Taking the Holistic View: Building a customer feedback database.

Selena KillickLibrary Services Manager (Student Engagement)The Open University

@SelenaKillick

The Open University• Open to People, Places, Methods and Ideas• The UK’s only university dedicated to distance

learning• Over 173,000 students• 30% of new OU undergraduates are under 25

The Open University Library• A trusted, leading-edge service at the heart of

the Open University learning experience• Over 600,000 books, 65% electronic• Over 98,000 serials, 100% electronic• Team of 70 colleagues• Embedded Digital & Information Literacy Skills• 24/7 Virtual Library Helpdesk

Bit about me• Currently Library Service Manager

(Student Engagement)• “lead the strategy, planning and evaluation

of a consistent student experience within Library Services”

• Previously • Library Quality Officer, Cranfield U• LibQUAL+ European Administrator

Building a Customer Feedback Database

Customer Feeback

Focus Groups & Interviews

Social Media

Surveys

Email

Usability Testing

Meeting Minutes

Annual Quality Reviews

Comments

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. - Aristotle 

Recommendations• Systematic analysis of all qualitative data• Use qualitative software & grounded

theory• Review feedback by topic not mechanism• Exploit feedback in strategic planning • Provide ad-hoc feedback query service

for Library Staff• Share feedback outside of the Library

Developing the Database (Phase 1)• Built on initial research• Moved to NVivo• Incorporated more data• Cascading of project to colleagues• No training undertaken• Solo working

Developing the Database(Phase 2)

• Feedback Champions• Staff Development• Grounded Theory• Shared Taxonomy

NVivo Source File Types• Text • Images• Audio & video• Spreadsheets• Databases

• Webpages• Social media• Emails• Evernote, OneNote• Survey Monkey

We assess to improve…

…not to prove.

- Oakleaf 

Proactive

Leadership Team Reports

Faculty Reporting

Annual Unit Planning

Reactive

High-Level Data Requests

Ad Hoc Research

Complaint Investigation

Exploiting the Data

Querying the Data

Topic Opinion Date

User type

Study Mode

Discipline

Age Gender Source

Examples of use• What are our key customer concerns and

how are these changing?• What do the Arts students think of the

Library collection?• What reference management software

are our customers using?• What packages do our Alumni want to

access?• For those who are unhappy, what

opening hours do the customers want?

Top Tips

Team work

Staff development

Data exploitation

…and Remember…

Thank you!Selena KillickLibrary Services Manager (Student Engagement)

Selena.Killick@open.ac.uk

@SelenaKillick