First off, Waldo loves Camp Wekeela just as much as they love Waldo. With a slogan like “Where Friends Become Family” and hailing from the great state of Maine, it’s no wonder that their camp has developed a solid reputation since being founded way back in 1922! For anyone looking for a great camp experience in New England we highly recommend Camp Wekeela! Please check out their website here!
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Assistant Director, Jonathan Caflun to discuss his perspective on how Waldo is changing the game up in Maine! Here’s what Jonathan had to say:
Q: Can you tell us a bit about how you heard about Waldo?
A: “I got a ‘general information’ Waldo email last September. I read it, and I was happy I did. By the time I had spoken to a Waldo salesperson, I had already made a decision. The Founder and CEO, Rodney Rice, got on the phone with me early on and I think the whole process of everybody talking to me and answering my questions was pretty awesome.”
Q: Was there any hesitation about switching to a new technology?
A: I definitely had some hesitation and I had a lot of questions. From the camp perspective, photos is either a great asset for camps or a big headache because parents want either every photo of their kid or they have a high expectation for photos. Waldo was a brand new thing, and I did not know how the software worked, or how well it worked, but once we had implemented Waldo, the level of technology was so well made. I do not know how it works but it is so cool and has been great from the start.
Q: How easy was it for you to integrate Waldo into your current process?
A: The fact that the Waldo service is optional at Camp Wekeela is really helpful for us. We have sessions at 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, and 7 weeks and Waldo was able to customize all of these albums for us. For our camper parents, we did not have to do much. The parent received text messages and had the app, and Waldo had great customer service. We integrated the software pretty easily.
Q: Can you talk a bit about the support Waldo has provided your camp?
A: Last year we had issues with families who were international. They were having problems with international numbers, but I know Clifford, Waldo’s head of Camp Customer Service, got on the phone with these families and helped them resolve their problems right away. The customer service aspect impresses me the most. The technology is awesome but the fact that any parent or camp staff member can get on the phone with anyone there is always really impressive.
Q: What have you heard from parents about Waldo? What is the feedback from parents that you are hearing?
A: The parents who have signed up for it seem to love it. We have only gotten positive feedback, the international number is the only negative feedback we have gotten but again Waldo customer service has fixed this issue right away. Just for myself, I signed up for Waldo and I got photos where I am all the way in the background of the photo and Waldo still detected my face. The technology is awesome, especially because of the ease it provides to parents. The whole point of Waldo is to provide parents with a convenient way to view photos: parents have their camper’s photos delivered to the app, and they have the option to see everything that happens at camp. Everyone that has signed up for it has loved it.
Q: What has been the most surprising component of adding Waldo to your current camp process?
A: The convenience aspect is so great for our parents. A lot of our parents are on the go while others love going through every photo. Some just want to make sure their kid is happy and that they have three photos a day. One of the coolest things about Waldo is having a conversation with you. Waldo texts parents that their camper looks great today when they receive photos and it is all really personal. You don’t feel like you are interacting with a software technology but that you are interacting with people. You all designed a really good service that is campy, fun and user friendly and its really impressive that all of our families, staff, and campers are really happy with it. We are all really happy we partnered up with you guys!
Interested in speaking with Jonathan about Waldo, email us at info@waldophotos.com and we’ll set it up!