Providing an A+ Service to Our Customers

Abstract

In June 2002, Texas A&M University Libraries became the first library in the United States to offer a free desktop electronic document delivery /resource sharing services to the entirety of its customers, both distant and on campus. A customer satisfaction survey first conducted in February 2003 to a random sample of the service users (formerly known as deliverEdoc service) generated overwhelmingly positive responses about the new free service. After another nine years, a second survey is needed to ascertain our continued delivery of the best service possible for our customers. The survey was sent out in March 2012 to every single user of the rebranded service - Get it for me. The objectives of the study are to find out: , 1: if we are meeting the needs of our customers; , 2: the areas where we could further improve our services; , 3: what turnaround time is deemed acceptable by our customers; , 4: why our users sometimes no longer need the requested items; , 5: would our customers rather us detail out how we found an online copy of their requested document or send them a PDF direct link of their requested document; and, 6: if our users have ever purchased a personal copy of the book/DVD/CD after they received a loan from the Get it for me service. , The results will suggest our library patrons' electronic behavior, i.e. what format our customers prefer when requesting a book (ebook or print book) and whether our patrons tend to read online more than downloading for electronically delivered document. , Responses to these questions will indicate a general trend of academic library users' new demands and expectations for the service we provide. This methodology can be applied to the broader library community, creating a better knowledge base concerning patron satisfaction with document delivery/resource sharing services, and assisting in future decisions regarding patron services. This presentation will also reveal the reactions of the staff members in the face of the challenge, discuss the resources needed to provide such a high profile service, illustrate the effectiveness of the workflow, share the positive and constructive comments from the customers, and detail the key factors of the success of this well-loved service.,