3 Directions Guests are Looking For Before Service Starts
Posted by Adam on 26th Sep 2018
Have you ever walked into a new theme park or shopping mall and caught yourself looking for the 'You Are Here' sign? We do this because we want to be confident in where we're going.
When your guests come to visit your church, they are asking themselves "How do I get where I'm going?"
You may think guests need a complete roadmap for every room in your building, and in some cases, that may be true - a midweek group in a classroom, or a meeting with your Pastor in the office area - but when your guests walk in before for a weekend service, they are looking for 3 simple pieces of information:
Restroom, Kids Classes / Check-in, Auditorium.
Your guests often don't need any more information than this to get from your front door to service. If they don't have kids, then it's even simpler.
Clear signage is an obvious way to communicate these 3 big things. When a visitor takes 1 step inside your front door, can they see a sign with all 3 of these details? When they're standing down the hallway from the restrooms, do they know which door to use without having to face the restroom door? Are your classrooms clearly labeled with age groups?
Clear signage is important but isn't the only way to help your guests find where they need to go.
Have your door holders equipped to welcome people they don't recognize in this way. If they see a family with kids that they don't recognize, then it's easy to say "Welcome to church. Kids check-in is on your left," or if they see someone they don't recognize without kids, it could be "Good morning. Our auditorium is to the right."
Once inside the door, train your greeters to quickly recognize the signs of someone looking for directions - Someone looking up at directional signage, or looking back and forth down the hallway. These moments are a great opportunity to approach that person to say, "Can I help you find where you're going?"
While clear signage is important, it can never replace the personal connection of someone offering to help.