Customer Service Satisfaction at the University of London Library Essay - 1

Customer Service Satisfaction at the University of London Library - Essay Example According to Quinn (2007) in recent times the educational community, generally and the library profession in particular have placed increasing emphasis on the service quality model. This model has customer satisfaction as its primary objective as traditional measures of academic library quality such as collection size becomes secondary. In assessing service quality the customer compares expectations about the service offered to actual experience with the service. Gap analysis is a tool that is used to identify the differences (gap) between what is expected and what is experienced. According to Berkowitz et al (1997, p.353) this type of analysis requires consumers to assess their expectations and experiences on dimensions of service quality as described in the table that follows. In the context of service quality and customer satisfaction, of importance, is the need to look at the service that the library provides in order to see how it can fulfil expectations. The role of the library is to provide resource materials for its customers. But, who exactly are these customers? They are students, administrators, faculty members and the general public. In terms of reliability the library must be able to provide the student with a book, journal or other resource material which will enable the completion of a required task. While the librarian is expected to provide the service in a timely manner, there is the need for the student to exercise some skills in how to access required materials to carry out his or her role. The librarian however, is available to provide some guidance but the student independence is of extreme importance in the development of worthwhile skills which will be required in the future.