Solve for XTom Bruno

Head of Resource SharingHarvard College Library

The Equation

If Dedicated Library Staff + Effective Communication +Well-implemented Technology + X = Excellent Customer Service; Solve for X

Do you like apples?

Wait, I read this book…

42!

On second thought

•Maybe this is a trick question•Maybe there

is no X

Plug & Chug

• Let’s not go down the Keanu rabbit hole (yet!)• Remember your high school

algebra?• Plug in some values and see what

we get

X= Walking the talk?

• Colleagues who’ve done their time, know their stuff make the ideal role models

• Competence is the cornerstone of mutual respect- both internally and externally

• Never trust a librarian who doesn’t love the smell of red rot in the morning

X= Once more unto the breach?

• Maybe X is inspiration• Belief in the research

mission of the library• Employees who are

emotionally invested are more likely to want to grow and excel

• Library work becomes collaborating towards a shared vision

X= Tell me about your day?

• Maybe X is empathy• Superior customer

service goes beyond mere obligation

• High touch service hasn’t gone away, but it must be applied strategically

• Do it right and you turn customers into advocates

Or does X= the vision thing?

Creating a culture of innovation

• What if X is QUESTIONING?• What if X is NETWORKING?• What if X is OBSERVING?• What if X is EXPERIMENTING?• What if X is all of the above?

Source: Scott Anthony, “How do you create a culture of innovation?” http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669657/how-do-you-create-a-culture-of-innovation

Let’s get integral!

• Put it all together and what do you get for X?

• X is ideal, inspirational, individual, innovative

• When we integrate over all values of X, the result is transformative customer service

Q.E.D.

• Transformative customer service requires transformative leadership- or does it?

• The goal of leadership: create effective units that can accomplish their objectives even under unpredictable circumstances

• As transformative leadership becomes the norm, X -> 0

Back to Keanu

• Neo: What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge bullets?

• Morpheus: No, Neo. I’m trying to tell you that when you’re ready, you won’t have to.

The Scan & Deliver Experience

• Harvard Library’s scan on demand service, Scan & Deliver, required transformative leadership

• Positive role modeling, inspiration/motivation, empathy for individual concerns, need for system-wide innovation & creativity

• Result: a service which set the bar of expectations for Harvard Library patrons

So long and thanks for all the math

• Questions?• Comments?• Corrections?

(Special thanks to Yale, the Wachowski Brothers, and Gottfried Leibniz)