Category: Guest Services

In the Land of Kyle and Cynthia

Recently I had the opportunity to run a special-edition Volunteer Headquarters for a group of our family ministry vols. Part of the plan was to come up with some special treats that went beyond the...

10 Quick Ideas to Spruce Up Your Parking Lot

We don’t often put a lot of emphasis on parking lots in church world, and for good reasons: they’re not ground zero of ministry. They’re not where real church happens. They’re…kinda boring. But the parking...

What If the Problem is You?

I recognize that I came off the top rope in that post title. I’m not mad at you, really. But like a good parent, I’m not mad, I’m just…frustrated. Frustrated as I go into retail...

How to Give Guests What They Want

Circle the ol’ Guest Services block a few times, and you’ll eventually have a fender-bender with the problem of pragmatism: aren’t we simply pandering to the base desires of the people we’re serving? Because let’s...

People Over Policies: part 2

In a recent post, I said that policies exist to help our teams do our jobs, but they must be to the benefit of our guests. In other words, a policy that we hide behind...

People Over Policies: part 1

Churches love policies almost as much as they love covered dish suppers: No food or drinks in the auditorium No one is seated during a reflective moment Ushers must wear coats and ties Any salmonella...

Help! I’m Starting a Parking Lot from Scratch!

When your church sets out to build a new facility (or expand on an old one) there are a veritable ton of decisions to be made. If you’re in the guest services world, you may...

How Much is a Phone Call Worth?

We’re building a series based on the first-time guest follow up process. (You can see the first five parts here, here, here, here, and here.) You can read back over all of those “how to” and “why to” posts,...

Who Should Follow Up With First-Time Guests?

We’re building a series based on the first-time guest follow up process. (You can see the first four parts here, here, here, and here.) Today…who actually follows up with your first-time guests? Is it a team? A person?...

How to Serve a Stealthy Guest

All of us in hospitalityland have faced the problem of the stealthy guest: the person who wants to lay low, fly under the radar, and do everything possible to keep from being known. But as...