Great People Service: Give Disney Some Competition

Great People Service: Give Disney Some Competition
 
Here I am way up in the sky in one of those really futuristic flying machines.  Incredible that something with two wings, weighing thousands of pounds can actually go from LA to Portland in two hours.  I keep waiting for the Twilight Zone music to start playing.  What we take for granted.

And I for one will never take Disneyland – or at least parts of it – for granted.  While I didn’t actually get into the “happiest place on earth” this time, I did experience Downtown Disney – the retail mall of all Disney-related items. Granted, we could have a philosophical discussion about the evils of consumerism (and this was an overload par none) but what was noteworthy in my experience was the customer service that I and everyone else received.  Every employee I met had a smile on their face, was willing to help, and even engage in non-Disney-related conversation (one sweet employee told me all about his Pomeranian while we were standing in front of the stuffed Dumbos).  These folks have been trained well.

Compare that to an experience I recently had elsewhere. I made my first donation to a well-known local organization at a fundraising breakfast.  Later, I received a phone call from “Mary” who said, “Hi. You said you wanted a call so that we could get your credit card number.”  I was kind of startled.  No “Thank you for coming to the breakfast.”  No  “Thank you for becoming a sustaining giver.”  No “How’s your day going?” No “What did you think of the event?”  It was all about getting right down to business.  It wasn’t awful but it was a missed opportunity to strengthen my relationship with the organization.
 
Here’s the point:
 
Everyone on your team needs to know that they are part of a ministry of gratefulness, caring, and concern. 
 
No one who comes through your doors or who calls on the phone should feel like they are a bother or business transaction.  
 
Everyone should feel like they matter.
 
Take a moment with your staff and volunteers to remind them of the important role they play in the lives of God’s people – whether they come to your church or not.  Your folks are the front line missionaries expressing the Good News through their actions, words, and tone.  Now let’s give Disney a little competition.

Cesie Delve Scheuermann is a consultant in stewardship, development, and grant writing. Over the past decade, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she helped raise over $2 million dollars for numerous non-profit organizations. She served as the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference Lay Leader from 2008-2012.  If you look closely, please note Olaf from "Frozen" is sitting on Cesie's shoulder. He's that special. Her position with the Conference is funded through a  generous grant from the Collins Foundation. You can reach her at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com.

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