Five strategies for working with multiple patrons

Why do patrons seem to come in packs of 2 or more? I don't know, but here are 5 strategies for working with two virtual patrons at the same time.
1. Ignore the second call.
I don't actually think this is an effective strategy. The patron will probably just go away, and you will start off on the wrong foot when you become un-busy.
2. Talk to them both and jump back and forth between windows.
This can be effective, especially if one of the questions seems to be relatively straightforward or easy. What is the capital of France?
Help the patron choose a resource that they can browse on their own. It's also good to remind them that they can click and search without your intervention. Be sure to check in on them both, even if they seem to be doing fine without you!
If you accidentally send the wrong message or web page to a patron, be sure to apologize.
3. Do reference interviews first with each patron, then start to answer.
Jana Smith Ronan, Chat Reference, p. 159.
If working with more than one session simultaneously, greet each user, explain that you are working with more than one person right now, then move into reference interviewing the first user. Once you are confident you have the real question, arrange to deliver the answer to the first user later, verify that you have the correct contact information and the way that they prefer the answer to be delivered, and use closed questioning to end the encounter. It's helpful to take a few seconds to print the transcript of the session before moving on to the next person in line.
4. Greet the patron and send the BusyTime message. You can deal with their response when you are done with the first patron.
We are experiencing a very busy time right now. You may continue to wait, or if you prefer we can get back to you by email. Or you may wish to try back in a few minutes. Thanks for your patience.
5. Use AOL Instant Messenger and your L-net buddy list to ask for help from your fellow librarians.
WAIT!
What if there are more than two patrons? Unless you are wrapping up one of the questions, options 4 and 5 are probably the best solutions.