Notes on Power Connection

Notes From my Power Connection Call
(Call and demo with Larry Hardy 2/10/10)


Primary goal was to learn more about their solution and see it in action at least our top "priority" items.  This meant focus on the Visitor Power module primarily and some on Member Power.  We touched Web Power and I skipped the Contribution side for now.




Software:

• No web forms post-in, no email-in processing – entry of contact is entirely MANUAL
• Very Que based – approach with significant overview/control at the "Program Director" level.  Volunteer callers cannot access or change actual records in their web form -- can print out a call sheet and later enter a series of notes into a web form vs. correct or worse case corrupt good data.
• Lots (almost all) of "results" to queries and functions are exported to CVS not displayed and not displayed with a hyperlink to drill down into a member of visitor record.
• Way to get to member record is primarily a name search.
• Volunteer caller management is done by the "Program Director" role who can see assign / reassign people manually – You can easily see the volunteer caller name followed by ##/## which represents que of assigned people and # of total calls they pledge they can make on a weekly basis
• System has a vacation / time off / DND to help limit dead-end/drop outs/delays of volunteer callers connections to visitors.
• During calls or completion of print/cards for later entry if a visitor selected interest in several items i.e. interested in Parents group the visitor in the que would also be contacted by that specific ministry  i.e. expressed interest in parents group – qued to be called by that specific groups leader.
• Built-in survey i.e. lists of things to ask or listen for to gather more complete information and link into the ministries/groups.
• Once a volunteer caller completes data entry for 1st call made -- flows to the next call data entry form.
• Power.Web is their CMS and also helps syndicate out info to churches with more advanced sites.
• System is not really a true "modern" CRM it only really tracks notes and info does not integrate, facilitate or track email or other "touch points" unfortunately.

Process:

• Secret of Power visitor is the process / discipline of 5 calls by three individuals over X weeks (I think 4-5 weeks).  Caller 2 & 3 call twice.
• Visitors are matched to volunteer callers automatically based on first Location, Family Status, Hobby, Age (First Caller is generally closest member)
• Process for addressing non-attendance: Week 1 - slide, Week 2 - Letter, Week 3 - Call, Week 4 - Home Visit.
• Data collection is basically manual via contact/visitor cards collected weekly and taken up with the offering.  From there data entry Sunday on Monday AM so if possible follow-up calls go out Monday for a weekend service.
• All call attempts are entered not just successes.
• You can drop someone out of the process easily by changing status.

Info / Stats: <I'm definitely interested in research>

• 70% of visitors drop out of a church when after 4-14 weeks # 1 sighted issue was never established a relationship to someone in the church.  #2 issue sighted was someone was never asked to participate in anything. 
• Only 2-8% of visitors convert to long term members if there is no contact strategy in place.  With connection power they say that rises to 28-48% depending on how well systems are implemented and followed.
• Three weeks from purchase to train before launching Power Visitor.
• Their experience is email response rates are down to 3-5% while mail receipt rate was close to 100%
• Church who has 60% of members over 60 will die within a decade
• 70% of visitors now visit a web site before attending a church
• Number one "turn off" to web visitor was an out of date site

Hints / Suggestions:

• Adoption of Lapsed/Attendance Troubled members by another Family
• Attendance tracking is key and a process to follow up for fall out of both members and visitors.
• Using Avery label name badges @ every major service to track attendance (those labels not pulled returned to input absent).
• Adding an interesting "ask me question of the week" to name badges to encourage conversation.  Those that don’t take a badge then are marked Absent.
• First caller in the volunteer callers should be the best "personality" you've got i.e. positive and friendly.
• First call should be no more than 48 hours after attending a service and completing a visitor card.
• First caller should arrange to meet the visitor for the service on the following Sunday 3-5 minutes before the service and offer to sit together and introduce them.
• Weekly Call Partner Rewards and Praise for Top Caller - possibly ribbon or something on their name badge.
• Church needs a "cruise director" similar to my "mother hen" analogy
• "Visitor Centers" are very popular now
• People go to small churches to build relationships.  Families go to big/mega/giga churches to have someone babysit their kids during service, activities and church schools, etc.