By Jonathan Howe
I recently came across the infographic below at Entrepreneur.com in an article related to the recent customer service woes of Cracker Barrel and United Airlines that I mentioned last week on the blog.
While many of you may see the principles and stats in the infographic relating to the business side of customer service, there are several items applicable and translatable to local churches. Here are just four of them:
- Our perception of our church may not match our community’s perception of our church. There’s a massive difference in the amount of companies (80%) who believe they offer great customer service and what the actual public thinks (8%). Is there an imbalance regarding your church’s reputation? Do you truly know how your church is viewed in the community? Is your church really “the friendliest church in town” like you think it is?
- Experiences your members have at your church should make them want to invite others to join them there. When we have a great experience or great meal at a restaurant, we tell our friends. Does the weekly worship service, the community built in small groups, or the life-change experienced on mission with those in your church motivate members to tell others about it? Are your members walking billboards for your church and their Savior?
- Leaders and staff should be responsive to questions or comments from members. If your staff is involved in the daily lives of members, there will naturally be ongoing conversations about what’s going on in the church. Do your members feel informed and involved in the decisions of the church? Or do they feel like things are run behind closed doors?
- Communications from your church should be personalized as much as possible. When your church sends out emails or mailings, the information that is being shared should convey warmth and fondness. Personalization of communications can make the difference in people understanding and retaining the information or ignoring it completely. Is your welcome letter to guests personalized? Do you tailor messages to different groups or do you blast out information regardless of who the audience is?
I understand there is a difference in customer service and communication to church members and guests. I also realize church members shouldn’t have a customer mentality. But this infographic below sheds quite a bit of light on some simple practices that can be adapted for churches that will allow them to communicate more effectively with their members.
What other takeaways can you infer from the infographic below? Does your church already do some of these?
Image via Headway Capital and Entrepreneur Magazine
As an insurance agent for 30 years, I know the value of customer service. It is vital in that industry. The first company I worked for was tops in CS; however, the got swallowed up by a large company and CS declined, and then that large company was swallowed up by an even larger corporation. CS went down the tubes for sure.
I see a great parallel to churches today. We wouldn’t call it customer service, but really it is. They aren’t customers, but they need to be treated as special people always. There is much to be learned from this article.
Thanks, John. And yes. Treat people like they are special—because they truly are.
One of the best habits to adopt for for any leader- work or church- is the act of letting people know you got their email, got their voicemail, and even if you cannot address immediately then tell the truth when you will. Nothing creates distrust hurt and pain like ignoring someone.
A friend shared how a church meeting got out of hand and there was a lot of turmoil. Many people tried to talk with the church council, some sent emails, some made calls but in all but a few cases many never received any type of connection. And then the church council was quick to slap uncommitted labels on the families that left. These are your flock.
There are all times when circumstances when pastors or leaders cannot manage a contact but you can let them know you will when you can. That is all
It takes.
Great points
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