Technology makes our lives easier. I'm glad I don't have to use correction tape to fix typos and that I don't have to be attached to a wall to make a phone call.
What word processors are to writing, and cell phones are to talking; workflows are to doing. I've written a lot about workflows the last few years, but the last couple of weeks I've had two very sharp, pastoral staff ask me for specific examples. Both of them are in the process of considering a change to Churchteams.
Workflows really are kind of a novel feature for most people when they first see them, so, see if these 10 ideas don't get the wheels rolling for your thinking about using workflows to automate tasks. The hyperlinks go to more detailed blog posts on each topic.
- Guest follow-up. Notify leaders to contact guests. Automate a text Sunday afternoon with an open-ended question. Invite them back next Saturday. Update their member record.
- Missing persons. Find people who've missed 4 weeks in a row and set up a series of follow up actions. You can modify it any way you want. Hint: make sure you are accurately capturing attendance - ask us for ideas on that if you need help.
- Grief care. Notify the pastor or send a personalized email on the 1 month, 6 month, and one year anniversary of the passing of a loved one, especially a spouse. Customize the time frames and the actions to fit your ministry.
- Easter (or any event) follow up campaign. Series of emails or texts reinforcing the message of Easter and inviting people back. Can be used for any event.
- Preschool promotion. Weekly report to find and promote preschoolers to their next age-based class. Examples: 6 months old, 18 months old, 3 years old.
- Birthdays recognition. Several ways to set up the system to identify people with birthdays, and email or text them automatically (personalized). Or, notify someone to call or hand write a note.
- Thank first time givers. Starts with an automated report that identifies families that gave the first time and either communicates with them automatically (personalized), or notifies someone to thank them in other ways.
- Flag lapsed givers. Notify pastor and other leaders of people who have stopped giving. Really helpful for pastoral care awareness.
- Volunteer training. Use workflows to help recruit volunteers and then to provide their training as a drip campaign linked to web-based email or landing pages.
- Reassuring guest parents. Make parents feel welcome knowing their kids are safe with a text 10-15 minutes after they drop off their children.
Here is a
blog search listing these and other blog posts with the initial paragraph of each article. If you're a client, pick one of these or something else and get started. If you're not a client,
join me for Meet The Software to learn more!
Either way, come on over to church in the 2020s. We'll be glad to help you get there.
