team 2-needs assessment

7/31/2019 Team 2-Needs Assessment

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Assignment 3Needs Assessment of High Point Public Library

Team 2Jamie Beck, Lauren Davis-Fossa, Amanda Fonorrow, Erin Price, Stephen Sonnenberg

12/5/2010


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Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 2

II. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4

III. Methods ......................................................................................................................... 5

IV. Results ............................................................................................................................ 7

V. Conclusion and Recommendations................................................................................ 14

VI. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Needs Assessment .................................................. 15

VII. Appendices .................................................................................................................. 17

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Question 4 ................................................................................................................ 8

Figure 2: Question 3 ................................................................................................................ 9

Figure 3: External Customer Satisfaction Ratings ................................................................ 10

Figure 4: External Customer Recommendation Ratings ....................................................... 11

Figure 5: Employee Survey Results ...................................................................................... 13


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I. Executive Summary

Team Two chose High Point Public Library & Museum, a standalone public library in the

Piedmont area of the state, to conduct the needs assessment. This needs assessment was

completed in the fall of 2010, and was meant to evaluate the librarys effectiveness in meeting

internal and external customer satisfaction expectations.

The needs assessment was based on two surveys, one specifically designed for staff

members and the other focused on external customers. The creation of the staff survey was a

group effort and is based on First, Break All the Rules. The survey was administered to the staff

of High Point Public Library & Museum by one team member that is an employee of High Point

Public Library & Museum. The external customer satisfaction survey was created by the library

itself and is included on the librarys web page. The results were made available to our group by

the Public Relations department of the library.

Overall, the majority of the staff members surveyed rated their work environment highly.

Out of the eighteen staff members surveyed, less than 50% were negative surveys, with the staff

members recognizing that they are not engaged in the mission of the company, which could

explain their lack of happiness. Based upon the positive surveys, the one area that appears to

need improvement is the amount of praise employees receive in the workplace. The majority of

employees surveyed said that they do not receive praise from management on a weekly basis.

As discussed in class, praise is the most effective form of positive recognition for humans, and it

is free. A simple solution to this problem would be for managers to become more mindful of

their interactions with staff and make a conscious effort to praise staff members on a regular

basis.


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The customer satisfaction surveys were available to library users on the High Point

Public Library & Museum website. This survey was designed to rate the customers satisfaction

with the library staff, environment, and overall attitude about the library. Along with the

electronic survey, High Point Public Library & Museum hosts Loyalty Luncheons for their most

regular customers. The luncheon participants are also asked to complete a survey based on their

attitude towards the library. Many patrons seem satisfied with the services they have received at

the library, but a few patrons did mention areas where they felt the library could improve.

The main complaints that patrons had seem to deal with space and layout of the library.

Even with the renovations that have taken place, patrons have mentioned that some areas of the

library feel cramped while others are open and airy, but have no seating. It was also mentioned

that the drop off area is positioned too closely to the express window, which causes a back up in

traffic. Another problem with space is that many of the areas with seating are used for tutoring

and are very loud. Designating quiet areas was proposed as a possible solution. As a result,

study groups could have an area to study and do group work, while individuals that are looking

for a quiet place to read will have their own space and not be disturbed.

One issue that customers mentioned was the lack of complete series. One series in

particular was mentioned; with the complaint that the books available are not in order and are

random numbers out of the series. Another customer mentioned the need to spend more money

on books instead of computers. The customer thought that buying so many computers, instead of

books, was a waste of money. In addition, a few customers also expressed a need for "Coming

Soon" or "New Arrivals" announcements. This was suggested as a section on the website or to

be sent out to patrons through email.


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The last issue that seemed to be highly upsetting to patrons is the fee that is charged to

non-county residents that want to have a library card with High Point Public Library & Museum.

Due to the location of the library, it is very convenient for patrons that live in the surrounding

counties to access the library, but there is a $40 yearly charge if you are a non-resident. The

results of the surveys show that High Point Public Library & Museum has areas in which they

could improve, but overall customer and employee reviews are positive.

II. Introduction

The High Point Public Library & Museum is a department of the City of High Point. The

library has one main building with two small satellites that are mainly for computer use and

materials pick up. The museum is a single building with a historic park. The library and

museum have a total of 55 full-time and 25 part-time employees. The two facilities serve

primarily the city of High Point, NC and Guilford County, NC, but also have patrons from the

surrounding counties of Davidson, Forsyth, and Randolph (the Triad region). In 2008, High

Point had an estimated population of 101,835 and the Triad region had an estimated population

of 1,603,101 (www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfm).

The Organizational goals for the library and museum focus on the customer experience.

Work is underway to align staffs understanding of the mission, vision, and core values.

Mission: Nurturing the joy of reading, sharing the power of knowledge, strengthening the sense

of community, and enhancing economic vitality.

Vision: A high performance environment that nurtures its employees as customer-centered

advocates for designing and delivering service experiences that transform lives, resulting in
http://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfmhttp://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfmhttp://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfmhttp://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfm


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positively passionate customers who make High Point Public Library THE destination of choice

for learning and discovery.

Core Values: We create positively passionate customers and achieve our mission and vision

through our core values of connection, diversity, fun, and innovation.

Encouraging staff to envision how the mission, vision, and core values are part of their

daily work is important. The culture of the organization expects employees to Show up, Stand

up, and Speak up. This means they are expected to know what is going on, to be engaged, and

to offer suggestions. This practice allows each person to see his/her contribution and to

hopefully develop a loyalty to the organization that creates a feeling of the library and museum

as an employer of choice.

Stakeholders for the organization include not only staff and customers, but also the

Library Board of Trustees, the High Point City Council, donors, and the Friends of the Library.

Library Administration does a significant amount of networking within these groups in order to

create a greater understanding of the library and museums goals. The staff is also expected to

recognize the importance of committed service to outside stakeholders.

III. Methods

User surveys were issued to two groups of library users simultaneously. General Library

Users were provided a Customer Satisfaction Survey on the librarys website (see Appendix 1).

Core User Group participants were issued a survey at the monthly Customer Loyalty Luncheon

(see Appendix 1). Both User Groups completed their surveys anonymously; therefore Team

Two was unable to collect specific demographic information about the users.


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General Library Users completed a total of twenty-two surveys, consisting of seven

questions each. Of these, twelve felt their library experience was a 10 on a scale of 0-10.

These twelve patrons also indicated that they were highly likely to recommend HPPL to their

family and friends by a 10 on a scale of 0-10. In this group, 82% of the participants were

highly satisfied (gave library overall rating of 8, 9, or 10). For complete survey data,see

Appendix 4.

Core Users at the Loyalty Luncheon completed a total of nine surveys, consisting of

seven questions each. Of these, nine users responded that their library experience and likelihood

of recommending the library to family and friends was a 10 on a scale of 0-10. In this group, a

100% satisfaction rate was recorded.

A team member in HPPLs employ issued staff surveys via email. Staff surveys

consisted of twelve questions, based on Gallups employee surveys as laid out in First, Break All

the Rules. (Buckingham & Coffman, 1999). For a complete list of survey questions,see

Appendix 2. Employees were instructed in the email containing the survey to either email the

completed survey back to the sender, or print and complete the survey before leaving it in an

anonymous drop-box. In this way, Team Two hoped to ensure maximum participation, by

allowing ease and convenience in responding by email, as well as confidentiality if the staff

members chose to respond anonymously via the drop-box.

Eighteen of fifty-five full-time employees participated in the survey (33% participation

rate). Complete results of this study can be found inAppendix 5. Survey participants were

given the questions without a numerical scale on which to place their answers. Most participants

answered with a simple Yes or No, but others took the opportunity to expound upon their

answers, providing Team Two with a more useful framework for determining the strengths and


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weaknesses of the organizations leadership. While this led to difficulty in quantifying the data,

it did provide a solid basis for recommendations to the organization which is directly tied to

specific comments made by staff members. Furthermore, it allowed Team Two to understand

the reasons for employees discontent when negative feedback was presented.

IV. Results

The High Point Public Librarys primary goals are centered on customer satisfaction and

specifically concerned with creating more loyal promoters for the library. The HPPL has

developed a strategic plan in order to achieve the goal of more customer satisfaction. (The

HPPLs Strategic Plan can be viewed inAppendix 3.) This plan includes customer appreciation

initiatives including the Loyalty Luncheons for the librarys power users as well as customer

feedback initiatives such as Customer Satisfaction Surveys. Customer Satisfaction Surveys were

provided to the attendees of the Loyalty Luncheons as well as provided in electronic form for

other patrons on the librarys website. Team Two used both of these survey formats to gauge the

level of customer satisfaction amongst the librarys external customers.

External Customers

Of the 31 external customers surveyed, 48% had a positive overall impression of the

library. The most common positive overall impressions included comments involving the

friendliness and helpfulness of the library staff as well as the attractiveness of the library in

general. One customer was so pleased with the library that they ranked it among the best in the

country. Only a small percentage of the external customers surveyed had a negative overall

impression of the library. The negative comments listed by external customers concerning their


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overall impression of the library did not have any particular trend. Most of the negative

comments seem to address certain issues particular to the respective customer. The responses

ranged from extreme frustration over the cost of a non-resident library to one patrons suggestion

that the library should buy more books than computers. Unfortunately a relatively large

percentage of external customers did not respond to question 4 which reduced the amount of data

from our already small sample size as well as the power of our survey results.

Figure 1: Question 4

Although question 4 did not show a particular trend for areas where the library needs to

improve, the responses to question 6 did have some similarities. A few of the patrons expressed

frustration with the placement of the outside book return. They felt that it was in an inconvenient

place for drive thru usage. Also, a couple of patrons articulated a desire for a Coming Soon or

New Arrival section in the librarys e-newsletter as well as posted in the library. Overall, there

48%

10%3%

10%

29%

Overall Impression of the Library

Positive

Negative

Neutral

Positive and Negative

No response


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were very few negative comments concerning the librarys operations and only one negative

comment involving the librarys staff.

Question 3 of the Customer Satisfaction Survey addressed the friendliness and

helpfulness of the library staff directly. Fifty percent of the patrons surveyed responded

positively to question 3. Unfortunately, almost half of the external customers that completed the

surveys neglected to answer this particular question. As a result, I feel that the power of this

particular section of our results was compromised and cannot be considered extremely reliable.

The survey sample is too small to determine whether the information is reliable or valid.

Figure 2: Question 3

Even though it was not possible to definitively determine the level of excellence in

customer service, the survey results reflect an external customer satisfaction with the library in

general. Question 5 refers to overall satisfaction with the library in general and question 7

50%

0%

3%

47%

Was the staff member who assisted you

helpful and friendly?

Yes

No

Yes and No

No response


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referred to the patrons willingness to recommend the library to friends and family. A vast

majority of the external customers surveyed gave the library high ratings on a scale from 0-10 on

both questions. It appears that the library is on the path to achieving its ideal state of customer

satisfaction and acquiring loyal promoters.

Figure 3: External Customer Satisfaction Ratings

0

5

10

15

20

NumberofPatrons

Ratings

How would you rate your library

on a scale of 0-10?


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Figure 4: External Customer Recommendation Ratings

Internal Customers

Although High Point Public Librarys primary goals are mostly external customer centric,

the librarys goals also contain some focus on its internal customers. The librarys ideal vision

involves the employees working together collectively to create a positive and customer centered

work environment. The staff is expected to be engaged and contribute to the development of the

library by sharing ideas and being aware of the needs of the library. In order to determine the

level of employee satisfaction as well as to ascertain how close the library is the achieving its

ideal vision for its staff, the High Point Public Library staff were given an anonymous survey

containing a revised version of the 12 questions from First, Break All the Rules. For the

complete surveysee Appendix 2.

0

5

10

15

20

25

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10

No

response

NumberofResponses

Ratings

How likely would you be to recommend the

library to family or friends on a scale of 0-10?

How likely would you be to

recommend the library to family or

friends on a scale of 0-10?


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A majority of the High Point Public Librarys internal customers that completed surveys

appeared to be satisfied with their work environment. When asked if they felt that their thoughts

and ideas were valued and validated at work a majority of the staff responded positively. This

sense of value and validation would contribute positively to the sharing of ideas amongst the

staff and could foster the librarys value of innovation through staff involvement. Also, most of

the staff that completed surveys appeared to identify with the mission of the library and derive a

sense of purpose from it. The more connected the staff feels to the librarys vision and mission

the more likely they will be to contribute to achieving the librarys mission. Only two questions

elicited a substantial amount of negative responses. Many of the staff members surveyed

expressed some discontent with the amount of praise that they received on a regular basis. Also,

many of the staff members stated that they did not have a best friend at work. Overall, the staff

that completed surveys appeared to be satisfied with their work environment and dedicated to

helping the library fulfill its mission.


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Figure 5: Employee Survey Results

Opportunities for Improvement and Recommendations

In general, the High Point Public Library appears to be on the right track toachieving

both external and internal customer satisfaction as well as creating loyal promoters. A majority

of the external customers surveyed expressed satisfaction with librarys aesthetics, staff,

organization, and operations as well as appreciated the new initiatives to improve the library for

greater customer satisfaction. Only a few suggestions or concerns were mentioned by external

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Yes 18 18 17 6 13 14 14 17 14 10 17 15

No 0 0 1 12 4 2 4 1 2 8 1 3

Other 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0

Employee Survey: Revised FBAR 12 Questions


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customers more than once. In order to further improve customer satisfaction and create more

loyal promoters HPPL should consider relocating the drive thru drop box as well as add a

Coming Soon or New Release section to e-newsletters. In addition, a bulk of the internal

customers surveyed seemed relatively pleased with their work environment. Only two questions

elicited a substantial amount of negative responses. A number of employees responded that they

did not receive praise weekly and did not have a best friend at work. The first of these

circumstances could be easily remedied. Administrators could be more aware of the need to give

praise on a regular basis in order to improve employee confidence. The second situation is more

complicated to resolve. The administrators could possibly try to have more staff outings or social

events in order to create a greater sense of community. As a result, more friendships could

possibly be developed. Although HPPL appears to have some opportunities for improvement,

the library appears to be on the right path to achieving their primary goals.

V. Conclusion and Recommendations

In general, High Point Public Library is doing a fairly decent job in satisfying customers.

There are a few areas that need some strengthening for both the patrons and employees. The

patrons are mostly dissatisfied with small things that plague most libraries, such as noisy areas.

Team Two suggests that the library put in group spaces as well as designated silent areas. This

action could provide a solution to the needs of the patrons. A few patrons also complained about

not having all of the books in a series. High Point Public Librarys selection staff should address

this particular problem and see it as a legitimate detriment to the encouragement of reading. If a

library only purchases the first book or a select few books in a series, then patrons could possibly


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be discouraged by the lack of access to the complete series. Lack of access could discourage

patrons to use other library services because this particular service was not provided

successfully.

A majority of High Point Public Library's employees surveyed appeared satisfied with

their overall work atmosphere, but two questions elicited an observable amount of negative

responses. Some employees felt that they do not get enough praise from administrators and indicated

that they did not have a best friend at work. Team Two suggests that the library provides more

opportunities for the employees to socialize with each other in order to build more strong friendships. We

also suggest that the management promotes opening dialogue between staff and tries to promote a

positive atmosphere. Also, administrators should praise employees on a more regular basis.

VI. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Needs Assessment

Working with the library

The librarys administration was very open to the needs assessment request and generous in

sharing their data, such as user surveys and strategic plan. Only about 20% of the library staff responded

to the staff survey however. This is perhaps due to a strategic planning process that occurred within the

past 2 years. Some staff members had been asked to complete a similar questionnaire that resulted in

some minor conflicts within some divisions. In spite of being reassured that their responses were solely

for this project and that they would not be identified in any way to management or administration, some

may still have been apprehensive about openly sharing work experiences again.


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Weaknessesof Needs Assessment

Most of Team Twos difficulties resulted from a lackof data. As mentioned earlier we

had some problems with collecting a substantial amount of surveys for the HPPL staff. Team

Two also encountered some difficulty with collecting a significant amount of external customer

data. In the process of data collection, many of the external customers did not answer some of

the questions or they did not answer questions clearly. Also, the sample size was relatively small

for the service population. A more substantial number of surveys would have made for more a

more valid, reliable, and powerful needs assessment. Perhaps providing an incentive for external

and internal customers would have fostered more participation in the data collection process.

In retrospect, Team Two may have been more successful if we had used an online survey

developing system such as Survey Monkey in order to have a fully anonymous system for the employee

surveys as well as required all responses to be on a number scale for the customer satisfaction surveys.

This could have helped us to quantify our information and we may have received more responses as well.

Its also difficult that we have no demographic data on the users, as we were not involved with the

collection of data directly from users. As a result of Team Twos lack of demographic information, we

were unable to tell if the respondents are accurate representations of the community at large or if they are

simply a vocal minority.

Strengths of Needs Assessment

During the needs assessment process we did have certain advantages that allowed for

certain strengths in our data. One of our group members is employed by the library so we had

more access to data and employees. This allowed us to use external customer satisfaction survey

data that was already being collected over an extended amount of time. The fact that the external

customer satisfaction data was being collected over an extended amount of time allowed for a


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sample group that could possibly be more diverse and less limited. We also had access to

external customer data concerning both regular users and power users. Team Two had access to

data from the web surveys for the regular users as well as power user data taken from surveys at

Loyalty Luncheons.

General Lessons Learned

Delegating a project manager from the outset is key. Our group was somewhat disorganized, in

that there was an implied nomination of leadership, but it was never said outright. Perhaps if we had

delegated a project manager from day one, we would have been more focused in class for our group

meetings and might have accomplished a lot of the project sooner than we did.

VII. Appendices

Appendix 1

Customer Satisfaction Survey

1. Did you find what you needed today?

2. If not, did the staff suggest alternatives or refer you to another agency?

3. Was the staff member that assisted you helpful and friendly?

4. What were your impressions of the library?

5. How would you rate your library on a scale of 0-10?

6. If not a 9 or 10, what could we have done differently to earn a 9 or 10?


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7. How likely would you be to recommend HPPL to family or friends on scale of 0-10?

Appendix 2

Employee Survey: Revised FBAR 12 Questions

1. Do I know what is required of me in the workplace?

2. Do I have the proper tools to complete my workplace tasks properly?

3. Do I have the opportunity to exercise my talents in the workplace on a weekly basis?

4. Do I receive praise and recognition to my performance on a weekly basis?

5. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me?

6. Is my development in the workplace encouraged?

7. Are my thoughts and ideas valued and validated at work?

8. Do I identify with the mission of the organization and derive a sense of purpose from it?

9. Do my co-workers feel that doing quality work is important?

10. Is there someone at work that I consider to be a best friend?

11. Am I talked to about my performance at least semi-annually?

12. Am I provided with opportunities to learn and grow within a year?


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Appendix 3

High Point Public Librarys Strategic Plan

Appendix 4

Customer Satisfaction Survey Data

Customer Survey Data
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Appendix 5

Employee Survey Data

Employee Survey Data
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