Dear Team,
I’m writing to share some candid updates and reflections on the past 50 days at Launch. It’s important that we all have a clear understanding of where we stand and what lies ahead.
Facing Our Challenges Head-On
Firstly, let’s review the situation we’re facing: we experienced an unprecedented disruption of service for most of our customers due to compliance-related changes by our providers. The biggest mobile carriers in the US, primarily AT&T, began a campaign to address phishing and text-based scams. Many of our customers were caught up in this, despite operating within established legal and regulatory guidelines as well as reasonable industry best practices. Since then our team has worked relentlessly to bring them back online. I continue to be endlessly proud of our efforts.
Nonetheless, this remains a significant challenge because customers have been cautious about using text messaging, and we haven’t fully rebounded yet. It’s a tough time, but understanding this reality is the first step to overcoming it.
Operational Changes and Compensation
In light of these circumstances, we’ve made and are continuing to make necessary adjustments. We are switching to a much more conservative approach, looking for savings, and cutting our spending on many fronts. We are also pausing changes to compensation tied to year-end performance reviews. This decision is not taken lightly, but it’s crucial to ensure our company’s stability. I am committed to revisiting this as soon as we possibly can once we’re back on firmer ground. Staffing decisions remain based on performance, not budget.
Acknowledging Your Hard Work
Your hard work and efforts at this moment have been our lifeline. The truth is, things could have been much worse without your dedication and hard work. We’ve made some progress, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Your continued commitment is more important than ever, and I’m deeply appreciative of all that you’ve done.
Reactivation Plan And Ways to Help
Despite facing challenges, many of our customers are still winning, and still getting the results they expect and demand. Text-based messaging continues to be the most cost-effective tool for landing deals in REI. We have a strong strategy in place and are actively reaching out to customers who have left to WIN them back. We’re already starting to see good responses to these efforts. I cannot emphasize how important it is that this succeeds. If you’re actively part of these efforts, let’s stay focused — eyes on the prize!
For those engaged in different areas of the business, your role is equally vital. Here’s how you can contribute:
- Let’s embrace a new standard for quality in our tasks, emphasizing accuracy and excellence — bring your A game.
- Offer support and understanding to your colleagues, acknowledging any stress they may be facing.
- Carefully monitor expenditures, ensuring we avoid unnecessary costs.
Recent Achievements
In the last six weeks alone, we’ve been incredibly dynamic. We’ve taken the lead on connecting with providers, understanding what’s needed to keep our customers online, and educating them about the shifting terrain (while essentially rebooting strategy several times). Our team has successfully migrated, communicated, registered, and re-registered thousands of customers (sometimes more than once). We’ve on-boarded a new provider and launched numerous features, all while aggressively advocating for our company and leading the industry by example.
BONUS NEWS: We’ve also launched our first customer on our new platform in a completely new industry, running campaigns over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday that yielded incredible results. This work will unlock our next set of new customers and begin to give us additional breadth. More to come there soon!
Commitment To Our Team and Values
During these times, my focus is clear and unwavering:
- Ensuring our business stays strong and healthy for the long term means making changes that will help us grow and scale responsibly.
- Keeping our team together – there are no plans to reduce our staff based on budget changes.
- Acknowledging and supporting team members who are making exceptional efforts.
Moving Forward With Optimism
This is a pivotal moment for Launch. The path ahead is challenging, but I am optimistic about our future and the vision we’re creating. Together, we’ve faced adversity before and emerged stronger. Your hard work, creativity, and resilience will drive us forward. Let’s continue to innovate and exceed expectations, not just for our survival but for our thriving success.
Thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to excellence.
Very truly yours,
Joe
