Join us Tuesday March 6, 2012 as we discuss the transition from the traditional library to a collaborative learning space that embraces digital technologies and tools.

Don Rokusek, Program Director for Destiny for Follett Software Company, and John Williams, Director of Digital Products, for Follett Library Resources will discuss "Managing the Digital Paradigm Shift in the School Library". They will be discussing some of the biggest concerns for librarians today including:

• Challenges and opportunities that schools and libraries face in managing and accessing content.
• The variety of mobile devices available for educators and where their budget dollars are best spent.

The problems that Destiny Library Manager and Follett Shelf products help solve for school libraries.

Don't miss this engaging opportunity to learn more about Follett's role in the services and products it offers to help school libraries shift into learning libraries.  Tune into EdTalk Radio tomorrow at 1 p.m CST.

If you have been instrumental in transforming your school library from a more traditional library into a learning library we'd love to hear from you.  Please share your story with us in the comments below.

People often ask me what I do and I tell them I am a Customer Relationship Management Specialist or a CRM Specialist.  I tell them basically, my job is to make sure my customers are happy.  Everything I do boils down to this. 
Some people think of me as an insurance policy, however for many of the customers I help pave the way for them for any issue, concern or question they have.  I know them, understand their needs and help bring these back to Follett Software Company so that the company has a better understanding of their needs.  From support renewals to hardware requirements for servers, I help get them the information they need. 
I provide sneak peek information about new upgrades to the customers.  I have been known to be a shoulder to cry or vent upon and also someone my customers can count on to advise them on the best way to do a district-wide inventory of Textbooks.  I discuss the best practices of all aspects of textbook management and proofread processes my customers have created to make sure they haven’t left anything out.
 I am a friend that when they get a bill they weren’t expecting they can send me an email that says” OMG” and then a follow up call to work through the best way to get the bill paid.  I am the person that will go to bat for them with an enhancement request and monitor it to make sure once it is put in the product I let them know.

Making all of these little things work makes a happy and appreciative customer.

When Sherri isn't busy making the little things right for her customers  she likes to read and cook.  In the summer she gardens and enjoys riding her pontoon around the lake. 

The most gratifying thing to me about what I do on a daily basis is when I am able to make a difference for the customer. As a retention specialist I am charged with making sure that the customer is aware of and understands their support renewal, but I also need to be sure that the experience is one that shows them that they are important to Follett Software, not just some number. I believe that the key to this is being flexible and trying to understand each individual customer’s needs. I work with districts of all sizes and individual schools all across the country. Each person I speak to has a unique need, question, and situation. What works for a large district will not work for a small school district, or perhaps even another large district.

As an example, there is a large district that has a very restricted purchasing procedure, and timeframe. Every year we get more questions about the renewal process and the purchasing process. These questions are often because the schools didn’t understand what they needed to do and when it needed to be done.

This year I decided that the best way to communicate effectively and pro-actively with this district was sending out letters in the spring with the information that they would need when the time came to renew support after they returned to school. The effort was very rewarding for me, the schools, and the district. The schools were prepared with the information they needed to put into the budget before school was out, and they had the instructions on how to order through their procurement system when they returned to school.

I received an email from a contact at the district telling me that the questions were fewer than they had ever been, and people were better prepared and ready to get the renewal done than she had ever seen before. That is what makes my job important, helping the customers in ways that reflect the unique needs they each have.

I love that I have to be creative, knowledgeable, and flexible in my day to day work, and when I see that it has had a positive impact on a customer it makes it all the more rewarding.

Sarah Stegman is a Customer Service Specialist at Follett Software with a knack for proactive thinking. When Sarah isn't serving customers she enjoys spending time with her daughter, working on her personal blog, and going to school part-time to become an educator. She loves a good book or crochet.

What is one situation in this past year that you have been proactive and that has had a positive impact on your school, library, district or organization? We want to know. Please share with us in the comments below.

Gail Gibson assists our customers in understanding payment terms, invoicing, aligning expiration dates and other processes. They work to get the districts terms that will fit their ability to pay as well as escalate their support internally so that customers do not experience an interruption in services.

What is the most important service skill that you need to have in your day-to-day business?

Listening skills have got to be sharp so that we hear what the customer is saying, understand what the customer actually wants and then we can respond appropriately to their need(s), keeping them a satisfied, loyal customer.---Gail Gibson

What’s an extra step you’ve taken with a customer in the past that went above and beyond your services and products just to be helpful?

When identifying that a librarian is new to Follett, I will take the extra time (sometimes up to 45 min) to start at the beginning and explain Customer Service options, Tech Support options, our website, our tutorials, and our hours of availability and contact phone numbers. I then continue on to explain our auto-renewal invoicing procedure and the timeline they can expect.

Every librarian that I have done this with has been very appreciative and said that they found this very helpful. It really tickles me, because I don’t think many ‘bill collectors’ are appreciated by their clients.—Gail Gibson

What have you seen over the past year that has been an increasing need of customers that Follett has been able to address?

The biggest hurdle that I see schools and libraries face today is funds. Not raising our prices has been helpful. The biggest benefit in my opinion is that we incorporated One Search in version 9.9 of Destiny. This has saved hundreds to thousands of dollars for our customers that were subscribed to OS and it adds new value for our customers who were not previously subscribed to One Serach.—Gail Gibson

What do you love most about working with customers?

Each day brings new experiences or challenges for me. Helping a school or district align so that they can meet their financial commitment with us on time and helping the customer see the value in the continuation of their products or services is very gratifying. I enjoy speaking with people across the country, finding out what the temperature is in Alaska today to hearing about the devastation or impact of a recent tornado and it’s affects on a school or district.—Gail Gibson

Who/What companies are your customer service heroes?

The person who is my customer service hero is Beth Cherveny, my boss. In all of my observations of Beth I have always seen her put the customer first. Everything she does revolves around how we improve and change procedures to make our retention processes flow better, faster, more efficiently. She strives to keep our customers engaged.

The company that is my customer service hero is Marriott. When I came to Follett, I was also working for Marriott part time. Their mission was to hire the right people, instill the Marriott philosophy, and empower associates to see that the customer has an outstanding experience. –Gail Gibson


What is the one thing you would tell customers about Follett that you think they would appreciate knowing?

We are always striving to find new ways to meet their educational/classroom challenges so they can devote their precious time to their students’ learning experience. –Gail Gibson

Describe your typical day and how you know you’ve made a difference in a customer’s world by the end of the day.
My Typical day involves contacting customers via e-mail or phone and securing a commitment for payment of their past due/expired support and/or services. Frequently the invoices we send can get lost in the shuffle of paperwork at a school district. I know I’ve made a difference when I identify the correct contact and get that commitment because the librarian and students will not be impacted by an interruption of online service or support. -Gail Gibson

How do you make sure that you are listening to your students or co-workers, being careful to take the time to devote to their problems without rushing through or making assumptions about their needs? We'd love to hear your experience, please share it in the comment below.

Gail Gibson is a customer service specialist whose dedication to the details makes her service second to none. In her time away from serving customers Gail loves to spend time with her grandchildren. Whether they're watching a DVD and having popcorn, or out on the lake fishing or cleaning up the yard. She finds great joy in watching them grow an develop, seeing how they approach different challenges and take pride in their successes. Gail thinks grandkids are just the best.

We are all customers, whether it be calling your wireless provider or looking for assistance within your own organization.  From personal experience we know the difference between good customer service and bad customer service. We know the way we would like to be treated. We know how it makes us feel as a “customer” when someone really takes the time to listen and help through an issue.  Taking the time and showing interest in a customer, in its simplest form, is nothing more than the need to understand how their issues impact them and the people they are either accountable to or accountable for. 

What Helping a Customer Means In My Day to Day Role at Follett Software

What I like about the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) role is the ability to have a long-term connection with my customers.  CRM allows me to continue the relationship with the customer.  Imagine, if you had a direct link to the same contact every time you called Microsoft or ComEd.  Imagine if you had someone who knew your name, knew your voice, and knew your past issues.  It would feel a friend calling and saying to you, “I have an issue can you help me?” You would know that your friend would use all of their resources to help resolve a situation and give valuable input based on your own specific needs.  That is the role that I get to fill in Customer Service at Follett Software Company.

Sometimes It Takes a Team to Make a Software Implementation Go Right

I have been with Follett for almost 21 years and have worked with countless districts over my tenure. My goal is always to make them feel that I am there for them.  One of my school districts was in the process of an implementation of a SIF (Schools Interoperability Framework) agent from an outside vendor.   The implementation was a painful process for them from the onset.

We worked with the school district and SIF agent as a team.  This team consisted of several Follett Software members, including a group of developers and two outside vendors.  The team had several conference calls with the SIF agent to be able to investigate and troubleshoot the issues together.  Because of this team involvement we were able to collaboratively diagnose the problem. 

Our team’s troubleshooting effort resulted in an engineering modification from the SIF agent vendor.  We were able to strategize an alternate plan to help the customer in the short term until the long term effort was completed and in place.  Helping the customer by working with their SIF agent showed them we were listening and cared about the frustration they were feeling and we were willing to use all resources available to help to resolve the issue.

Customer Services Means Caring About Peoples' Issues

My approach is simple.  My customers’ issues are my issues no matter where the problem originated.  It reinforces that my organization is committed to showing our customers the same loyalties that they have shown us by being a Follett Software Customer.

Dawn Kovac
Customer Service Specialist

What has been your most memorable team experience this past year in your school district, library or classroom that involved implementing technology?  We want to know.  Please share with us by commenting on our blog.

Dawn has got listening down to a fine science at Follett Software.  When she's not busy solving the needs of her clients, she enjoys spending time with her 3 children, playing golf, spiking volleyballs, and skiing the slopes.

Over the last year’s conversations with many customers I’ve been struck by the incredible growth of hand held devices in the schools.  It seems a year ago customers were looking ahead, saying “we want to be using” these devices.  Now, they’re buying them – Kindles, Nooks, tablets. And what’s more, students are using their own devices – BYOD in action. 

I think this Christmas season is going to explode the presence of these devices in schools. With the release of our Destiny Quest and Follett Digital Reader apps tied to Destiny 10.0, we are showing that Follett Software is growing along with our customers’ needs.
 
It’s such an exciting time to be involved with educational services, seeing first-hand the rapid changes in the way our children (yes, and grandchildren) will be learning in the future. 

Kathy Winstead, Specialist Customer Relationship Management

What type of an impact do you think that mobile devices and applications will make in your lesson planning? Have you adopted or integrated any mobile devices into your classrooms or learning libraries?  We'd love to know.  Please share by commenting on our blog.

Kathy keeps up with the pulse of Follett Software's evolving educational technology products for her clients.  When Kathy isn't busy navigating the digital landscape she enjoys reading and keeping in touch with friends and family around the country.

One of the most important service skills I’ve ever learned was one of my first.  It is also one of the simplest life lessons.  When I first started working in the corporate world, I worked for a very large company in New York City.  My job was to “float” wherever I was needed that day, whether it was filling in for an assistant, adding additional support for an internal team, or greeting people as a floor receptionist. 

The one job I dreaded the most was the possibility of having to fill in on the switchboard.  It truly was a switchboard with hundreds of calls coming in with callers needing to be connected to the right person.  The thought of having to connect people together made me panic.  Oh goodness, what if I dropped a call that was intended for the president of the company!?  Does anyone really know that I’m really nervous about speaking to people?!

Of course, my dreaded day came very quickly.  I walked in not very long after starting and was told I would need to cover the switchboard.  I began to sweat with panic.  I knew I couldn’t say no, so I marched down to the switchboard.  The lady that was to show me what to do was very kind and acknowledged that I was likely pretty scared about the task.  The first thing she said was “Remember to smile as you never know who’s on the other end or what kind of day they are having.  If you smile, they will hear it in your voice.” 

Her words have stayed with me over the course of my professional and personal life.  It is also a very important piece of why I love what I do in working with customers.  It helps me be a better listener.  It helps me facilitate conversations.  And, it lets me know that I am doing my best for each customer.  Our customers are our reason for being.

Michele Talbott, Specialist
Customer Relationship Management

What is your first memorable life lesson in the workplace?  We'd love to know.  Please share by commenting on our blog

Michele provides service with a smile at Follett Software.  When she's not smiling with her customers she enjoys spening time with her daughters and learning from them.  She also enjoys  staying healthy and fit.

At Follett Software, everyone contributes to the end product. Every associate drives toward the goal of furthering education through our services and offerings. What that all really means is we’ve got a whole bunch of folks at Follett Software who honestly care about the districts, librarians, and teachers they help and the K-12 kids and their parents who benefit from the software systems we design. 

We also realize that to know us is to know a dedicated group of people who really care about what we do every day and the market that we serve.  We are not machines but real people with some stories to share, personally and professionally.  We’ve got some geeky and traditionalist ways about us and we feel it’s time to let down our cyber hairs and show you Follett Software from the inside out.  From our folks in the warehouse to our developers you'll get to know who we are.  We want you to know what we think about the education industry but also what we are learning. 

We want to share our thoughts across our organization with you and we want to know what you think about what we are thinking.  We really do.  We want you to know who you are working with and what we stand for.  This is the mission of our Perspectives in Learning blog.

If you believe that our future, as a society, is in our youth, then going to work every day at an educational technology company is a big deal.  Each spoke in the wheel of Follett Software plays its part in making our services and software better.  We realize that we must evolve and our services and offerings must revolve around our clients.  While we talk, we must step back and do a whole lot of listening.

This is our story.  We want to know your story too.  Share with us by commenting on our blog.  Let's enjoy this education adventure together.

Stay tuned for our first series of blog posts from our associates in Customer Service and Tech Support...coming to the Perspectives in Learning Blog December 19, 2011.

Thanks for visiting our new blog. We'd like to meet you. Please introduce yourself in the comments below.