What story does your church facility tell? Delta vs. US Airways

By Tim Cool

I fly a lot. Living in Charlotte, NC, I used to fly USAir as Charlotte is their primary hub.  Most anywhere I want to go is a direct flight. USAir has a significant number of flights every day to most of the destinations that I fly to. Most of the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is designed to cater to them and their clientele.

So, why do I almost exclusively fly Delta Airlines? Why would I subject myself to having to fly through another port (unless I am specifically flying to Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit, NYC or Minneapolis)?

Let me share some of the reasons why I fly Delta and then we’ll look at how this applies to the story our church facilities tell:

1. About 80 percent of my travel is paid for by the clients I serve as part of reimbursable expenses.  In light of that, I’m constantly looking for the best value for our clients – helping them be good stewards.  I generally subject myself to a “two-legger” (meaning a connection flight to get to the destination), because the flights are less expensive than the equivalent direct flight with USAir. Stewardship is important to me; so, it influences my buying and partnering decisions.
2. With the exception of their small CRJ 100/200 planes, every Delta flight has WiFi.  If you know me, you know I love my email and connectivity, so I do not mind sitting on a second flight if I can be productive.  Our family recently took a vacation that required more than three hours of flight each direction.  We flew USAir as I had accumulated significant miles, and we used them for the trip. We flew a 767 going and a transatlantic 757 on the return. Neither flight had Internet service.  GRRRR!!!  While I was glad not to be “working,” I still wanted Internet access for other things like social media, videos, cloud accounts, etc. My expectations were grossly unmet, and I was frustrated and very disappointed.
3. For the most part, the Delta fleet is newer and better maintained, or at least they appear to be for the areas of the planes I see (the cabins, seats, flooring).  The flights I mentioned above on USAir were on older planes – old décor straight out of the 1970’s, frayed-seat upholstery, worn-out carpet, old seat controls, retrofitted video monitors, in-flight entertainment systems that didn’t work or weren’t activated. The condition of the planes is important to me. If they’re not taking care of the areas where paying customers sit for hours, what else are they not maintaining?  Hmmm.
4. On the flights our family recently took, we received a single beverage in coach, and no snack on a three-hour flight.  Really!! The stinginess or generosity I experience influences me in a significant way.
5. Flying can be stressful, especially for the infrequent flyer like my wife and kids and the majority of the people on a vacation destination flight. So, the attitudes, personalities, approachability, and overall demeanor of the crew, gate agents and flight attendants are critical.  Again, I give poor marks for our recent experience – and Lisa and I were sitting in first class on the way home. The customer service was below-average compared to what I expected and what I’m used to experiencing. It was clear that the first-class flight attendant wasn’t invested in her role on this flight. Personal interactions are a direct reflection on the culture, DNA and attitudes of an organization, and this spoke volumes to me.

I could share more about the airline industry pros and cons, but that’s not really my point.  The point is, the experiences people have as a guest at your church (or any organization) will impact them and can play a significant role in determining if they return (become a patron, enthusiastic customer and, ultimately, a raving fan) as they find their way on their spiritual journey.

We have talked about how first impressions are so critical, and it tells a story, whether we intend to or not. This is a real life example of how this is played out in an everyday occurrence.

Does your church offer a WOW experience and tell a story that’s congruent with your mission, vision and ministry objectives? If not, you may be missing an incredible opportunity to meet the needs (especially spiritual) of those in your community.

To quote Derwin Gray (@DerwinLGray)…”Marinate on that”

Tim Cool is project executive at Visioneering Studios in Charlotte, NC, and founder of Cool Solutions Group. Since 1986, Cool has served the church community in the areas of construction, facility planning and facility management. He can be reached at tcool@visioneeringstudios.com.