In addition to our company’s commitment to helping organizations that impact the lives of children, we’re also dedicated to encouraging each individual employee a chance to make a difference where they feel most called. In fact, one of our employee benefits is time off to do service work. Sweet!
Last week I spent time in New Orleans working with Habitat for Humanity. I am fortunate to have worked with several Habitat affiliates over the last 12 years doing a variety of construction, rehab, and deconstruction projects and know that this organization makes an impact where ever folks are working.
We are all familiar with the devastation wreaked by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I was amazed at how much damage remains.
I was able to work in St. Bernard Parish where there was 100% structural damage to residential and commercial buildings during Hurricane Katrina - every house, every business. Over two years later, there is a ton of work to be done. In 2000, the population was counted at 67,229 people; now the count is about 7,000 permanent residents plus 20,000 people who are living elsewhere while working on rebuilding their homes. That leaves 40,000 people either relocated or unable to rebuild. It’s little wonder that businesses are unable to reopen: not enough people for customers or employees.
The neighborhood where I worked had a range of homes. For every rebuilt/repaired home there were 10-12 with tarped roofs, broken windows, and gutted walls. Some had trailers or mobile homes parked on front lawns, some had for sale signs on their boarded up doors, while others were completely abandoned.
The photos below show some of the damaged homes oftentimes side by side with newly rebuilt ones as well as the remnants of some of the businesses.
While there is much that needs to be done, hope is springing up across St. Bernard Parish. Tomorrow I’ll talk more about the home I worked on and the folks I was able to work with.
“Baby it’s cold outside!”
Capturing the essence of wintry fun, Paula Wirth is this month’s Lemonade Stand Photo Contest winner. Way to go Paula!
Could you be our next winner?
Go here to find out all the details on how you can win a $20 Lemonade Stand Gift Certificate.
Technorati Tags: snow drift, bundled up, photo contest, Lemonade Stand
February is just around the corner and that brings thoughts of celebrating Valentine’s Day. There are all kinds of great gifts for your sweetheart at the Lemonade Stand.
One of the coolest things we have is our Between You & Me Journal. The “Honey” edition is full of questions designed to get right to the heart of the matter. 
With this gift that comes back, you and your special someone will grow closer with shared thoughts and memories.
Flowers and candy are boring. Silk boxers and heart patterned ties have been done to death. This year give this memorable and lasting gift! Encourage your valentine to share themselves, while you’re at it, why not open up your heart too and give a journal already filled with your answers?
Usually $15.95, the Between You & Me Honey Journal is only $11.17 today January 28th only. Pick up a pair today!
Technorati Tags: Valentine’s Day, Between You & Me Journal, Monday Madness, Lemonade Stand
We’ve recently added some really cool stuff to the Lemonade Stand. Here’s a list of goodies to help you get stuff done.
Get It Written Down:
Mind Log - a paperback journal with analysis tools for helping you make like the Thinker.
Idea Log - a place to capture all the wild thoughts and dreams on paper.
Toasted Notes - keeping these sticky notes close with a whimsical way to add fiber to your desktop
Get It Organized:
Greeting Card Organizer - a large binder for sorting and storing greeting cards for all occasions.
Take Out Menu Organizer - makes finding menus and coupons for your favorite restaurants a snap.
January’s not over so there’s still time to get started on that New Year’s resolution to “get it together” this year. Get these great items for yourself or as a gift for that someone who loves to get things done.
Technorati Tags: journal, idea log, organizer, get it done, Lemonade Stand
Time for Monday Madness: One Item, One Ridiculously Low Price, One Day.
The Monday Madness item for January 22, 2008 is our Jigsaw Puzzle Coasters.
Not only do these stainless steel puzzle pieces look sharp as coasters in any room of the house, they also fit together to be used as a trivet. They’re equiped with rubber feet to further protect your game table or countertop.
Regularly priced at $14.95 today only get yours for only $10.47!
Technorati Tags: Monday Madness, coaster, jigsaw puzzle, Lemonade Stand
Plenty has been said about the major mistake made by webhost DreamHost overbilled it’s customers in the amount of $7.5 million dollars. There has been a wide range of responses from customers, competitors and customer service experts. There is a great analysis of the goods and bads of this experience by Service Untitled’s blog. I’d like to put on my Adultitis diagnosis hat and put my two cents in.
We’re three days out from DOD - day of disaster - and still dealing with the aftermath of the financial havoc that was wreaked by this error. But the thing is, it’s still an error, a mistake, an accident. There were many commentors on the initial blog post that made noise about lawsuits and fraud; in general a lot of anger was expressed. That’s a natural response to an enormously difficult situation. In all of the posts I read - both on the blog and on the official company status page, I felt there was a true apologetic tone for what happened. And lots of information about what happened, how it was being corrected, and how it would be prevented in the future - all good things that don’t always make a customer who’s been wronged feel better. But I felt that a good effort was made to communicate with a huge customer base what was happening.
The other thing that had folks up in arms was the tone of Josh Jones’ blog post titled “Um, Whoops” complete with blog necessity - photos, including Homor Simpson. This seemed to stir as much ire as the $7.5 million billing snafu. The comments ranged from furious insults to demands for immediate firing of Mr. Jones to threats of lawsuits and of course, leaving the company.
Okay, my take: it’s a big deal. A serious problem, but that doesn’t mean that Josh had to take himself so seriously that he couldn’t be true to who he’s been all along. I felt that by thoroughly explaining things and not simply glossing over the situation with just jokes and cartoons, Josh showed guts and made a great effort to turn an awful situation into one where he could earn customer loyalty.
In an amongst the venomous ferver were many comments in appreciation of both the humor and honesty expressed on Tuesday. People made a point to say that the blog was “true to the nature of the company” and “great to see someone taking responsibility without taking themselves too seriously” and “I know you’ll take care of the problem and take care of me as you have all along.”
Mistakes are an opportunity to show your customers what you’re really made of. And to paraphrase my boss, you can be serious about customer service without taking yourself too seriously.
Adultitis can be debilitating to customer service. We often see it manifest in the folks who deal with customer complaints day in and day out, but it can spread throughout a company. In this case, I don’t think DreamHost has to worry about fighting Adultitis within as much as with their customers.
As far as I can tell, they’ve worked hard in the past few days to right the wrongs and prevent this from ever happening again. And along the way they’ve used several of the 8 Secrets to fighting Adultitis to survive. In particular, they’ve maintained perspective of the situation and of themselves, sharing a lot of information and emotion. I hope that DreamHost as a company can survive this situation and that Josh Jones never succumbs to Adultitis himself.
Diagnosis: Adultitis Free
Technorati Tags: DreamHost, Adultitis, customer service, serious, mistakes
Yesterday was my birthday. And one way I celebrated was wearing one of our fun hats.
One of our Club K&J members has started a new family tradition of the birthday person wearing our Jester Hat on their special day.
Today only, I’m making both the Birthday Cake Hat and the Multi-Colored Jester Hat this week’s Monday Madness specials. Regularly $19.95 each you can get them for $13.97 on January 14th, 2008.
Technorati Tags: Monday Madness, hats, birthday cake, jester, family tradition, Lemonade Stand
