The Angry Patron

The Angry Patron
The L.A.S.T. Approach: A Useful and Important Customer Service Tool
Part of the Library 2.0 Service, Safety, and Security Series with Dr. Steve Albrecht

OVERVIEW: 

One of the toughest challenges when dealing with angry, entitled, or frustrated patrons in the library is having both the ability and skill to apologize when things have not gone right. Most times, it’s not our fault, or it’s not anyone’s fault, or it may even be the patron’s fault, which makes the apology process something most staff members just don’t want to do.

But it’s always important to remember that a sincere, well-timed, and well-worded apology from an empathic library employee is not about who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s about recognizing the power that apology has to fix the situation and send the patron away feeling better about what happened.

The L.A.S.T. model reminds staff to Listen - Apologize - Solve - and Thank. This short and simple tool can defuse even the angriest patron when it’s done in a way that values the power an apology has to clear up misunderstandings, on behalf the both the staffer and the patron.

LEARNING AGENDA:

  • Break down each of the LA.S.T. steps in detail and see practical, realistic examples of how to apply them.
  • View a segment on the L.A.S.T. concept from the award-winning training video “The Difficult Guest.”
  • Discuss how this tool can be used for staff development, new-employee orientation, and role-played in staff meetings to fine-tune it.

DATE: Thursday, June 5, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern Time

COST:

  • $99/person - includes live attendance and any-time access to the recording and the presentation slides and receiving a participation certificate.
  • To arrange group discounts (see below), to submit a purchase order, or for any registration difficulties or questions, email admin@library20.com.

TO REGISTER: 

Email address of attendee:
Use the payment box above to register and pay. You can pay by credit card. You will receive an email within a day with information on how to attend the webinar live and how you can access the permanent webinar recording. If you are paying for someone else to attend, you'll be prompted to send an email to admin@library20.com with the name and email address of the actual attendee.

If you need to be invoiced or pay by check, if you have any trouble registering for a webinar, or if you have any questions, please email admin@library20.com.

NOTE: Please check your spam folder if you don't receive your confirmation email within a day.

SPECIAL GROUP RATES (email admin@library20.com to arrange):

  • Multiple individual log-ins and access from the same organization paid together: $75 each for 3+ registrations, $65 each for 5+ registrations. Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.
  • The ability to show the webinar (live or recorded) to a group located in the same physical location or in the same virtual meeting from one log-in: $299.
  • Large-scale institutional access for viewing with individual login capability: $499 (hosted either at Library 2.0 or in Niche Academy). Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.
DR. STEVE ALBRECHT


Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, and security. His programs for both staff and library leaders are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace.

His newest book was just published by Rowman & Littlefield (now a new imprint of Bloomsbury), The Library Leader’s Guide to Human Resources: Keeping it Real, Legal, and Ethical.

In 2023, his book, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, was published by Rowman & Littlefield.

In 2015, the ALA published his book, Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities.

Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment.

He has written 27 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives in Springfield, Missouri, with seven dogs and two cats.

More on The Safe Library at thesafelibrary.com. Follow on X (Twitter) at @thesafelibrary and on YouTube @thesafelibrary. Dr. Albrecht's professional website is drstevealbrecht.com.