Developing a quality assurance program for online services

Area of Science:

• Library and Information Science
• Health Sciences Information Management

Background:

• Quality assurance (QA) programs are essential for setting training standards and monitoring service practices.
• Continuous monitoring and correction of shortcomings are key components of effective QA.
• Customer satisfaction with online services is influenced by specific criteria such as reliability and responsiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a quality assurance program for online services at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library (CMHSL).
• To evaluate online services against established criteria linked to customer satisfaction.
• To identify and rectify deficiencies in online library services.

Main Methods:

• The study employed a typical QA cycle: subject selection, standard establishment, service evaluation, problem identification, solution implementation, and reevaluation.
• Specific criteria for customer satisfaction (reliability, responsiveness, approachability, communication, physical factors) were used.
• Existing online services were reviewed against these criteria.

Main Results:

• The QA program identified specific problems within various online service areas.
• Solutions were implemented to address the identified deficiencies.
• The application of the QA cycle provided a model for intervention and improvement.

Conclusions:

• The QA cycle effectively enhances online service quality in health sciences libraries.
• The principles of QA can be extended to improve other library service areas.
• Implementing a structured QA program leads to better customer satisfaction with online services.