CUSTOMER SERVICES TRAINING FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS

CUSTOMER CARE TRAINING FOR FRONT-LINE PERSONNEL IN THE CHURCH

INTRODUCTION
I would like to say it is our honour and a great privilege to introduce our Company by the name of POWER TO UNTIE LIMITED a UK privately owned Company with a growing International presence. We operate as a Training provider that partakes in Coaching, Training and Self Development of Individuals and Middle Level Management Executives. Our Company trading in United Kingdom for some period mainly from its Operational base in the East Anglia Region. It is our aim to furnish your organisation with, What we do, Why we do what we do, How we do it and Whom we do it for. It is our practise, also a principle that we acquaint you with our:
Mission Statement which states; “Providing a bespoke comprehensive Training, Coaching and Development service that suits our Clients specific needs; equipping them with the right tools thereby enabling them to reach their target goals quicker” with this serving as one of our several reasons for what we do. It is very important for us as a Company to stress the importance of Customer Care Training, not any kind of training but that which is effective, also ensuring that the Front-Line Personnel are adequately equipped and informed of their true primary role (caring for people) and how it fits into the overall Vision of the Church, if is to position itself for the 21st Century Challenges.

WHAT IS CUSTOMER CARE
Customer Care is often the first and probably the only contact church attendees will have with any Church. Its quality, or the lack of it is a serious factor in the reputation and success of virtually all spirit filled Churches in terms of Caring for all attendees, right from THE DOOR.


CUSTOMER CARE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD
Now, this brings us to a very important question; what is customer care in the house of God? Or some might say, this is a wrong question to ask but if was a Banking or an Hospitality Organisation then the question will be acceptable. Let us bear in mind that the Great Book, the Bible, says in Matthew 25:35-45: I was Hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…-“you failed to do it to me.”
It is of a general notion, with a greater percentage of People in our different communities that believes a Church is in the business of Caring for People; more so, they have a greater expectation that exceeds any other thing that when they go to any Church they will be treated like a King (retrospectively speaking) compared to other places they’ve been to and this might influence there decision if they would ever come back to that Church again. Perhaps if they were badly treated, they did not get the opportunity to listen to the Pastors Sermon or welcoming comment as First Timers.
Can we now say, the tasks of bringing people back to the Church is not always the work of the Pastors sometimes it lies with them but invariably greater reasons lies with the Front-Line Personnel because they are the first point of contact of any Church to their Community-the people; so they are the eyes that the people would need to see the Church with/in.

WHAT IS TRAINING
Training is the formal teaching of skills and can be often undertaken by any Church as a strategic activity aimed at improving the performance of the Church as a whole in terms of caring from THE DOOR step. In a Church, Training is required on a regular basis in order to improve the way in which we care for the Church attendees right from the point of entry, THE DOOR.

WHY THIS TRAINING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF IT
The word of God says in Proverbs, Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights. Learning is an activity that is not restricted by age. Every stage of life presents lessons to be learned. We can choose to be teachable and continue to learn, or we can be close-minded and stop growing. The decision is ours. In order to serve effectively and efficiently we have to open our minds to learning. We have to be adequately equipped to serve effectively in the House of God. And that is why adequate training is required for the Front-Line Personnel, so that the Church can position itself for the 21st Century challenges.

WHO IS THE TRAINING FOR
Training yourself to be sensitive to the needs of other people in the House of God is required of the Personnel that is going to handle or deal with lives of People visiting the Church for the very first time. Some departments in the Church are like the Surgeons because they are in the open theatre. For these Personnel are the eyes of the Church to the Public. There are four crucial departments that fits into this categories more than other departments due to the nature of their assignment, for Romans 12:4 says... and not all the members serve the same function.
These departments are divided into two segments Internal and External.
Ushering and Parking Departments being the external are the first point of contact with the Church attendees. Let’s take the Parking Personnel who are the first point of contact for people with Vehicles and at the entrance, the Ushers are first point of contact for people without Vehicles.
In the same manner, we have the Hospitality and Protocol Department. They are the Internal eyes of the Church. It is important to note, for instance, if you have a Guest Minister, it is the duty of the Protocol and Hospitality personnel to cater for their needs. Don’t forget or lets bring to our remembrance that these two Departments are Vital. Without the full co-operation of both the External and Internal Personnel working together it would be difficult for one to function effectively over the other, for they are to work together as they are Members Of One Body.


BENEFITS
Training can improve retention of workers when it is used to motivate the Front-Line Personnel and increase their commitment to the Church.
Any problem relating to serving can be solved with effective training- lack of interest of being a team member and absenteeism may decrease.
Church attendance may increase with both External & Internal personnel becoming more effective in attracting new members after training in different Customer Care techniques.
The respective teams can keep up with developments in technology by investing in training.
Team recruitment may become easier when a Church has a reputation as one that is committed to Customer Care Training.
The number of people required to do a job may decrease resulting in a reduction in the amount of time spent by Pastors or Team Leaders on the need of workers in the Church.
Altruistic benefits may be found- contribution to the Community or investment in People, may be a Valuable benefit in some Churches.

TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT
This refers to a Statement of what people should expect from taking part in the training and what they should not expect. The Bible says in Habakkuk Chapter 2:2, Write the Vision And make it plain on tablets. That he may run who reads it. It is important for us to stress the need of the kind of training we’re talking about that isn’t teeth gritting, white-knuckle, do-or-die attitude nor laying of Hands for Customer Care anointing towards serving in the House of God. But, our flexible approach to Training is to impact learning to do the Right thing, in the Right way and with the Right Spirit and Less Fuss. Listed below are some of the tools that are going to be emphasised in the Training:


The Door
Eye Contact & Body Language
From Chaos to Order
Communication & Interaction
Sitting and Parking Strategy
Systems & Procedures
People


WHAT DOES IT COST
It is important to stress the need for the cost of this training not as something to concentrate on. It would appear that these training would cost an Arm and a Leg if we have to consider all the highlighted sub-titles and reasons why it is important to train the Front-Line Personnel in a Church setting, so to speak.
But, we don’t believe that money should be our driving force rather let it be our passion to have excellent prevailing and most importantly love which surpasses all things you can think or imagine. If your goal is to prosper the Kingdom, then love must supersede all motives because love is the most universal language spoken by all Humans Beings bearing in mind that Christ love us first. As a company, it is our principle to sow the right seed and most importantly in a good soil. And for this singular reason, we have decided to provide this Training and every other thing attached, apart from the Venue for the training FREE OF CHARGE as a token of our love to your Church for; “Pure love is a willingness to give without a thought of receiving anything in return.” As a Company it is our practice in life to demonstrate love not only in words but in deeds.


VENUE
The suitability of the venue can have an effect on the delegates` learning and also a positive impact on the objectives of the Training. It is important for our facilities team to access the venues provided by the interested Churches in terms of Health & Safety, Insurance etc. Also included in their list would be to check for A/C, Parking Slots, Sitting Arrangements, Food and other Resources.

TRAINING DURATION
As recommended, it would be a 5 hours Training Session from 10AM-3PM on a Saturday.

CONCLUSION
Let us not forget, we are (the Church) set on a Hill Top to Shine and to show forth His Glory, more so He would be coming back for a Glorious Church without wrinkles or blemishes. It is said in the word of God many are called but few are chosen, the same also applies to this training as it would not be embraced by everyone. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:10, For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

May God Bless You,

Colin B. Adepoju.

Extract from the book titled THE DOOR by Colin B. Adepoju.