Customer Service

This past trip to the United States was a great trip. We enjoyed time with friends and family and of course, we did lots of shopping. Clothes and these type of things are significantly cheaper than here in Estonia. When we finally arrived home and unpacked our bags, we noticed that several pairs of shoes were missing from one bag. This was a real surprise for me. We checked all the bags a second time and knew for sure they were missing. I called Delta who was the main airline we flew and was told I would need to talk with KLM who was our final flight from Amsterdam to Riga. I checked their website, and they had good information on what to do. I then emailed them with the information. I got a response the next day with a explanation of the baggage system and an apology. I then gave them some additional information and a few days later, I called to check on things and everything was in process. The next day, they sent me an email informing that the money was being transfered to my account. This was amazing and so easy. I was really impressed by the way the people at KLM handled things and how they treated me. I recommend KLM to anyone flying and I intend to fly them as often as possible.

This got me to thinking the past few days about how we treat people in and around our churches. I am not saying that church is a business, but i do believe that we could learn somethings from these companies in how they deal with people. For me, information was really important, who to contact, what info do I need, and what are the variables. In a few seconds, I was able to find that online. Do we as a church have the basic information for people available? How do we respond to people? Immediately like they did, or do we wait too long and let it slip our minds. What about finding fair solutions to problems? I often find myself not wanting to be flexible, or want to listen to people who want to express their opinions or problems. Why do I do this? Why do I put myself higher than others?

I don't think the church is in the business of customer service, but I know that we are in the business of service. Serving and being a servant is the very nature of Christ and if he is my role model, maybe I need to take some pointers from his life and maybe some pointers from other people or organization that do service well.