Marketing of virtual chat based reference services in New Zealand

Abstract

Chat based reference services are a comparably new method of providing reference services, however their success has been at best mixed, with reports from overseas of low use and even the discontinuation of services. As this type of reference service is relatively new, levels of customer awareness and satisfaction could be greatly improved by marketing the services effectively. The need to market new services in the changing information climate with increasing competition and rising costs is well documented; however there has been little research specifically in the area of the marketing of virtual chat based reference services. To investigate this further a qualitative study of marketing strategies and practices of virtual chat based reference services in New Zealand was undertaken to investigate the marketing strategies, or lack thereof, employed by the providers of virtual reference services in New Zealand and to examine the rationale behind these strategies. Managers responsible for the marketing of the virtual chat based reference services in institutions were interviewed. For triangulation purposes, websites of the service providers were also examined and some organisations supplied marketing plans for analysis. The study used both a transactional and relational marketing theoretical approach to provide a well rounded account of different facets of marketing being undertaken. The study concludes that there is significant variation in both the amount and form of marketing being undertaken by virtual chat based reference service providers in New Zealand. The major driver behind the marketing was the desire to increase customer awareness of the service, but staffing and budget concerns caused restrictions. Strategic marketing planning was not widely implemented and a "soft approach" was favoured. The soft approach was taken mainly because of staffing and budget concerns, and also as a means of gently increasing numbers while trialling the service. Most marketing activities were promotional in nature, though innovative marketing uses of the online environment and websites were being employed. The study also uncovered that although most institutions favoured a transactional marketing approach as opposed to a relational approach, there were some very interesting examples of relationship marketing occurring especially in the area of alliance forming, showing that they do occur in tandem in the marketing of chat based reference services in New Zealand.