As I read the first 22 pages of Raving Fans, I feel a tension as I think about VCC. I don’t necessarily want to be a church that does hip, cool things to wow our guests. I want it to be more intentional. The question for me becomes, “What kind of atmosphere speaks without saying anything how much God loves and cares for them?”
So my question to you wise coaches is “Describe the atmosphere you would want to create that would speak to the people that walk through our front doors how much God loves and cares for them”. Nothing is off limits…money is no obstacle…woo hoo!!
Also, in the words of Leo Varley, “What things can we afford NOT to do?”
~Dana
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We provide coffee for those that desire it.....What about water for those with that preference? or Hot Chocolate in the winter months for kids or whoever?
ReplyDeleteAs the book suggests we should seek to improve our service by 1% or Service-plus if you please.
Yeah, I was thinking about sweet and unsweeted ice tea. Hot chocolate is a great idea if we could swing the cost. Every child 10 miles around would want some! :)
ReplyDeleteAnother idea I just read about was having a greeter at the curb who would open doors when cars pull up to drop off their passengers.
Keep the thoughts coming! Great ideas Rod!
I just read the part about consistency....It doesn't matter how much we do unless we are consistent....At the core of every great customer service organization is a system and a training program to incorporate the system into the soul of that company.....We are inconsistent in exit greeting so I believe we need to retrain but in a way that doesn't seem like training them where they have failed...Haven't come up with the idea for doing that yet ...
ReplyDeleteWould we do the ice tea in the summer months in place of coffee?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dana that we shouldn't do things just to impress our guests. I have made it through the first two concepts....Decide What You Want and Discover What The Customer Wants...Maybe a survey would be in order to find out what the guest expects and see if we are meeting their needs with our current system. If not, we can make changes where possible.
ReplyDelete-Rod
I tried this the other day and did not have the proper id set up so it erased my comment and kicked me out. Let's try again and if it works, I'll leave my comment!
ReplyDelete-Carrie
Yea!! It worked! I admit that I just started reading Raving Fans the other day. (I haven't felt much like reading when I am nauseous.) I have to say the book has caused me to start thinking about all the ways that we as a ministry could create raving fans out of our weekend guests and it kinda stresses me out!! I'm not sure how good I am at looking at our processes from the prospective of the guests. The idea of doing some kind of survey might be a good idea. I was thinking...what about a "first timers booth" set up in the lobbies, so that people could check in there and be assigned a guide to show them around and get them settled wherever it is that they need to be. I know we have the info booths, but this would be something different and specific. What about a coat check? Speaking from experience, especially with kids in tow, all the coats, hats, gloves, bags etc...makes you feel overloaded when you walk in on those freezing winter days. More variety of drinks for those non-coffee drinkers is a great one!
ReplyDeleteI like what Carrie said about a "first timers booth".
ReplyDeleteWhen I was trying to envision what some outside the box things might look like I was reminded of something I read in another book awhile back. The chapter I was reading was about leadership, and the author said that one of the best techniques he's found in leading people is to "trade minds with those you want to influence". Truth be told the rest of the book pretty much sucked, but for me, that tip alone was worth it's weight in gold.
Too often I develop "leadership amnesia" and forget what it's like to be in the shoes of those I'm trying to serve. With regard to Hospitality I try to put myself in the shoes of a 1st time guest. I see the same faces a lot each week so if I'm not careful I tend to be deceived into thinking that the people coming through the doors are all regulars. But what does it look like for a first time guest? From the parking lot, to the door, to the auditorium, and so forth.
To Carrie's point, I'm not sure if a lot of first time guests will know that the info booths are a good first stop for them. What might be going through my mind is "Info booth? Info on what? The church? Right now I just want to know if I'm really allowed to help myself to that coffee or if I should ask someone. And is it really OK if I take it into the auditorium? And where are the bathrooms?"
Maybe having more prominent signage that will hit first timers in the face (not literally...) will let them know that we're here to help. Something like "New here? We can help!" Maybe right on the front of the info booth or something? Just my .02
First of all, Joe, did you really post that comment at 5:00 in the morning? Wow- I'm impressed, and I think you're a little crazy! As I was reading what Joe had to say, I was thinking that it would be cool if I could get someone that has never been to the Vineyard before to come with me one day and just give me commentary on his/her thoughts as they navigate through his/her first time experience. Hmmmm...I might have to look into that.
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