News

Our world has seen a lot of change in the last few weeks. So many of you have had to make major life adjustments basically overnight between school closings, transitioning to a work-from-home arrangement, or even experiencing a layoff. There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty out there surrounding these changes and we wanted to take a minute of your time to give you a little reassurance that we’re here and we hear you. We know that the vast majority of our customers are relying on our services now more than ever and we are committed to keeping your connection to the outside world strong and reliable. Our staff is going to be keeping our network running throughout this crisis and we will be doing everything possible to ensure continuity no matter what happens tomorrow.

In speaking of changes, we must note that we have been forced to make a few major changes here at SMTC as well. As the responsibility of keeping our customers connected falls on our shoulders, we have made some policy changes to prioritize the health of our employees and our community. Ours isn’t an industry that we can temporarily shut down or manage from our homes. Because of this, we are going to do everything we can to keep our employees healthy and minimize any unnecessary contact. Here’s a more detailed idea of how you will be affected:

WE ARE STILL OPEN!

Our office is locked and we are not currently admitting members of the public into our building, but we’re still in here and conducting business as usual. Instead of visiting the office, please call us at 515-838-2390 and we will work through any issue you may have.

TECHS AREN’T PERMITTED TO ENTER CUSTOMER PREMISES

This has been the most major change for us. We have always been very hands-on in our approach to customer service issues and we will be again once the threat has subsided. Until then, we will work through your service issues over the phone or from outside your house. This change has been necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to our employees and also to prevent them from carrying it into any customers’ homes. With so many people being asymptomatic carriers of the virus, we aren’t taking any chances. We don’t want to get sick, we don’t want you to get sick, and being mindful of transmission of the virus is the best way to prevent it. This doesn’t mean that we won’t attend to any service issues you may have. Please call us if you are experiencing an issue. Technology can still have hiccups, there can still be issues with the equipment outside your house that can cause your service to go out. The rare case when a service order calls for extensive work inside the home would be the only type of work that we would postpone during this time. We will still be responding to all service calls, and we want you to have the best experience possible. We will address each issue as they arise and work to resolve them for you. If you have questions about your service, we can help.

ORDERS FOR NON-ESSENTIAL SERVICES WILL BE DELAYED WHEN POSSIBLE

Orders for non-essential services or residential subscribers will be delayed until a complete risk assessment can be performed and only with the customer’s permission for entry.

PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO MEDICAL FACILITIES AND FIRST RESPONDERS

Orders for medical facilities, first responders, and businesses with an acceptable risk mitigation policy will continue as usual.

WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER!

We are working diligently to keep you connected in the midst of such a unique time in our history. Everything we’re doing right now we do with the health of our employees, customers, and community as well as the continuity of our services in mind. These measures have been put in place to prevent our employees from becoming ill and being unable to keep our network functioning as well as to prevent any spread of disease to any of our customers. Many of our customers fall into the high-risk category for this illness and we are taking our responsibilities to our customers seriously. We ask that you help us by working with us when we try to limit exposure. We will work through any service issues or questions you may have as we always have, simply call our office at 515-838-2390.

We truly appreciate your patronage, and wish you the best as we all work together to overcome COVID-19.