Q&A: When Helping Guests Acclimate, How Much is Too Much?
Q:
How much is too much when it comes to introducing guests to people, showing them around, and giving them information?
(question submitted during a recent One-Day Workshop)
A:
The “How much is too much” question comes up quite a bit in the realm of Guest Services. From signage to follow up to next steps, it seems that everyone wants to be careful about doing just enough…without crossing over the line into stalker territory.
But for this post, let’s focus on the second few minutes of a first-time guest’s visit. If the first few minutes involve approaching your property, taking in signage and volunteers giving directions, parking, and making their way to the first-time guest tent, we’ll define the second few minutes as all interactions between the tent and the auditorium.
While your particulars may vary, here are six principles to keep in mind:
1. Become a body language expert.
Your first-time guest tent is where the magic happens. This location is where you get the most face time with your guests, so it’s a great place to gauge how much help they actually want.
Hesitation to engage in conversation, apprehension at giving information . . . or the opposite: enthusiasm about their church visit, tons of questions about what they’re about to experience . . . can signal how much guidance they’d like (or wouldn’t like) over the next few moments.
2. Don’t point. Take.
While we don’t focus much on the practical what in our Guest Services onboarding training (choosing instead to capitalize the why), this second principle is one we drill down on. The reason we don’t point is simple: our mamas taught us not to, and guests can’t absorb it.
Rather, we want to stay with our guests as long as it makes sense. Walk away from the tent while someone covers your spot. Don’t point your guests to the kids’ spaces, take them there. Don’t send them to the auditorium, escort them there. (More on this in point #4 below.)
3. We set the pathway. Guests set the pace.
Our role in Guest Services is to shape the path that we want our guests to walk, but our goal is to let them determine the speed. In other words, we can give them a simple map with their next step(s), but we want them to go at a pace that is comfortable to them. We can nudge, but never push. We can encourage, but never demand. We can give options, but rarely should we force them to choose an option now right now.
4. Focus on the majors.
Let’s go back to #2 and the art of physically getting them from the tent to the auditorium. You’ll want to casually point out some spaces along the way. If they have kids, the kids and student spaces are a must. Point out the restrooms or your Next Steps area as you’re taking them to the auditorium.
You don’t need to show them that weird hallway with the black and white photos of every pastor since the church’s founding. You don’t have to give them a tour of your education spaces (unless they’ve specifically asked to visit a Sunday morning Bible study). Just hit the high points. They’ll have a chance to see the rest later.
5. Seek to make one “real world” connection.
The first gift you give to a guest is a relationship with you. The second gift you give is a relationship with someone else.
When I’m meeting a guest for the first time, I try to figure out one person with whom they might find some common ground. (“Oh, you just started the nursing program at Duke? Let me introduce you to Laura. She’s a second year student there.”) That type of introduction will often lead to quicker, deeper connections than you might be able to provide for every person.
6. Make yourself an ongoing resource.
If you serve in the same spot every week, offer yourself up as a source of help in the future. (“I’m here every Sunday. If you ever have a question, feel free to stop by.”) When it’s appropriate, offer your phone number or email. Do your best to remember their name and use it when you see them later. This kind of “second mile” service will often make the difference on whether or not a guest sticks around for the long term.
Our initial touchpoints with guests matter. But let’s not overdo it. These six principles set the pathway, but we can always let them set the pace.
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