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

In Customer Service Training for Frontline Staff, you'll delve into the art of providing exceptional customer service tailored to diverse patron needs. Over a half day online, you’ll 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, September 18, 2025 from 12:00 to 4:00 pm ET (recorded for on demand viewing).

Course Program

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Join as a Group

Group Rates

Whether you're taking a course with a couple of colleagues or signing up your whole team, registering as a group of 3 or more is the best way to save on courses. Discounts start at 10%, and the larger the group, the greater the discount!

Credit Packages

Library Journal’s bulk course credit program is flexible, easy to manage, and offers 25% off our lowest price for every course seat booked for a full year! Set aside a portion of your budget and allocate seats to staff as needs arise.

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