bolts of everything involved, but I was still able to get it up and running just the same. I was able to easily resolve the problems I had (all of which were minor) on my own.
Conclusion: Not my favorite CRM, but it's free, which puts it in the affordability range of libraries, who typically are not gifted with large budgets, and if you or one of your staff has the skills and the time, you can customize the software to suit your needs. Even if this is not an option, it is still entirely usable for a library. I'd give this a B overall.
What: The free, open source edition of SugarCRM
Why: The majority of CRM is prohibitively expensive for libraries.
Summary: If you would like to see the visuals of the things I'm talking about, check out Sugar's demo page.
To use the community edition, you also need PHP, a webserver, and a database. There are stack editions available on the download page that include these along with the software. The stacks are available for Windows, Macs, Linux, and Sun; there are also roughly 100 language packs. There is some overlap: there are not hundred languages available, although many major languages are represented. Also included are regional dialects, i.e. Latin American Spanish.
All the default language is geared towards a business, as this is what the software is intended for. The semantics differ somewhat in libraries and all the categories available would not be applicable in our field. There is fairly complete software and could be intimidating to people will low tech skills. SugarCRM isn't difficult, but it's not a training-wheels sort of program either. As it is open source, the code can be edited to suit the users' needs. The catch here is that if you're not a programmer, or don't have someone on your staff with these skills, this is a moot point.
Since it's free, you're on your own as far as tech support goes, but there is a wiki and a forum; the community seems fairly active. SugarCRM has free training seminars available under their Sugar University page as well. There are also certified extensions available for purchase if you want to tweak the software.
Software Evaluation: I downloaded this and played around with it. I am neither a technophile nor a technophobe: I tend towards the former at least in that I actively seek out knowledge, although I am not a technology cheerleader.
I found the software relatively easy to set-up: I didn't necessarily understand the nuts and bolts of everything involved, but I was still able to get it up and running just the same. I was able to easily resolve the problems I had (all of which were minor) on my own.
Conclusion: Not my favorite CRM, but it's free, which puts it in the affordability range of libraries, who typically are not gifted with large budgets, and if you or one of your staff has the skills and the time, you can customize the software to suit your needs. Even if this is not an option, it is still entirely usable for a library. I'd give this a B overall.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Resource Review #3: Seaman and O'Hara's "Customer relationship management in higher education"
Seeman, E. D., & O'Hara, M. (2006). Customer relationship management in higher education: Using information systems to improve the student-school relationship. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 23(1), 24-34.
What: Case study of the implementation of a CRM system in the North Carolina community college system
Why: The community college system (NCCCS) needed a better way to organize information than the information system they had at the time.
Summary: Seeman and O'Hara give a general overview of CRM, focusing on the benefits of such a system to a postsecondary educational institution, followed by a brief history of community colleges in the United States. They then get into the nuts-and-bolts of designing and implementing the system used by the NCCCS, and the challenges and benefits encountered thus far.
Conclusion: Despite the problems with the NCCCS's particular implementation, there have been positive results: student services staff in particular are excited about the benefits to students. The NCCCS's CRM is a student-centered service that not only allows increased efficiency and analytical capabilities for the administration, but also enables students to take ownership of their education by providing easy access to grades, course descriptions, scheduling, and graduation checklists.
Article Evaluation: While the article doesn't deal with academic libraries, it provides a useful explanation of the purpose of CRM, and allows readers to see a bigger picture of how CRM is useful to the college or university as a whole, of which the library is a part. One problem I had with the article is the author's frequent exhortation that "as colleges increasingly embrace distance
learning and e-business, CRM will become more pervasive." (ibid., 24, 32) While I don't disagree with the authors' position, they don't provide any clear justification in their article as to WHY distance learning will result in an increase in CRM use.
What: Case study of the implementation of a CRM system in the North Carolina community college system
Why: The community college system (NCCCS) needed a better way to organize information than the information system they had at the time.
Summary: Seeman and O'Hara give a general overview of CRM, focusing on the benefits of such a system to a postsecondary educational institution, followed by a brief history of community colleges in the United States. They then get into the nuts-and-bolts of designing and implementing the system used by the NCCCS, and the challenges and benefits encountered thus far.
Conclusion: Despite the problems with the NCCCS's particular implementation, there have been positive results: student services staff in particular are excited about the benefits to students. The NCCCS's CRM is a student-centered service that not only allows increased efficiency and analytical capabilities for the administration, but also enables students to take ownership of their education by providing easy access to grades, course descriptions, scheduling, and graduation checklists.
Article Evaluation: While the article doesn't deal with academic libraries, it provides a useful explanation of the purpose of CRM, and allows readers to see a bigger picture of how CRM is useful to the college or university as a whole, of which the library is a part. One problem I had with the article is the author's frequent exhortation that "as colleges increasingly embrace distance
learning and e-business, CRM will become more pervasive." (ibid., 24, 32) While I don't disagree with the authors' position, they don't provide any clear justification in their article as to WHY distance learning will result in an increase in CRM use.
Resource Review #2: Texas A&M's "Resdesk: An Automated Solution for Course Reserves Request Tracking and Process Management."
Arant-Kaspar, W., Carter, H., Desai, S., Byrd, J., & Hahn, D. (2007). ResDesk: an automated solution for course reserves request tracking and process management. Library Hi Tech, 25(2), 197-210.
What: Case study of the creation of a system-wide course reserves CRM software at Texas A&M.
Why: Course reserves is an important user-centered service and reserves management is its most critical component. Previously, all Texas A&M libraries had their own idiosyncratic systems for reserves management. Through the creation of ResDesk, the library system was able to increase its efficiency and provide better service in regards to course reserves.
Summary: The article gives an overview of the functions of a course reserves operation and enumerates necessary components for course reserves software. The authors then provide a detailed guide of how they went about the process of creating and implementing ResDesk, which is a modified version of the in-house IT helpdesk software. The guide briefly covers everything, including mapping out the entire course reserves process from start to finish, determining software functions and features, and getting faculty to use the software to submit their reserves.
Conclusion: ResDesk has greatly increased course reserves efficiency and customer satisfaction. Texas A&M libraries are now looking into expanded the software to manage the customer relationship side of such circ functions as lost or missing items, and holds requests.
Article Evaluation: The article provides an excellent overview of the development and implementation of the software, along with detailed flow charts of the reserves process. Texas A&M is unique in that they have developed their own in-house software, which is much better suited to the library's needs than vendor software, as there is currently no library-specific CRM software. Even if your library is not currently planning on implementing CRM, the article is useful for its thorough and holistic diagrams of the entire course reserves process, which are valuable to anyone who works in this area of the library.
What: Case study of the creation of a system-wide course reserves CRM software at Texas A&M.
Why: Course reserves is an important user-centered service and reserves management is its most critical component. Previously, all Texas A&M libraries had their own idiosyncratic systems for reserves management. Through the creation of ResDesk, the library system was able to increase its efficiency and provide better service in regards to course reserves.
Summary: The article gives an overview of the functions of a course reserves operation and enumerates necessary components for course reserves software. The authors then provide a detailed guide of how they went about the process of creating and implementing ResDesk, which is a modified version of the in-house IT helpdesk software. The guide briefly covers everything, including mapping out the entire course reserves process from start to finish, determining software functions and features, and getting faculty to use the software to submit their reserves.
Conclusion: ResDesk has greatly increased course reserves efficiency and customer satisfaction. Texas A&M libraries are now looking into expanded the software to manage the customer relationship side of such circ functions as lost or missing items, and holds requests.
Article Evaluation: The article provides an excellent overview of the development and implementation of the software, along with detailed flow charts of the reserves process. Texas A&M is unique in that they have developed their own in-house software, which is much better suited to the library's needs than vendor software, as there is currently no library-specific CRM software. Even if your library is not currently planning on implementing CRM, the article is useful for its thorough and holistic diagrams of the entire course reserves process, which are valuable to anyone who works in this area of the library.
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