Archive for August, 2008
Supply Drive Benefits Jacksonville, Texas, School
“We collected tons of crayons, pencils, paper and glue,” Suddenlink Customer Care Representative Patty Banda told the Jacksonville Daily Progress.
To encourage customers to donate supplies, Suddenlink offered installation discounts to area residents who brought in more than 10 school-supply items. The office itself provided 10 brand new backpacks for students.
Suddenlink employees chose Joe Wright Elementary School as the beneficiary because it was identified as one where students could use the most help. Marketing Manager Shelley Vaughn told school officials the Jacksonville office is planning to hold another supply drive in January.
Helping Protect Children, Ctd.
Continuing those efforts, we’ve added a banner in the right column of this blog that links to the NCMEC’s “CyberTipline,” where interested citizens can file reports on suspected cases of child exploitation. In turn, those reports will be forwarded by NCMEC to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for investigation — and, when relevant, to the affected Electronic or Internet Service Provider.
DTV: Only Six Months to Go
Bossier City Stuffs Bus With School Supplies
As a corporate partner in the “Operation A+ Stuff the Bus” promotion with Shreveport’s KTBS-TV3, Suddenlink donated $500 to the cause and invited customers to donate school supplies at its Bossier City office on Aug. 5, loading those donations on to the “Operation A+” bus.
Pictured above, from left, Bossier City Customer Care Representative (CCR) Krystal Allen, Customer Care Manager Kathie Erler, System Manager Mike Gamble, and CCRs Alisa Turner and Catina Hines present Suddenlink’s cash donation to KTBS Community Affairs Director Jan Elkins, on behalf of the “Operation A+” program.
A Hero Twice Over
In the fourth quarter last year, one of those awards went to Eric Washburn, a Suddenlink broadband technician who works in Parkersburg, W. Va., and nearby Marietta, Ohio. Eric turned around and donated the cash portion of his award to the Marietta Youth Football League.
“I didn’t think I did anything out of the ordinary to earn the award,” Washburn said. “I’ve been involved with the youth league for about six years. We are always in need of funds, so I thought donating the money would be the right thing to do. Every penny we have helps a lot of local kids. I didn’t have that kind of support growing up, so any kid we can help makes me feel better.”
Salute to Troops
In addition to free food, more than 300 volunteers from Suddenlink and other local organizations provided games and live entertainment for the troops, their families, and a crowd of well-wishers.
As the event drew to a close, organizers handed out care packages that included stationery and teddy bears with implanted voice recorders. National Guard members could record a message for their children to listen to while they are away from home.
Can You Use That in a Sentence?
The East Texas Medical Center team racked up their third consecutive win in the contest by spelling “fantoccini.”
New Bern, NC
New Bern was first settled by German and Swiss adventurers led by Baron Christopher de Graffenried, a Swiss nobleman and entrepreneur. New Bern’s ties with the Swiss run deep – in fact, New Bern’s city flag still prominently features a bear in its emblem, honoring its relationship with Switzerland’s capitol city, Bern or Berne, purportedly named by its founder for a bear he had killed.
New Bern is also the first capitol of the Colony of North Carolina, home to Tryon Palace, so named for British Royal Governor William Tryon, who lived there until 1771. Josiah Martin, the second royal governor to live in the Palace, fled in 1775 at the beginning of the American Revolution. After the U.S. won its independence, North Carolina patriots made the Palace their capitol and conducted the first sessions of the N.C. General Assembly there. (In 1794, Raleigh became the state capital.)
New Bern is widely recognized as the birthplace of Pepsi Cola, which was invented by pharmacist Caleb Bradham in 1898 and was first known as “Brad’s Drink” before adopting its modern name. Today, Bradham’s pharmacy is the site of a store and museum dedicated to all things Pepsi. That facility opened its doors in 1998, on the occasion of the soft drink’s 100th anniversary.
Gibbs Jones to Help Enhance ‘Customer Experience’
Jones has spent the last 17 years in customer-centric operations and initiatives, most recently as the head of a management consultancy practice, Global Service Connections. There, he advised and worked directly with media and communications clients, including Suddenlink, to improve the experience and loyalty of customers. Jones will now apply his leadership and expertise exclusively to Suddenlink’s operations, working with the company’s six region vice presidents and the leaders of its major customer-contact centers in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Texas.
“In today’s increasingly competitive environment, our relationship with our customers is more important than ever,” said COO McMillin. “Internal and external surveys suggest we’re making progress, but we still have room for improvement, and we’re excited Gibbs has agreed to help accelerate our progress in this critical area.”
Prior to Global Service Connections, Jones held various customer-care and related management positions at Tupperware North America, Comcast, Capital One, and Circuit City.
More HD in TX, AR, LA, and MO
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