Aug 28, 2012
ASD Featured in funeralone’s Blog
This week, ASD was thrilled to be featured in the funeralone blog as an example of a funeral company effectively using social media. The blog provided great tips and examples to funeral homes looking to build online relationships with thier communities. In less than one year, ASD has been able to connect with hundreds of our clients through our social channels and we are truly grateful for the support, feedback and interactions we have gotten from funeral professionals across the country. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and for your interest in the latest developments here at ASD. We hope to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Google+ as well as we continue to explore new ways to reach the funeral service community. Be sure to let us know if you have news to share or a story you would like us to feature: we’ve love to hear from you!
A Year Ago This Week…
One year ago today, ASD’ employees were waking up from sleeping bags and air mattresses after camping out overnight during Hurricane Irene. On the evening of August 28, 2011, 44 ASD employees camped out in the ASD offices and conference rooms to guarantee your funeral home had backup support during Irene’s destructive wake. Looking back with the knowledge that Hurricane Irene was one of the top ten most dangerous and deadly hurricanes to hit the United States since 1980, we are grateful we made arrangements in advance to prepare for this dangerous storm. ASD’s large, 15,000 square foot building provided enough space and comfort for staff members of all ages. For some employees, ASD’s headquarters became a required shelter as many towns in Southeastern Pennsylvania issued mandatory evacuations for flood prone areas. Children and relatives of staff members were welcome to take refuge as well from the flooding rains and damaging winds.
While other companies can shut down during a serious storm like Irene, thousands of funeral professionals nationwide rely on ASD to handle their urgent, time sensitive calls when they are out of the office. Unable to predict the damages or the duration of the storm, ASD’s owners stocked up on large quantity of food, water and supplies. Call specialists, supervisors, managers, support staff and the company’s Family-Member owners brought in sleeping bags, air mattresses, toothbrushes and more to set up camp in the offices or in the large conference room. The exercise room became the storm tracking center with updates broadcasted on the big screen television monitor. Click here to read our blog from last year to learn more about how ASD prepares for unpredictable weather events.
“Sensitive Save of the Week” Winner
“Sensitive Save of the Week” WinnerThis week, our Call Specialist Jeff handled a call from another director who wanted the funeral home to handle a removal and transfer. The director initially wanted to hang up when he realized he was speaking to an answering service, but Jeff was able to reassure the caller that the on-call director would be paged immediately. Jeff recognized that the other director only wanted to talk to the funeral home staff and did not press him for all of the details. By the end of the call, the director was thanking our Call Specialist for being so professional. Jeff is this week’s “Sensitive Save of the Week” winner. Click here to see last week’s Sensitive Save of the Week.
UPDATE ON: ASD Mobile for Android Beta Testing
On July 17th, ASD began Beta Testing our “ASD Mobile for Android” app. This full featured app is a mobilized solution to help directors manage every aspect of their ASD accounts. As of today, over 80 Funeral Homes are currently Beta Testing our app and using “ASD Mobile for Android” to manage their ASD account. The feedback and suggestions we have received has helped us to enhance the app’s performance and ensure it is fully functional on all Android devices. There will be at least one more update to the Android Beta App before the final version is released to Google. We are targeting a late September release date. Be sure to check back for more updates. If you would like more information about Beta Testing our Android app, contact jess.fowler@myASD.com.
There Is Still Time to Help ASD Mobile win the 2012 NFDA Innovation Award
There Is Still Time to Help ASD Mobile win the 2012 NFDA Innovation AwardThere is still time to cast your vote for the National Funeral Director Association 2012 Innovation Award. ASD’s powerful Smart Phone application, ASD Mobile, was selected as a finalist by a distinguished panel of judges. The winner will be announced at the Opening General Session of the NFDA 2012 International Convention in October after the funeral service community has an opportunity to vote online. When designing the app, our technical team realized that funeral directors required more than just a scaled down version of ASD’s website. With break-through push notification technology, the ASD Mobile app functions as a two-way channel capable of transmitting and receiving information. We are grateful to the NFDA Judging Panel for recognizing the value and efficiency that the ASD Mobile delivers to funeral professionals. We are looking forward to the upcoming NFDA convention and the opportunity to demo the ASD Mobile app in person. Click here to vote for ASD Mobile.
ASD’s Upcoming Conventions:
New Jersey State Funeral Directors Assocation Convention, September 18-20 in Atlantic City, NJ
National Funeral Directors Association Convention, Oct 7-10 in Charlotte, NC
About The Author
Jess Farren (Fowler)
Jess Farren (Fowler) is a Public Relations Specialist and Staff Writer who has been a part of the ASD team since 2003. Jess manages ASD’s company blog and has been published in several funeral trade magazines. She has written articles on a variety of subjects including communication, business planning, technology, marketing and funeral trends. You can contact Jess directly at Jess@myASD.com
