1. Librarian Expertise in Customer Resource Management
Madison Bolls & Shari Clayman
ASRC Primus – Contractors with the EPA

2. Using a CRM at EPA Agenda: History of the CRM
What using a CRM has done for EPA
How a CRM works

3. What is a CRM? Customer Resource Management
Tool used to manage a company’s interactions with its customers
Organizes
Automates
Synchronizes

4. Background 90,000+ email inquiries per month received by EPA offices
Hotlines could receive additional monthly inquiries each
Broad range of inquiries including:
Technical problems
Environmental topics
EPA program issues

5. The Challenges Everyone does their own thing
Can’t comprehensively track, analyze or share the information in replies
Unable to effectively identify gaps and overlaps in the information
No way to guarantee consistent and timely responses
No feedback loop to revise Web sites in response to inquiries and comments

6. Our Needs We needed a system that:
Ensured that all incoming inquiries/comments are effectively routed, managed, tracked, answered and measured
Centralized system that combined different modules – FAQs, inquiry response, possibly chat
Was easy to use on the customer side and the administrative side
Allowed for centralizing some features while leaving others with program/Region offices

7. The Solution Adopted an Agency-wide CRM system
Five offices joined the pilot – most employ a knowledgebase of FAQs and customer inquiry module
Fundamentally changes the quality of customer service
% reduction
% call reduction
Saves the agency a lot of money
Home page – $170K per year
Superfund- $130K per year
Wastes - $693K per year (eliminated call center)

8. knowledgebase management,
The Library Team
Library team is chosen as the system-wide administrators because:
We were already effectively running a reference support system that was getting about 1000 inquiries a month – we could assist in identifying specifications for a potential enterprise system
Our team of librarians had experience with the full spectrum of needs:
reference support,
website management,
knowledgebase management,
customer service, and
vendor interaction

9. Today We manage 24 different departments
Act as the liaison between the vendor and software users
Created and maintain our own portal to field technical questions, requests for customization, etc
Conduct on-boarding activities and training
Answer public inquiries as well as act as administrators

10. 24 EPA Departments AirNow Energy Star Portfolio Manager Radiation IAQ
RCRA Waste
Safewater
TRI
Superfund
Climate Change
Toxics
Pesticides
Enforcement and Compliance
MOVES
Fuels Programs
Emergency Management
Environmental Knowledgebase
Superfund Web Change
Ask a Librarian
Human Resources
System of Registries
EPA Collaboration
EZ Tech
CRM Support

11. What do they look like?

12. Portal Accessibility
Web portal accessible through the Epa.gov website (hosted on vendor server)

13. Environmental Knowledgebase
Open to all subjects relevant to the EPA mission
Review FAQs & submit questions
On average, the FAQs are viewed 104,419 times per month
On average 271 tickets submitted per month
EPA has 10 business day timeline to answer tickets

14. Ask a Librarian
The EPA Library Network took on the tool to work in library services for EPA staff
Format mirrors that of Public Access: FAQs & tickets, with added live chat
Assistance with library services, available resources, research requests
Location-based for maximum service quality
“Follow the sun” workflow model

15. The Service Desk

16. Managing Staff & Quality Assurance
Staff have individual login accounts
Tracking for Staff actions, ticket and chat histories, and FAQ edit histories
Standard text for consistent responses and information
Established timeline & procedures for editing & updating the FAQs
Reporting functionalities

17. Consistency with the EPA Website
Streamline user experience with EPA site navigation
Edits to taxonomy & content needed to work with the websites
Improve the look and feel of the portal for positive customer experience

18. Overcoming Ongoing Challenges
Consistency between departments and managing expectations
Consistency and communication with departments that do not have the tool
Keeping up with technology and patron needs

19. In Conclusion!
Using our information management expertise, we can adapt a made-for-business tool to provide consistent reference and support services for all patrons internal and external to government libraries!

20. Questions? Contact us
Madison Bolls, Public Access/Internet Reference Librarian
ASRC Federal Primus, contractor to EPA
Shari Clayman, Public Access/Internet Reference Librarian
ASRC Federal Primus, contractor to EPA
Deborah Balsamo, Library Network Program Manager