Five Star Greeting

Here are three or four cases on greetings and my observations on them.

I think the worst kind of greetings are the ones I have experienced at local convenience stores. You walk in and the cashier has been trained by corporate policy to say “hello” they don’t look up, no eye contact and they don’t really mean it… they’re just following corporate policy.

I thought that was the worst until I walked into a store recently and they had an electronic greeting.

The second worst kind is what I experience at the local athletic facility. There’s always 2-3 people at the front desk. You scan your member card… they make eye contact and smile and say hello. They do that when you leave too. It’s certainly better than the convenience store but for crying out loud they have your information on their computer screens right in front of them. They could at least greet you by your name and pretend that they know you.

My third example is the front desk at our office. They have been trained to recognize not only our clients but the names of their pets. Most of our clients make appointments so our receptionists have all the clues they need to make a personal greeting. When the client walks in they say “hello Mrs. Brimerlee… how is Barney today?” (for example). As they are checking out our receptionists ask about the visit and thank them.

Greeters and greetings are very important in congregations. Of course what happens in between the Howdies and the Adios' are also important but greeters at the beginning are the first impression and greeters at the end are the last impression. So… like really important.

The reality in congregations is that everyone is a greeter. Greeting is layered and somewhat continuous from the time the visitor walks through the front door, as they run the gauntlet through the foyer and finally when they find their seats.

I was told by a practice consultant that at the front desk you hire for personality and then teach front desk skills.

The skill of greeting can be taught and learned and as we engage in greetings and observe other greeters our skills are honed.