Highland libraries get customer services recognition
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Libraries in the Highlands have been rewarded with top marks in a customer service accreditation.
High Life Highland operates the region's libraries on behalf of Highland Council including those at Wick and Thurso.
Now the teams running the service on a day-to-day basis have retained their Customer Service Excellence award, achieving 100 per cent full compliance with the award’s criteria.
Julie Corcoran, HLH’s head of libraries said: “The Customer Service Excellence award has been developed by the Cabinet Office to acknowledge excellence in public services.
“Services like HLH Libraries have to demonstrate that they understand their customers’ needs; that staff consistently focus on providing good customer service; and that services are of high quality and are easily accessed.”
Highland libraries have held the award since 2015 and to retain accreditation, services must be reassessed on an annual basis against the relevant customer service criteria.
Ms Corcoran said: “Although High Life Highland libraries had to achieve a minimum of 80 per cent compliance against 57 criteria, I am both delighted and proud that as a team we managed to achieve 100 per cent full compliance – and even more delighted to be informed that we were also recognised as being a 'Compliance Plus' sector leading, on 24 of the criteria.”
As part of the evaluation process, an external assessor visited a selection of libraries where they were observed ‘in-action’, further supported by discussions taking place with customers, partners and staff.
All the customers spoken to by the assessor commended the staff and were pleased with the service delivery. Interviewees ranged in age from children of just four years old to borrowers in their late nineties.
Steve Walsh, High Life Highland’s chief executive said: "I'm delighted that HLH has been able to retain this prestigious award. The results clearly recognise the hard work of our library staff and demonstrates their commitment to keep listening and responding to our customers' changing needs. The library team should be extremely proud of this achievement."
