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I Don’t Want to Press 3 for Service

Frustrated-man-calling.jpg

You know the drill. You call to make an appointment to service your car, get the dog groomed, schedule your own haircut, renew your license – you name it. It goes something like this: 

“If you want to know our service hours, press 1. If you’d like to know our appointment schedule press 2. If you’d like to make a new appointment, press 3. If you’d like to confirm or change an existing appointment, press 4. If you’ve already had an appointment and have a follow-up question, press 5. If you want to speak to a representative about any other question, press 6. If you’d like to hang up now, press “end call.”

Or it just gets worse: 

You chose #3: “make a new appointment,” then you hear: “If you’d like to schedule an oil change, press 1. If you’d like schedule a full tune-up, press 2. If you’re calling to have your brakes inspected or repaired, press 3. If you’re calling to… “

You get the point. 

In a culture bent on efficiency, one has to ask: for whom is this efficient? Perhaps the car dealer; certainly not the end user. For the customer, it’s sheer frustration. By the end of this call, he or she has either reached for blood pressure medicine or changed service centers; maybe both. 

At a recent training event I was leading, someone shared a picture of a paper sign taped to the front doors of a church they’d visited. The sign read:

“Attention: These Doors Locked at Start of Service. Late Arrivals Please come to the Back Doors and Knock for Entry. God Bless”

What? I stopped and read it again. Then one more time. That’s exactly what it said. Simultaneously, I laughed aloud and felt inner angst, not only for the late arriver, but for every person who read the sign. 

It seems that when an organization is faced with staffing challenges, the need to operate more efficiently, or simply to address a potential problem, the tendency is to create as little change or hassle as possible for the organization. So, the change, and often the hassle, is passed on to the end user: the customer, the guest, the human on the other end of this would-be relationship.

What is the current challenge for your church or organization? 

  • Under-staffed with volunteers?
  • Call volume has increased?
  • Security is a heightened value?
  • Budget is constrained?
  • Other projects, ministries or initiatives need attention?

Consider the following before making a hasty decision or implementing a new system or policy: 

  • First ask: “How did we get here? What created the current challenge? Is there something behind this present challenge that needs to be addressed?” 
    • For instance, was the former receptionist or scheduler a poor fit for the role, or perhaps ill-trained? Maybe the dropped calls, missed messages and long waits for call-backs wasn’t about call volume; maybe it was about staffing.
  • Address the issue(s) that led to the present challenge. Don’t miss dealing with something that may be the “right” fix. 
  • If the original challenge remains, ask: “How do we make this a better experience for our guests or customers?”
    • Maybe a brief menu of choices on the phone is actually helpful: “Our service times are…” “To schedule an appointment…” However, if value is going to be best communicated by staffing a human to answer the phone, make it happen. When the call must go to voicemail, minimize the options.
    • Staff the front doors throughout the service. After all, in the example above – if someone with ill-intent is trying to enter, they’ve been given a back door pass anyway. Not only was the safety issue not addressed, “late arrivers” were inconvenienced (if not punished) by the system put in place.
  • Get ruthless about how you maintain the focus on the end-user experience.
    • Making as little change as possible in the organization’s systems or personnel isn’t the point. It may be that staff need to be released because they’re not in the right role. Maybe more staff need to be hired – whether paid or unpaid. Or perhaps staffing is great, but no one has trained them. 
  • Ask the training questions.
    • “Are we training?” “What are we training?” “How are we training?”
    • “Is the training required? If not, why not?”
    • “Are people getting “it” after they’re trained?” If not, don’t blame the trainee, take a close look at the trainer and/or the effectiveness of the training.
  • Ask: “What’s the increased value for our guests?” “What’s the cost to our staff and systems?” “What’s the outcome if we make this convenient for us?” “And, what is the outcome if we make this convenient for – that is, we prioritize – our guests?”

Perhaps you’re thinking, “So, it boils down to convenience.”

Maybe it does. If our thinking is “That’ll be too difficult for us.” or “We don’t have time to set up that level of training,” then perhaps it is about convenience – for us. 

Which begs the final question… and arguably the first:

  • “Why are we doing what we’re doing?”
    • Was it simply to grow a larger church or serve human people?
    • Was it all about making money or was it about providing a service to human people?
    • Was it to merely make a living or was it about providing great customer care? 

In what ways are you sending people to the back door? In what ways are you requiring people to jump through your hoops? How are your end-users being inconvenienced by your tendency to guard staffing, budget, doctrine…or convenience? 

What other experiences pass the hassle on to the guest / customer?

Join the conversation; add to the list in your comment.

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I Don’t Want to Press 3 for Service

Frustrated-man-calling.jpg

You know the drill. You call to make an appointment to service your car, get the dog groomed, schedule your own haircut, renew your license – you name it. It goes something like this: 

“If you want to know our service hours, press 1. If you’d like to know our appointment schedule press 2. If you’d like to make a new appointment, press 3. If you’d like to confirm or change an existing appointment, press 4. If you’ve already had an appointment and have a follow-up question, press 5. If you want to speak to a representative about any other question, press 6. If you’d like to hang up now, press “end call.”

Or it just gets worse: 

You chose #3: “make a new appointment,” then you hear: “If you’d like to schedule an oil change, press 1. If you’d like schedule a full tune-up, press 2. If you’re calling to have your brakes inspected or repaired, press 3. If you’re calling to… “

You get the point. 

In a culture bent on efficiency, one has to ask: for whom is this efficient? Perhaps the car dealer; certainly not the end user. For the customer, it’s sheer frustration. By the end of this call, he or she has either reached for blood pressure medicine or changed service centers; maybe both. 

At a recent training event I was leading, someone shared a picture of a paper sign taped to the front doors of a church they’d visited. The sign read:

“Attention: These Doors Locked at Start of Service. Late Arrivals Please come to the Back Doors and Knock for Entry. God Bless”

What? I stopped and read it again. Then one more time. That’s exactly what it said. Simultaneously, I laughed aloud and felt inner angst, not only for the late arriver, but for every person who read the sign. 

It seems that when an organization is faced with staffing challenges, the need to operate more efficiently, or simply to address a potential problem, the tendency is to create as little change or hassle as possible for the organization. So, the change, and often the hassle, is passed on to the end user: the customer, the guest, the human on the other end of this would-be relationship.

What is the current challenge for your church or organization? 

  • Under-staffed with volunteers?
  • Call volume has increased?
  • Security is a heightened value?
  • Budget is constrained?
  • Other projects, ministries or initiatives need attention?

Consider the following before making a hasty decision or implementing a new system or policy: 

  • First ask: “How did we get here? What created the current challenge? Is there something behind this present challenge that needs to be addressed?” 
    • For instance, was the former receptionist or scheduler a poor fit for the role, or perhaps ill-trained? Maybe the dropped calls, missed messages and long waits for call-backs wasn’t about call volume; maybe it was about staffing.
  • Address the issue(s) that led to the present challenge. Don’t miss dealing with something that may be the “right” fix. 
  • If the original challenge remains, ask: “How do we make this a better experience for our guests or customers?”
    • Maybe a brief menu of choices on the phone is actually helpful: “Our service times are…” “To schedule an appointment…” However, if value is going to be best communicated by staffing a human to answer the phone, make it happen. When the call must go to voicemail, minimize the options.
    • Staff the front doors throughout the service. After all, in the example above – if someone with ill-intent is trying to enter, they’ve been given a back door pass anyway. Not only was the safety issue not addressed, “late arrivers” were inconvenienced (if not punished) by the system put in place.
  • Get ruthless about how you maintain the focus on the end-user experience.
    • Making as little change as possible in the organization’s systems or personnel isn’t the point. It may be that staff need to be released because they’re not in the right role. Maybe more staff need to be hired – whether paid or unpaid. Or perhaps staffing is great, but no one has trained them. 
  • Ask the training questions.
    • “Are we training?” “What are we training?” “How are we training?”
    • “Is the training required? If not, why not?”
    • “Are people getting “it” after they’re trained?” If not, don’t blame the trainee, take a close look at the trainer and/or the effectiveness of the training.
  • Ask: “What’s the increased value for our guests?” “What’s the cost to our staff and systems?” “What’s the outcome if we make this convenient for us?” “And, what is the outcome if we make this convenient for – that is, we prioritize – our guests?”

Perhaps you’re thinking, “So, it boils down to convenience.”

Maybe it does. If our thinking is “That’ll be too difficult for us.” or “We don’t have time to set up that level of training,” then perhaps it is about convenience – for us. 

Which begs the final question… and arguably the first:

  • “Why are we doing what we’re doing?”
    • Was it simply to grow a larger church or serve human people?
    • Was it all about making money or was it about providing a service to human people?
    • Was it to merely make a living or was it about providing great customer care? 

In what ways are you sending people to the back door? In what ways are you requiring people to jump through your hoops? How are your end-users being inconvenienced by your tendency to guard staffing, budget, doctrine…or convenience? 

What other experiences pass the hassle on to the guest / customer?

Join the conversation; add to the list in your comment.

Want to train your staff AND teams? LET’S TALK

Continue reading

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You could miss this Easter opportunity, but you don’t have to…

IMG_4194.jpg

A few days ago, a pastor asked me if I had any “Easter tips” to share. My pastor friend, like most churches, has begun or already planned their Easter weekend services. Having a few tips isn’t a bad idea. 

This Easter we will all expect new guests, many of them returning to church – any church – for the first time in years. There will be people who appear “new,” but who gather with our faith communities twice a year: Easter and Christmas. Most of us will see more people attend our Easter services than on a “normal” weekend. Because of this, it’s not unusual for local churches to put a tremendous amount of focus on promotion, programming, worship and the sermon/talk. And rightly so – it’s THE capstone of the church calendar, the central celebration of people who follow the ways of Jesus.

But, I’m curious: are you thinking with the same intentionality about how to serve your new guests when they arrive in just a few weeks? How will you approach your guests, expecting that many of them will not be back until Christmas – nine months from Easter? 

  • We may focus on “managing the crowd” and overlook individuals with whom we could connect.
  • We may merely attempt to get through the weekend and mishandle the additional staffing needs that exist.
  • We may merely be “nice,” and not fully “show up.”
  • We may say “thanks for being here” without any expectation – or invitation – for our guests to return next weekend for service.
  • We may assume people are coming in for a “show” or a traditional, annual, Easter service and dismiss the fact that people still enter our building broken, lonely, confused, and searching for hope.

What if we agreed to..

  • staff our teams with more people than we “need,” so we can be particularly attentive to opportunities Spirit opens with individuals we’ll greet?
  • not be so focused on the logistics and details of an abnormally large crowd that we miss people?
  • pray for people before they arrive, as they walk through our doors, as they listen to the Good News of Jesus?
  • meet people where they are, embracing them with LOVE and radical acceptance?
  • intentionally invite our guests to join us the week after Easter?

Here are a few more questions to ask and answer as you plan for Resurrection Weekend:

  • What experience do we want our guests to experience? 
    • Is it somehow unique from every other weekend? If so, how?
    • What do we need to do differently than other weekends because of the unique experience we want or the size of the crowds?
  • In order to create this experience, how many team members do we need on hand? 
    • And what’s our commitment to identify team members who are wired for people and not merely a warm body with program in hand?
  • Rather than merely multiply or add, consider: do we need to disproportionately increase team members in some areas and not others?
    • What about kids’ check-in? New family hosts? The parking lot?
    • What do we expect of staff – any staff, all staff – on this weekend?
  • What opportunity will we provide guests to help us connect with them, to meaningfully invite them to take a step to belonging? How will we do this in the least intrusive way?
  • How will we follow-up? 
    • What systems must be in place following Easter weekend?
    • Who else in addition to staff will make calls, send notes and follow-up with each guest who is identified?

Let’s embrace, not the demands of Easter, but the message of Easter. The message of Jesus, the message of LOVE, the message that “everyone is invited.” No one is left out. No one. It’s an all-inclusive Kingdom. LOVE lives to invite everyone to belong. 

  • What will you do this Easter to invite belonging?
  • What do you have planned?
  • What systems are already in place?
  • What recognition is prepared for new guests?

How are you answering some of these questions? Leave a comment; join the conversation. 

Continue reading

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You could miss this Easter opportunity, but you don’t have to…

IMG_4194.jpg

A few days ago, a pastor asked me if I had any “Easter tips” to share. My pastor friend, like most churches, has begun or already planned their Easter weekend services. Having a few tips isn’t a bad idea. 

This Easter we will all expect new guests, many of them returning to church – any church – for the first time in years. There will be people who appear “new,” but who gather with our faith communities twice a year: Easter and Christmas. Most of us will see more people attend our Easter services than on a “normal” weekend. Because of this, it’s not unusual for local churches to put a tremendous amount of focus on promotion, programming, worship and the sermon/talk. And rightly so – it’s THE capstone of the church calendar, the central celebration of people who follow the ways of Jesus.

But, I’m curious: are you thinking with the same intentionality about how to serve your new guests when they arrive in just a few weeks? How will you approach your guests, expecting that many of them will not be back until Christmas – nine months from Easter? 

  • We may focus on “managing the crowd” and overlook individuals with whom we could connect.
  • We may merely attempt to get through the weekend and mishandle the additional staffing needs that exist.
  • We may merely be “nice,” and not fully “show up.”
  • We may say “thanks for being here” without any expectation – or invitation – for our guests to return next weekend for service.
  • We may assume people are coming in for a “show” or a traditional, annual, Easter service and dismiss the fact that people still enter our building broken, lonely, confused, and searching for hope.

What if we agreed to..

  • staff our teams with more people than we “need,” so we can be particularly attentive to opportunities Spirit opens with individuals we’ll greet?
  • not be so focused on the logistics and details of an abnormally large crowd that we miss people?
  • pray for people before they arrive, as they walk through our doors, as they listen to the Good News of Jesus?
  • meet people where they are, embracing them with LOVE and radical acceptance?
  • intentionally invite our guests to join us the week after Easter?

Here are a few more questions to ask and answer as you plan for Resurrection Weekend:

  • What experience do we want our guests to experience? 
    • Is it somehow unique from every other weekend? If so, how?
    • What do we need to do differently than other weekends because of the unique experience we want or the size of the crowds?
  • In order to create this experience, how many team members do we need on hand? 
    • And what’s our commitment to identify team members who are wired for people and not merely a warm body with program in hand?
  • Rather than merely multiply or add, consider: do we need to disproportionately increase team members in some areas and not others?
    • What about kids’ check-in? New family hosts? The parking lot?
    • What do we expect of staff – any staff, all staff – on this weekend?
  • What opportunity will we provide guests to help us connect with them, to meaningfully invite them to take a step to belonging? How will we do this in the least intrusive way?
  • How will we follow-up? 
    • What systems must be in place following Easter weekend?
    • Who else in addition to staff will make calls, send notes and follow-up with each guest who is identified?

Let’s embrace, not the demands of Easter, but the message of Easter. The message of Jesus, the message of LOVE, the message that “everyone is invited.” No one is left out. No one. It’s an all-inclusive Kingdom. LOVE lives to invite everyone to belong. 

  • What will you do this Easter to invite belonging?
  • What do you have planned?
  • What systems are already in place?
  • What recognition is prepared for new guests?

How are you answering some of these questions? Leave a comment; join the conversation. 

Learn more about training your staff and volunteers. Check out training and coaching opportunities here. 

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It’s in You. And Your Team. Let’s Access It.

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You know it’s good – your leadership, your team, your work, your life – but, there’s a gnawing sense that it could be better. More focused. More replenishing. More you.

I only have a few spots left between now and April. So I’m beginning to schedule spring and summer dates for LifePlanning. One month of the new year is already past. Let’s get your step on the calendar before February is over.

I’m also beginning to book summer and fall training for churches and businesses in the area of Guest and Customer Service.

Let’s talk. Today.

Email me at [email protected] or visit me to becausepeoplematter.com

 

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It’s in You. Live Your Purpose.

IMG_1142.JPG

  

You know it’s good – your leadership, your team, your work, your life – but, there’s a gnawing sense that it could be better. More focused. More replenishing. More you.

I’m in the process of scheduling spring and summer dates for LifePlanning. One month of the new year is already past. Let’s get on it before February is over. I’m also beginning to book summer and fall training for churches and businesses in the area of Guest and Customer Service. Let’s talk. Today.

Email me at [email protected] or use the Let’s Talk button on any page here on BecausePeopleMatter.com

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What Story Will You Tell in Your Next Chapter?

photo credit: glenn carsten peters

photo credit: glenn carsten peters

It’s amazing how many stories revolve around the main character striving to live in the present, while mired in the circumstances of their past. Batman – The Dark Knight Rises; Marty McFly – Back to the Future; Dom Cobb – Inception. The list goes on. 

It doesn’t just happen in the movies. It happens in our lives, too. Maybe you’ve lived this plot line. Yesterday’s storyline threatens to define tomorrow’s reality. You hear voices, telling you…

  • It’s probably going to get worse.
  • I am who I am – who I’ve always been.
  • It’s true: I don’t have what it takes.
  • I don’t have the talent everyone else has.

Or maybe you find yourself thinking…

  • It can’t get any better than it’s been. Or can it?
  • I’ve met my goals, but it’s still not good enough.
  • I’m at the pinnacle of my game. Is there more? 

Regardless whether the storyline behind you is one of success and accomplishment or confusion and disappointment, it can seem that the past is the present and will be the future. Perhaps as you look at your successes, you long for a way to fill something inside you. Maybe as you consider your disappointments, you hope there’s more, but you’re not sure what or how. Living with a gnawing feeling that there’s more can leave you drained and discouraged and stuck, even when you’re working as hard as you can. 

It’s time to get PERSPECTIVE

  • Take inventory. 
  • Pause to consider what is actually true. 
  • Where are you…really? 
  • And how did you get here?
  • What are your essential skills? 
  • What are those abilities that, when exercised, bring fulfillment and results?
  • What gives you reason to live? To work? To be you?

When you get this kind of clarity, you can create a PLAN, your plan.

  • A plan for your future. 
  • A plan that is unique to who you are – and where you want to be.
  • A plan that helps you move from influence to impact. 
  • A plan that, if you work the plan, it will work.

Getting to ACTION is always easier with a guide – someone to come alongside and call out the best… to call you to your best. 

I can be that guide for you. Through the proven, personalized Paterson Process LifePlan you can get perspective, develop your plan, take definitive action and live the life you were intended – even created – to live. 

Screen Shot 2017-12-04 at 2.33.57 PM.png

Continue reading

direct tag

direct tag

What Story Will You Tell in Your Next Chapter?

photo credit: glenn carsten peters

photo credit: glenn carsten peters

It’s amazing how many stories revolve around the main character striving to live in the present, while mired in the circumstances of their past. Batman – The Dark Knight Rises; Marty McFly – Back to the Future; Dom Cobb – Inception. The list goes on. 

It doesn’t just happen in the movies. It happens in our lives, too. Maybe you’ve lived this plot line. Yesterday’s storyline threatens to define tomorrow’s reality. You hear voices, telling you…

  • It’s probably going to get worse.
  • I am who I am – who I’ve always been.
  • It’s true: I don’t have what it takes.
  • I don’t have the talent everyone else has.

Or maybe you find yourself thinking…

  • It can’t get any better than it’s been. Or can it?
  • I’ve met my goals, but it’s still not good enough.
  • I’m at the pinnacle of my game. Is there more? 

Regardless whether the storyline behind you is one of success and accomplishment or confusion and disappointment, it can seem that the past is the present and will be the future. Perhaps as you look at your successes, you long for a way to fill something inside you. Maybe as you consider your disappointments, you hope there’s more, but you’re not sure what or how. Living with a gnawing feeling that there’s more can leave you drained and discouraged and stuck, even when you’re working as hard as you can. 

It’s time to get PERSPECTIVE

  • Take inventory. 
  • Pause to consider what is actually true. 
  • Where are you…really? 
  • And how did you get here?
  • What are your essential skills? 
  • What are those abilities that, when exercised, bring fulfillment and results?
  • What gives you reason to live? To work? To be you?

When you get this kind of clarity, you can create a PLAN, your plan.

  • A plan for your future. 
  • A plan that is unique to who you are – and where you want to be.
  • A plan that helps you move from influence to impact. 
  • A plan that, if you work the plan, it will work.

Getting to ACTION is always easier with a guide – someone to come alongside and call out the best… to call you to your best. 

I can be that guide for you. Through the proven, personalized Paterson Process LifePlan you can get perspective, develop your plan, take definitive action and live the life you were intended – even created – to live. 

Screen Shot 2017-12-04 at 2.33.57 PM.png

Continue reading

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