As VPL branches closed their doors, customer access was immediately limited to telephone and email service. We needed added means that did not require physical branch visits for customers to engage directly with Information Staff.

But how would staff support these new means for customer service, at already busy Information Desks? VPL needed a complete rebuild of its reference service standards, procedures and philosophies, while ensuring staff were not overwhelmed with the increase in questions.

To meet these challenges, VPL implemented:

• Live chat
• Texting
• Facebook Messenger

To support staff, VID was created. All external information services were centralized, collectively sharing these responsibilities over one virtual platform. Staff answered all queries and sought colleague support in real time. Staff were quickly able to tag management, circulation leadership or expert librarians for assistance. Existing beyond the traditional Information Desks, our reference service is now fluid, collaborative and more effective.

• VID Staff support and collaborate with each other virtually. Before VID, staff rarely engaged with colleagues in other branches.
• All staff, from management to circulation, actively participate in the reference process.
• We successfully added new information pathways for our patrons that are operational today.
• Over 5000 virtual questions were answered. One typical comment: "This was by far the best experience I've had with customer support chat. There was no wait time and I spoke to a helpful, real person."