Select Page

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:

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. 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?
  4. 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


Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources as well as the host and producer of Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week. Jonathan writes weekly at ThomRainer.com on topics ranging from social media to websites and church communications. Connect with Jonathan on Twitter at @Jonathan_Howe.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This