You walk into your church on Sunday morning and see a piece
of trash on floor. What do you do?
On your way to your Bible study class, you see a young couple with three
small children who appear to be confused and looking for the right place to
go. What do you do?
If you choose to accept responsibility in the two instances
above---disposing of that trash in a refuse container and taking the time to
get the couple to the places they need to be—the philosophy behind The Experience: The 5 Principles of Disney Service and Relationship Excellence will seem like common sense and second
nature to you.
Bruce Loeffler and Brian Church have drawn on their time
with the Disney organization to put together a book which is much a checklist
as it is a narrative. They provide
additional examples of superior experiences from other organizations such as
the Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Tractor Supply Company (TSC), and Starbucks that are
known for their customer service focus.
Their “I. C.A.R.E.” model covers five ingredients of
providing a superior customer experience..
Impression: How do you make a lasting
impression on the person you are serving, one that initiates a healthy
relationship that can become stronger over time?
Connection: How do you “convert clients
and customers from consumers to Ambassadors--those on a mission to tell the
world specifically about you”?
Attitude: How does
your attitude impact the way you see the world and how you express your inward
feelings?
Response: How can
you develop your own sense of personal responsibility so that you
respond productively to a need rather than simply reacting?
Exceptionals: How do you develop an attitude in your
organization of adding value or “going above and beyond” to provide more than
the customer wants?
If you are a Christian believer, you are ahead of the curve
on this approach. In fact, the authors
use a lot of ecclesiastical terms to get their message across: servanthood, discipleship, mission, evangelism—even
though they don’t use them with the same theological significance.
So why should this matter to you as a church leader? If we are going to practice hospitality in
our churches (and hospitality is really service to others), we need to be very
intentional about it. There are many
churches that proclaim “all are welcome here” but often fall short of
delivering on the promise.
According to the authors the key to offering exceptional service
is being willing to “go the extra mile” for the guest. This is based on Matthew 5:41: “If anyone forces you to go
one mile, go with them two miles.”
By law, a Roman soldier could compel a Jew to carry his pack for one
mile. The soldier, the conqueror, was in control. Jesus (and, according to the authors, other
first century rabbis) suggested that offering to carry the pack an additional
mile put the Jew in control. When we go
the second mile, we are exercising servanthood as a means of personal
empowerment. We are also sacrificing
something of ourselves on the behalf of another by our own choice.
The book can be a bit repetitious at times
and the format sometimes seems like a workbook, but the ideas presented are
practical and informative. If you want
to improve the experience of guests in your church, spend some time with The Experience.
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