The Gospel & "Customer Service"

I like Panera Bread. I called in an order last Friday night and told them I would pick it up Saturday AM. Peggy & I went by after Nic's Cross-Country race. I was told they did not have the bread, it was my fault because I did not get the name of the person I spoke to. The 'Manager' after a brief conversation told me to 'just leave' which I did after getting the General Manager's name etc. I sent him an email when we got home.

He called me later that day. He was returning from Montgomery going back to Decatur where the Penera store he manages is located. He ask me for our home address. He stopped in Birmingham, got the bread I wanted and delivered it to our house! That is Customer Service!! I witnessed to him and told him to get Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard, read it and teach the principles to his employees. He ordered a copy Saturday night. I told him he would own Panera Bread in 5 years if they apply all that is in that title. He continues to correspond with me.

This morning I read a BLOG post by my friend Kevin DeYoung on "Customer Service" as transacted by the church. He gave two examples of experiences he recently had in this realm. One was similar to the anecdote I posted above. The other was horrific. He lists some probing questions to help you evaluate the kind of service your church provides to the people you minister to. Answer this list and give yourself a score using a scale of 0-100.

    * Does your church have a website that is easy to navigate?


    * Are the basic things like worship times, directions, and contact information easy to find online?


    * Is your automated phone system simple to understand and to operate?


    * Do you have a system in place to respond promptly and friendly to general inquiries?


    * Does your office staff (and everyone else for that matter) know how to graciously answer questions (even dumb ones) or connect people with the right person who can?


    * Do you convey an attitude that says “I am happy to help and glad you called/wrote/stopped by” or one that says “You are a bother and your problems are unimportant to me”?


    * Is your Sunday morning crew (ushers, greeters, check-in folks, etc.) friendly and knowledgeable or territorial and easily frustrated?


    * Are the rooms in your church well marked and the appropriate signs clearly displayed?


    * Is the information on your website and in your bulletin up to date and accurate?


    * Can people depend on the church staff to follow through on commitments, remember their calendar, communicate ahead of time about meetings and important events, and respond to reasonable questions (or direct them to people who can)?


    * Is your church clean?


How did you do? It really does matter!!