Customer relationship management in libraries

The motto “the customer is always right” has always been one of the fundamental principles applied by successful trade and service organizations. This principle is completely true for libraries as well. A library as an organization in which the quality of the services has a close link with research, development, cultural and the fundamental academic issues of the society, need to plan for presenting the best services. Communicating with users and providing them with personal service helps libraries reach their goals and effectively present their services. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an appropriate strategy for identifying the needs of users and having a permanent and mutual relationship between libraries and users. This produces satisfaction for current users of the library and attracts new users. This article explains the concept of CRM, the features of CRM systems, its advantages in libraries and the necessity of applying the strategy in today’s libraries.