Church facilities are tools God has entrusted to us to steward. Part of stewarding is the utilization and use of these facilities.
For instance, if your facility is used during weekends only, I would question the need to have a facility at all. If all you need is a place to meet on Saturday or Sunday, then why invest in the construction and maintenance of a physical structure?
Buildings were meant to be used, and their use must be properly planned and coordinated. Have you ever shown up for a meeting and learned another group was also planning to meet in the same space? Awkward.
You are probably thinking the following: Why should my church implement the use of facility and event scheduling software? What are the real benefits? Won’t Google Calendar, Outlook, or the endangered paper wall calendar suffice?
To help address some of these questions, read more below to see five problems facility and event scheduling software can remedy:
1) Who’s On First?
Do you remember the Abbott and Costello sketch? While it is classic and funny, it is anything but humorous when you thought you had a room scheduled properly for an event to find out the receptionist forgot to add it to the calender.
Don’t let this happen. It is a royal pain to recover from this kind of incident in a timely manner, and scheduling software can help.
2) Virtual Systems 101
Does anyone on your staff not use a computer or smartphone? How many staff work remotely or spend large amounts of time away from a physical office?
The world has gone virtual. Even our staff is sprawled across five cities in several states. To be most effective, organizations need to implement collaborative tools, many of which will be cloud-based (i.e. virtual).
Therefore, don’t limit the interaction of your team by continuing to use a scheduler bound to a single user or single computer or location.
3) One and Done
Over the past seven years, I have witnessed many churches log their facility and event schedules in at least two to three places.
They first enter it in their event scheduler “system” (I use that would loosely as the “system” may be a paper calendar). Then, they add a portion of the same data to a calendar on their website. Finally, they either enter the data into their building automation system to control their HVAC, or they provide a printout for a facility staff member to run around like a chicken with its proverbial head cut off, frantically changing thermostats.
Doesn’t that sound ineffective? Why not find a system that can do all three of those in one fell swoop?
4) Avoid the Chinese Fire Drill
When you schedule an event and reserve a space, is it like a Chinese fire drill to get all resources, people, approvals, etc. lined up for the event? Do you have to call five other ministry leaders to verify they can provide the resources and services you require?
I have been in that boat, and it is very frustrating. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could schedule the event along with the physical space and ALL needed resources and services at one time? With automated notification and approval process from impacted ministry groups?
This is very possible, so find the right solution.
5) Can You Hear Me Now?
When you read those words, almost all of us will immediately relate to the man in the cell phone company commercials walking around the globe asking if you can hear him when he speaks. In today’s virtual world, we cannot afford to be “down” for any length of time.
In light of that, you need to partner with a firm that will provide over-the-top support, including real-life human interaction. Customer service and support are no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
Is your solution supplier providing regular enhancement updates? Can you actually get a customer service person on the phone to have a discussion? Make sure they can “hear you now.”
What is your church using to schedule your facilities? Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate.
About eSPACE Event Scheduler
eSPACE Event Scheduler is the best solution for churches scheduling events. Here are a few features of eSPACE Event Scheduler:
- Real-Time Conflict Detection
- Inventoried Resources
- Public Event Request Forms
- Public and Internal Calendars
- Various User Permissions
But, it can also go a step further with our powerful add on’s, such as Event Registration, Billing & Invoicing, and our IoT Integrations.
Our Event Registration module allows users to use ticketing for their events, let it be paid or free tickets. Our Billing & Invoicing module gives churches the ability to assign a dollar figure to any item in their facility and allows the public to request rentals using an online form. They can then bill and invoice accordingly all from eSPACE.
Lastly, our IoT Integrations can help improve your facility’s efficiency and security by integrating your HVAC, Access Control, and/or Digital Signage systems.
Don’t wait another day; reach out to our team now to learn more about how eSPACE can help meet your needs.
