Participatory and anthropological studies have blended with library customer service design and feedback practices as ways to engage users in deeper and more meaningful conversations about their needs. Formal user studies can be cumbersome, expensive, and time consuming however. Sometimes asking a simple question will work just as effectively in…

Excessive alcohol consumption can result from illegal sales to intoxicated patrons at bars and restaurants. We surveyed bar/restaurant managers about their practices in reducing illegal sales to intoxicated patrons. We found that managers were confident that they could refuse service to intoxicated customers but were less likely to have…

The quality of higher education systems currently represents a major challenge for the development of societies. In Morocco, engineering education is at the heart of this development, it is a major and necessary lever which, due to an increasingly demanding job market, faces several challenges. According to Moroccan Directorate for Strategies and…

The increase of individualised customer demands and tough competition in the manufacturing sector gave rise to more customer-centric operations management such as products and services (mass) customisation. Mass customisation (MC), which inherits the "economy of scale" from mass production (MP), aims to meet specific customer demands…

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is becoming the basis for business. Most businesses use it to improve the customer experience. The education community is just beginning to find ways to successfully implement AI for staff and students. Artificial Intelligence should be leveraged to create a better student experience. For example, Elon…

Quality aims at meeting customer satisfaction through its various attributes in a product, process or system. Quality has to meet the requirements of a competitive environment, offer good price for cost and meet customer satisfaction. In the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system, quality means the special attributes of ODL, such as being…

Examines a university's year-long project within student services designed to improve services for its customers, primarily the student body. Discusses Strategic Quality Measurements (SQM) and outlines the current program's inception. Offers advice to university administrators who may wish to initiate their own SQM program. (RJM)

Lean thinking is a methodology employed initially by manufacturing organizations such as Toyota and New Balance that aims to increase customer value whilst also maintaining a low level of waste. The Lean thinking tools and techniques employed in the manufacturing sector can also be transferred to other sectors and significantly improve the service…

Objectives: In an effort to reduce HIV transmission among injection drug users (IDUs), New York State deregulated pharmacy syringe sales in 2001 through the Expanded Syringe Access Program by removing the requirement of a prescription. With evidence suggesting pharmacists' ability to expand their public health role, a structural, pharmacy-based…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore international postgraduate students' expectations of UK university education, covering various aspects of student expectation at a leading business school in Scotland. The authors present in this paper the findings from the qualitative stage of this study, offering a fresh insight into the factors…

Library public services staff have primarily focused on providing services through interactions with their users. Although service quality and customer satisfaction are important in the delivery of these services, the emphasis and nature of the work have often been influenced by a library-centric philosophy rather than a user-centric philosophy.…

Offers some key business principles with the hope of helping educational facilities managers improve their operations. Looks at customer service, disparate databases, technological concerns, the mission of facility management, how to improve the bottom line, staffing ideas, future planning, and management suggestions. Lists seven habits of…

Library literature and blogs frequently discuss customer service and user experience in physical libraries and Web sites, but little is said about this mentality toward services for distance learners specifically. This paper takes customer service best practices from well-known thinkers of the business world and makes connections to services for…

Purpose: The rapid adoption of social media has resulted in a fundamental shift in the way communication and collaboration take place. While social media is recognized as an important marketing communication tool, it has become overlooked how social media marketing activities (user-generated and firm-generated content) influence brand equity…

Some higher education management departments have started to implement customer service orientation strategies in their marketing activities in order to solidify value exchange perceptions, differentiate themselves, and improve retention rates. However, if students are to get the most out of their academic experiences, they need to become…