On Tuesday we had a pre-anniversary celebration with comedian Rod Allison.  At the end of his performance, he thanked us for inviting him and complemented our staff and armor bearers for our level of hospitality and excellence.  Mr . Allison enjoyed himself and we enjoyed hosting him because he exemplified what I wrote about in my post, 10 Ways to Get Invited Back to A Ministry.

In previous posts I’ve talked about the importance of hospitality:

• Go The Extra Mile for Ministry Guests
• 10 Ways to Help Your Out of Town Guest Feel Welcome at Your Church
• How to Host a Guest Speaker

On Suite101.com, Janice Benoit defines hospitality in the following manner:

I often am asked, “What is hospitality?” Wikipedia defines hospitality as the relationship process between a host and a guest.

But what does that mean in practical terms? I believe that hospitality is better defined in terms of the guest’s feelings. For instance, does the guest feel comfortable (in terms of location, interaction with other guests, food choices, ambient temperature, etc.).

So an effective way to implement hospitality . . . is to use The Golden Rule. Put yourself in the guest’s place and make sure that you are comfortable with every aspect of your function. Even in party planning, do onto others as you would have done unto yourself!

I chose this definition because it is right on point.  Treat your guests the way you would want them to treat you and it will make you a better host.  The best book that I have read on hospitality is  Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service by the Disney Institute.

Over the years, our church has become known for its hospitality to guests.  We have learned by observing other churches, taking note during restaurant experiences and reading books on customer service.  If you want to take your church to another level of hospitality, continue to learn and practice what you learn on your guests.  It’s not that hard, practice makes perfect.

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One of my favorite places to shop (when I have the money) is Nordstrom Department Store.  I don’t go to Nordstrom for great prices or convenient location.  When I want great prices and convenient location, I shop at Target or Walmart.  When I want a great shopping experience I go to Nordstrom because their customer service is second to none.  What Nordstrom does is make their customers feel special.  When people come to our churches, we should make them feel special too.

I already know that someone will wonder why ministries should adopt business concepts and practices.  The reason is simple – these business concepts and practices are based on biblical principles.  Unfortunately, the secular world often does a better job of being hospitable and providing excellent service than the church.

Let’s Look at 10 ways to Provide Good Customer Service

1. Staff members and ministry leaders should always be friendly, cordial and helpful.
2. Return phone calls within 24 hours.  Even if you don’t have a solution, call people back to let them know you received their call and you are working on an answer.
3. Expedite e-mail requests quickly.  The reason is the same as above, even if you don’t have a solution or answer, let people know you received their message.
4. Follow-up on prayer requests sent by e-mail or through your web sites prayer request form.  If the person requesting prayer left contact information, call or e-mail them to let them know that their request has been forwarded to your ministerial staff or intercessory prayer ministry.
5. Keep accurate giving records.  Nothing is more annoying that receiving your end of the year giving record and it is not accurate.  This is not about envelopes that were not filled out, this is about accurate data entries.
6. Keep parking spaces near the administrative office entrance for your members and visitors during office hours.
7. Offer visitors a beverage (water, coffee, soda or juice) during their office visit.
8. Keep your grounds neat and clean.  Lawns should be cut, shrubs trimmed and flower beds weeded.
9. Make sure bathrooms are neat, clean and well stocked with soap, paper towels and bathroom tissue.
10. Offer reading materials, easy listening or Christian music or television in your waiting area during office hours.  If you offer television you may want to make sure that the programming is not offensive.  Offer  CNN, TBN or video of your services.

If you would like more information about Nordstrom’s customer service read Eight Reasons Why Nordstrom Is A Customer Service Legend by Maria Palma.

Related Reading:

Do Visitors Leave Your Church With A Good Impression

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