Feb 09, 2018
ASD’s Weather Response Preparation Demonstrates our Commitment to Being a Responsible Business Partner to the Funeral Homes we Serve.
Unlike other professionals, Funeral Directors cannot take a break simply because of inclement weather. During snow storms, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, our clients have proven their commitment time and time again by going out into inclement weather to help families in need or working with churches and even competitors to coordinate services. At ASD, we are continually inspired by the dedication of funeral directors. We know that our clients rely on us more than ever during major weather events which is why we take every precaution to provide your firm with seamless telephone protection through any storm.
Currently, ASD is preparing in advance for a major snow storm which is expected to cause widespread snow and ice in our local area. Although this is predicted to be a powerful winter storm, we have every confidence that our operations will run at full capacity with no disruption of service. While ASD has certainly weathered countless nor’easters and hurricanes in the past, we have greatly enhanced our weather response plan over the past several years to increase our safeguards and redundancies.
In 2007, ASD moved from our old building to our current location in Media, PA. We searched for a building for more than five years that met both our safety and technological requirements. Our newly constructed, solid brick building is not located near any flood plains or low-lying trees. Our facility houses countless fiber optic cables reaching multiple carriers. This ensures that a disruption of service on any carrier’s network will not disable ASD’s operations. In the event of an outage, ASD can reroute all calls to a working network.
During inclement weather, funeral homes throughout the country are often impacted by power outages and communication problems resulting in a higher call volume. ASD adjusts our staffing levels in advance of these events so that your calls are answered without delay. Employees with four-wheel drive often carpool to help others make it into the office safely. During a State of Emergency event such as Hurricane Sandy, ASD maintains an open-door policy and provides accommodations so our staff and their families can stay overnight at ASD if necessary. During both Hurricane Sandy and Irene, more than 40 ASD employees camped out and took calls in the morning to protect our clients’ sensitive calls throughout the storm.
ASD has learned from these experiences and we now currently have more than 80 remote computer stations, ensuring our staff can still work from home when travel conditions are hazardous. This represents a significant investment to ensure our service is protected from weather-related events.
Additionally, our three fully automatic redundant power generation systems are each capable of supplying ASD’s power needs until local electricity is restored. These systems are tested weekly to ensure they are ready when we need them. During Hurricane Sandy, a hospital was left without power because their only generator failed. ASD’s redundant power systems are just another example of our commitment to your funeral home.
If you’re ever concerned about how inclement weather will affect communication at your funeral home, follow the guidelines below to ensure your calls stay protected throughout any storm.
Click here for more Funeral Home Weather Planning Tips
At ASD, our commitment to serving you and your community is paramount. We leave nothing to chance when it comes to protecting your funeral home’s sensitive calls. We encourage you to take our Virtual Tour on our Google+ page so you can look around our facility and see how we have invested in our infrastructure. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help your funeral home weather the winter days ahead. To speak with a Supervisor 24/7, call 800-868-9950.
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
