Build stronger relationships with your community by improving your customer service skills.

Course Description 

In this half-day, online course, you'll delve into the art of providing exceptional customer service tailored to diverse patron needs. Learn effective communication techniques to engage with patrons courteously and empathetically, fostering positive interactions and building lasting relationships. Discover best practices for handling inquiries, resolving complaints, and addressing challenging situations with confidence, compassion, and professionalism.

The live sessions run on Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 12:00 to 4:00 pm ET (recorded for on demand viewing). Don’t miss this opportunity!

Learning Outcomes

After you attend this course, you’ll be able to:

• Initiate connections and conversations with patrons

• Understand the key role of customer service in libraries and how to improve your customer service excellence

• Respond to common issues with kindness, empathy, and confidence 

• Grow your emotional intelligence skills to increase work relationships

• Use nonviolent communication to diffuse difficult patron interactions 

• Conduct yourself professionally over phone and email

• Maintain your personal boundaries without sacrificing excellent customer service

Who should take this course?

This course is geared toward frontline and other public-facing staff.

Course Features 

This will be a half-day online course and will include:

• Live sessions: Guest speaker presentations by leaders in their field. (All sessions are recorded for on demand access for six months after the course ends.) 

• Facilitated discussions: Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers.

• Early access on-demand resources: Access to a series of past live session archives from Library Journal and School Library Journal courses to explore at your own pace. 

• Online Classroom: The virtual learning platform that holds all course content and is accessible for six months after the course ends. 

Expected time commitment

If you attend or watch the recordings of all live sessions, you'll spend approximately 4 hours on this course. You'll earn 4 hours of PD credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion. 

On-demand access

All live guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on-demand for six months following the initial broadcast as a part of your purchase.

Certificate of completion 

Complete the course and earn 4 professional development credit hours. We provide a certificate that is emailed to you. 

Accessibility

All guest speaker sessions feature live captioning and are made available on demand after the initial broadcast. Please email libraryjournal@edmaker.co upon registration if you require any special accommodations and we will make our best efforts to facilitate them.

Support

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.

Group Rates

We offer discounts for groups of 3 or more. 

For larger groups of 15 or more, we offer the option to apply group rates across multiple courses to receive significant discounts. For more information, select “Bulk Course Credits Packages” in the form below. 

Request a group discount!

By registering for this event you confirm that you have read and agree to our Code of Conduct.

Half-Day Online Course | Thursday, February 27, 2025

Session 1 | 12:00-1:00 pm ET
The Why and How of Customer Service: Responding to Common Issues
How do you initiate a connection or conversation with someone? Why is customer service pivotal for library workers, and how can you improve your service excellence? And how can you respond to common issues that arise with patrons? This introductory session will highlight small, tangible ways you can enhance your customer service skills and build relationships with library users. 

Speaker: 

Elisabeth Marrocolla, Deputy Director at Darien Library 

Session 2 | 1:00-1:45 pm ET
Customer Service and Relationships: Building Emotional Intelligence
What is emotional intelligence and how can it help you improve your customer service? How do you work toward growing emotional intelligence when it's such an amorphous concept? This session will explore practical ways to grow your self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and emotional intelligence to create and build trust with colleagues and library users.

Speaker: 

Jolene Pickens, Leadership Consultant at Dame Leadership

Break | 1:45-2:00 pm ET

Session 3 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET
De-escalation Techniques: Communication and Customer Service in Difficult Situations
What is the role of communication in customer service, and what kind of communication is best to facilitate connection? What is nonviolent communication, and how can it help diffuse difficult patron interactions? This session will discuss tangible ways to de-escalate situations and navigate customer service during conflict and tension. 

Speaker:   

 
Kate Hall, Executive Director, Northbrook Public Library

Session 4 | 2:45-3:30 pm ET
Phone and Email Etiquette
How do you conduct yourself professionally on the phone and over email? The answer might seem obvious to some, but these are learned skills that shouldn't be taken for granted. This session will cover practical tips for maintaining excellent phone and email communication and customer service.

Speaker: 

Dr. Courtney Cox (she,her) communications professional

Break | 3:30-3:45 pm ET

Session 5 | 3:45-4:30 pm ET
The Customer Isn't Always Right: Self-Care and Boundaries
How do you determine when the customer isn't right, and then what do you do to move forward? How do you maintain your personal boundaries and self-care all while in a customer service role? This session will give you practical tips for identifying if and when a library user is worth keeping and how to focus on employee needs alongside customer service. We will also discuss ways to articulate your boundaries and identify ways to care for yourself while at work. 

Speaker: 

Melissa Munn, (she, her) Customer Experience Director, Public Operations at Pierce County Library System

Closing Remarks | 4:30-4:35 pm ET
 

Online Course Preview

A preview of how we build your library skills and bring inspiration to your projects with our online learning experience.

Course Features

Live session with Andrea Blackman and Tasneem Ansariyah Grace	Live Guest Speakers Sessions Guest speaker presentations by leaders in their field.  Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers.

Recordings of guest speakers

Recordings Available On Demand Sessions are recorded for on demand access for six months after the course ends.

Asynchronous workshop

Online Classroom  The virtual learning platform that holds all course content and is accessible for six months after the course ends.  Live session recordings. Peer conversation via discussion forums.

Early Access On-Demand Resources

Early Access On-Demand Resources Bonus: Register early and get access to a series of past live session archives from Library Journal and School Library Journal courses to explore at your own pace.  Some courses include supporting resources in the online classroom.