Tag: Visitors

You Can Ask, We Can Help

My youngest daughter just moved out of our house and into an apartment. Usually when kids move out their parents are close by to help them with setting things up and everything that comes with it, but not us, we moved 8 hours away! My daughter decided she needed blackout curtains for her room because she can only sleep if the room is pitch black. She called us for advice on how to install curtain rods and as we were telling her she said; “I think I’ll just go to Home Depot and ask somebody there. I’ll just say “hey, can you put curtain rods on a wall?” and when they say yes I’ll tell them to follow me to my apartment.” Where did we go wrong!?!!

Her train of thought was that she would go to the place that should have all the answers and they would help her. How many people do you think you interact with at church that have that same train of thought? You helped them find a parking spot so you must know how to help them get connected into a small group, or what day and time the student ministry meets, right? I am a big fan of cross training all of the first impression team members, but there’s no way anyone can have all the answers!! So what can you do?

We have thought about this and here are a couple of steps we take;

1. Help Center – we changed our “info desk” to “help center” because we want people to know where they can go for help, not just information. We push all information to our website and have iPads at the help center for the team members to not only help people with their request, but to also show them where they can find the answers in the future! We also have 4×5 pieces of paper with “Name,” “Phone,” “Email,” “I would like information on,” and then blank lines for those requests the team members are not able to answer and the staff tackles those on Monday. The iPads also allow guests to sign up for special events. They can pull up the registration form and fill it out right there at the help center.

2. Communication – we do our best to inform all team members of the basic information that can help a guest when they ask questions. We send a weekly email with information about special events happening like the next date for baptism, or membership, or kids camp, student camp, etc. Our coaches do an excellent job communicating the non-weekly activities during their preservice huddles as well as reminding all team members that if they aren’t sure how to answer a guests request, they can walk them to the help center!

Here’s what our Help Center Note looks like!

I hope our first impressions team has an incredible reputation for helping people like Home Depot does in my daughters mind!

PS – she didn’t bring a stranger into her house, she found a friend to help her hang her curtains! Whew!!

Written by Stacey Windover. Stacey is the Guest Experience Consultant for Froot Group, a worship staffing and consulting company.

My Pleasure!

I’ve been hanging out at an event this week and I have seen the best and the worst customer service!! I am working with the company that does all of the parking for the event and they have an amazing vision that says they are in the customer service business, and they happen to park cars!! I love that!! Maybe some of you are wondering; “why the emphasis on customer service, it’s just parking cars,” well let me share something with you… it’s your customer service that will always set you apart!! (Hello!!! Just look at Chick-Fil-A!! Aren’t they just selling a chicken sandwich?!?) There’s a lot of strategy and a ton of hours that go into making a parking plan for each lot. Some lots are paved, but most are grass lots where strategy and creativity rule!! Each lot that is run by this company has guests walking away smiling and excited to attend the event!! There’s one lot though that is located at a nearby airport and guests have to interact with the airport parking staff before arriving at the lot where our team is located. Let’s just say the airport parking employees do not have the same vision or philosophy! Like I said above, I have seen the best and the worst!! The airport staff would benefit greatly from first impression training!! No smile, no clear signage, and not speaking clearly or kindly, I drove away from that interaction feeling frustrated and irritated – not a good combo!

As you think about the guest experience at your church, is there an area that leaves your guests feeling frustrated and irritated? Here are a few questions to ask yourself and your key leaders:

  • Do you have a clear vision?
  • Is everyone on the same page with your philosophy on how and why you do what you do?
  • Are you and your key leaders consistently evaluating the weekly guest experience to identify areas that could be better?
    • What’s working?
    • What’s not working?
    • What’s confusing?

As a team, we try to never lose the guest mentality! I even encourage my key leaders to attend other churches in the area so they can know first hand what it feels like to visit a church for the first time! There’s always room for improvement, right?

If you would like a fresh set of eyes that can help you identify growth opportunities, contact us today! We would love to help you create a strategic plan to make your guest experience unforgettable!!

Cheering you on as you create the best guest experience for your church or organization!!

Written by: Stacey Windover

Stacey is the Guest Experience Consultant at Froot Group, a worship staffing & consulting company.

So…you’re looking to build a greeting team? Here’s how to get started!

Your greeting team is one of the most influential parts of church growth. These are the first people that your guests will get to interact with. Some guests will even base their overall experience off the first impression of your church.

Growing up in the church, the greeting team or guest experience team was never something that our church did. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to do it, we just didn’t know where to start or how to get people on board with the idea. Here are a couple things to think about when starting your greeting team!

What will you call this ministry?

There are many of great names out there like greeting team, guest experience, first impressions, and hospitality team. There is no right or wrong answer, choose one and let your church know!

Who will lead this ministry?

Is this a paid position, or is this a volunteer spot? Sometimes the best answer as to who should lead this ministry is the one person who is asking for it!

How will you get people to join, and who should join?

Asking people to join is one of the easiest and most effective ways when building a team. A simple email, sign-up sheet, or face to face invite are just a few ways you can gather a team. It’s always a good idea to find people that are outgoing. Greeting complete strangers is very intimidating, especially for the introvert.

Do you have team expectations?

Most people enjoy getting involved, but sometimes we forget to explain to them what they will be doing and what is expected of them. We can communicate this through team training.  Finding a night that works best for all team members is ideal. There you can share the vision and ideas they will need when greeting someone for the first time!

What are a few items needed to get started?

Find the funds to purchase nametags for all your greeters. Nametags are a great way to personalize your greeters and the team.

Here are a few simple tips for your greeting team:

  • Before church, say things like, “Hi, Good Morning, Welcome to Church!”
  • And after church saying things like, “Hope you have a fantastic day! See you next week! Thanks for coming!”

Church should be the most fun, joy-filled place on earth! Don’t forget to smile.

Written by Derek Harsch

Derek is the Marketing Director at Froot Group, a worship staffing company.