Handling Negative Feedback Online: Strategies for Your Library
We all dread it: the negative comment. Whether it's on a blog post, in an email or on a social media channel, negative feedback can quickly demoralize us and leave us wondering how to handle it. In this webinar we'll examine the most common kinds of negative...
Conflict in a Peaceful Workplace
Conflict is inevitable, and can occur in many forms. In essence, conflict can occur anytime two or more people do not agree. This disagreement can lead to frustration which can then develop rapidly into anger and finally, if not handled, can degenerate to aggression...
Effective Communication During a Conflict
We learn to speak as early as nine months, but within a lifetime, few people learn to effectively communicate. Communication versus talking allows us to share, engage, build an understanding, and establish a sense of community. It joins us–unites...
Delivering the Black Tie Patron Experience in the “New Normal” Economy
As we are getting back to normal in our communities, delivering a top-notch Patron Experience is even more important and needed. In this interactive and informative program, you will discover four strategies that are needed to deliver a Patron...
Self-Management to Focus on Patron-Centered Services
Libraries need to evolve -- and the coronavirus has show us all that we can. How can we make the positive changes we have seen last? How could patrons be better served if your library did away with your cumbersome, siloed organizational chart, replacing Circulation,...
An Empathetic Approach to Customer Service Training
This informative and interactive program addresses customer service training by growing and nurturing empathy and empowering staff to navigate the gray areas in our policies. Using storytelling and group discussion, we will look at special and...
Delivering the Black-Tie Patron Experience
There is a “missing link” in organizations today. This link is the difference between just delivering “customer service” and wanting to deliver “Customer Experience”. This seminar will focus on giving your attendees the tools to use The Power of Hospitality to create...
Customer Service AMA (Ask Me Anything)
Do you find interactions with customers to be one of the bigger challenges and delights of working in your library? Customer behaviors run the scale from pleasant to neutral to well, outrageously bad. And for the people working in customer service and those...
The New Basics of Professional Customer Service
The landscape of what customers expect in professional customer service from organizations continues to change at a frantic pace. What was “good enough” yesterday, likely is “bad enough” to lose a customer today. While we can’t ignore the impact and...
Introduction to Trauma Informed Librarianship
Trauma-informed care can help inform our library spaces and services by giving us the skills we need to serve our diverse communities equitably. A trauma-informed library understands the unique needs of trauma survivors, provides positive service, and unbiased...
No, The Customer Isn’t Always Right
Anyone who has ever served a customer has been told that “The Customer is Always Right”. Even though we know the customer isn’t always right, (they lie, steal, manipulate etc.) it is important to remember that “the customer is always the customer”. The question...
Planning and Implementing a Fine-Free Policy
Libraries are ready for a change! Our academic library went fine free in 2016, and we’re not alone. In this informative and interactive program, we will share why and how we managed to eliminate most overdue fines, aligning our circulation policies with the needs of...
Creating Boundaries with Patrons
The Pareto Principle suggests 80 percent of something is caused or is affected by 20 percent of something else. Pareto was an Italian economist who saw that 80 percent of the peas in his garden came from only 20 percent of his pea pods. And 20 percent of his chickens...
20 Ways to Build Customer Relationships in 60 Minutes
Take a moment to consider what your organization would be like if you didn’t build relationships with your customers, employees, shareholders, vendors etc. It’s very likely you wouldn’t have an organization or business at all. Why? Because people, not...
Helping Seniors With Their Tech
Increasingly, seniors are being brought into the digital age and frustration seems to be a common refrain from the ""Baby Boomers"" when it comes to their devices. Learning new strategies to assist seniors with this new technology is always a challenge for...
Simple and Powerful Customer Service Tips
Can you think of an organization that doesn’t depend on patrons to be successful? Of course not! In fact, a significant amount of your time in your daily work is most likely tied to keeping your patrons happy and satisfied. Smart organizations are continuously...
PCI Q & A Program with Captain H.A. Harry Katt (Ret.) – Ask the Expert About Library Safety and Security
Most crime prevention experts will attest that there is no “silver bullet” that can guarantee a safe working environment. Because we live and work in very dynamic environments facing unpredictable challenges, factors and behaviors, we must be ever cognizant of our...
The Quiet Approach to Serving Customers
Customer service is not an easy job for anyone. It’s hard work to just stay on top of the ever-changing products and services the library has to offer, and it takes real skill to talk with people, determine their needs and fulfill their requests. It can be...
Dealing with Toxic People
“The difficult people we encounter can be our greatest teachers.” ― Eileen Anglin There are challenges in dealing with people who bring toxicity to the interaction. One challenge is managing the impact it has on us – the other challenge is how to respond effectively –...
How to Bring a Free Online Driver’s Education Program to Your Library
Did you know that car crashes are the leading cause of death in the United States? In 2015, more than 35,000 people died in traffic crashes, a more than 7% increase over 2014. Driving-Tests.org (DTO) has a goal: to work with libraries to create safer, more...