Appendix E

Report on Customer Service, Compact with Texans, and Customer-related Performance Measures

Report on Customer Service

Inventory of External Customers

Note: Since some customer groups are served by more than one strategy, the number of customers in the inventory was only assigned to the strategy that served the most customers in FY1999; amounts that would be duplicative are shown as "included."

Service Descriptions

Information-Gathering Methods

All data reported regarding customer satisfaction is from data that was collected during the agency's normal course of business. Libraries and librarians were surveyed to determine their satisfaction with the services they received.

• Each significant workshop the agency conducts ends with an evaluation form; participants are asked a number of questions regarding their opinion of the training, including, "Overall, I considered this workshop to be." They score their answers on a scale from 1 (low) to 7 (high).
• Talking Book users are surveyed toward the end of the second year of the biennium, as are agencies and local governments receiving records management or imaging services.
• Public libraries are surveyed for their opinion of the Reading Club program materials. Academic libraries are asked their opinion of the TexShare program and services.
• Researchers who ask reference questions are surveyed on sample days regarding whether or not they were satisfied with the answer(s) they received; this is done with a "yes/no" question.

While libraries were not surveyed regarding their opinion of the services of the Texas Library System, the interlibrary loan program, or the State Publications Clearinghouse, surveys of these services will be conducted toward the end of the current biennium.

Customer Satisfaction

Table 1: Percent of Customers Satisfied

Table 2: Percent Customers identifying ways to improve service delivery

Table 3: Number of Customers Surveyed Table 4: Cost per Customer Surveyed

Table 5: Customers Served, Customers Identified, and Customer Groups Inventoried

Analysis of Findings

Almost 95 percent of the customers of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission are satisfied with the services they receive. About 13 percent made suggestions for improvement. A total of 9,250 customers were asked their opinion of the agency services. Of these, 2,816 responded in a meaningful way, and over 2,660 indicated some level of satisfaction.

While the 9,250 surveyed represents only 0.3 percent of the total served, there would be significant problems in surveying the general public who use public and academic libraries across the state. Because programs that serve these customers provide their services to or through the public and academic libraries, it would be almost impossible for the agency's services to be differentiated from the local library's services. Should we ask a library user their opinion of the services, the answer would reflect what they thought of the staff, resources, and facilities provided by that community or college, which are generally outside our scope of control. We seek the opinions of the librarians, with the expectation that their level of satisfaction will be representative of their patrons' satisfaction. Therefore, excluding the general public served, we surveyed 11.6 percent of the customers we served.

The customer opinions were gathered as part of the standard, ongoing evaluation of agency services; this process focuses on an assessment of the customer's overall satisfaction of the service, rather their specific opinions of the facilities, staff, communications, Internet site, complaint-handling process, service timeliness and printed information. Some of these (e.g., facilities, complaint-handling process) are not particularly relevant or pertain to a very small number of customers. While we will attempt to gather information on the other service quality elements in future surveys, we will limit the questions asked, to increase the likelihood of receiving a meaningful response from the maximum number of customers.

We anticipate the estimated performance for fiscal year 2000 will be similar to the 1999 results.

Customer Service Representative

The customer service representative for the State Library is Edward Seidenberg, Assistant State Librarian. He is located in Room 205 of the Lorenzo State Library and Archives Building (1201 Brazos St, Austin, Texas). He may be reached by writing: PO Box 12927, Austin, Texas 78711-2927; or deputydirector@tsl.texas.gov; by phone at 512-463-5460; or by fax at 512-463-5436.

Compact with Texans

Introduction

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is a state agency that provides a wide variety of informational, library, archival, and records management services. We serve a diverse customer base of individuals, along with state and local agencies and institutions.

Services of the State Library and Archives Commission

• Grant funding, technical assistance, and continuing education support for the establishment, expansion, and improvement of public library services statewide
• Technical assistance for state and local records managers
• Recorded books and magazines for Texans who are blind or physically handicapped
• Safe, economical storage of print and electronic records for state agencies
• Preservation of historically significant state records and documents
• Access to state and federal government documents
• Access to specialized genealogical materials
• Support for interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing programs among all types of libraries.

Service Principles and Goals

The State Library and Archives Commission is dedicated to the highest standards of customer service. The Library regularly tests customer satisfaction with services and the manner in which services are delivered, and make improvements based on customer feedback.

Service Objectives and Standards

We endeavor to respond to 90 percent of customer requests for technical or reference assistance within three workdays. When requests require research or in-depth investigation for longer than twenty work days, we try to inform the customer of the anticipated timeframe. Due to the volume of requests and staffing limitations, requests for copies of Confederate Pension Applications, Texas Adjutant General Service Records, or similar archival documents may take as long as 4 to 10 weeks for processing.

Information, Suggestion and Complaint Process

The Library and Archives Commission welcomes all requests for information and suggestions. We will provide a timely response to complaints. Feedback or comments made anonymously will also be valued and taken into consideration.

Suggestions or requests for information may be submitted in person, by telephone, by e-mail, or in writing to the Customer Service Representative or to any unit of the agency. When appropriate, the suggestion and any follow-up will be acknowledged.

The agency's formal complaint procedures are detailed in the Texas Administrative Code (Title 13, Section 2.25). These complaints will be acknowledged within five working days, and a written response will be provided within twenty working days.

Informal complaints regarding the Commission's services, staff, or facilities may be directed to our Customer Service Representative.

Customer Service Representative:

Edward Seidenberg, Assistant State Librarian

1201 Brazos Street, Austin, Texas

P.O. Box 12927, Austin, Texas 78711-2927

Phone: 512-463-5460 Fax: 512-463-5436

E-mail: deputydirector@tsl.texas.gov

Customer-Related Performance Measures

Percentage of Surveyed Customer Respondents Expressing

Overall Satisfaction with Services Received

.

Percentage of Surveyed Customer Respondents Identifying

Ways to Improve Service Delivery

Customer Service Output Measures

Number of Customers Surveyed

.

Number of Customers Served

Customer Service Efficiency Measures

Cost per Customer Surveyed

Customer Service Explanatory Measures

Number of Customers Identified

.

Number of Customer Groups Inventoried

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Agency Strategic Plan Table of Contents

Appendix F: Survey of Organizational Excellence Results