If a museum is trying to improve visitor satisfaction, grow and diversify their audience, or engage with their community, they must focus on the experience visitors have inside the museum. Unfortunately, some people don't visit museums because they have had a previous negative experience, or they simply don't feel museums are for people like them. Not only do we need to win back those who we haven't welcomed properly in the past, we need to be sure we don't turn off any more potential visitors. Once you've decided to prioritize the visitor experience, you may discover that you don't have the tools you need to truly implement change for your visitors. An Executive Director may support the concept but doesn't have the time or specific expertise to implement a new program. A Visitor Services Manager may have been promoted from the front line and has great customer service and coaching skills but doesn't have experience crafting institutional change. Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museum Professionals can help these museum professionals design a program that is specific to their institution. Its Table of Contents shows how the book offers a step-by-step guide to doing just that: Chapter 1: Focus on the Visitor Experience Chapter 2: Understanding Museum Visitors and the Impact of the Visitor Experience Chapter 3: Learning About Your Visitors Chapter 4: Visitor Mapping: Charting Visitor Routes Through Your Institution Chapter 5: Start with the Basics: Making the Museum Itself Welcoming Chapter 6: Articulating What Service Means to You Chapter 7: Determining the Structure of Your Front-Line Team Chapter 8: Merging Security and Service Chapter 9: Hiring Your Dream Team Chapter 10: Training to Develop a Dynamic Service Team Chapter 11: Building Strong Morale and a Professional Front-Line Team Chapter 12: Developing a Culture of Service Throughout the Museum Use this authoritative, practical guide from the American Alliance of Museums to help your museum create great visitor experiences.
Colleen Higginbotham is the Deputy Director for Visitor Experience at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA. She has over 25 years of customer service management experience and is passionate about creating individual experiences and matching the right service to the right visitor.
This useful and practical guide for front-line museum professionals offers a framework for ensuring stronger museum experiences by illuminating the important touchpoints and opportunities for meaningful connections between visitors and staff. -- Antoniette M. Guglielmo, Ph.D., Director, Museum Leadership Institute Colleen Higginbotham translates her years of experience and insights from the front lines into a blueprint for organizations looking to debunk that myth that museums can't be secure and welcoming at the same time. Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museum Professionals is a must-have volume for museums of every size and content area. -- Anne Corso, Executive Director, Southern Vermont Arts Center
