1 00:00:05,810 --> 00:00:08,990 Intro: A production of Pioneer Utility Resources. 2 00:00:09,140 --> 00:00:16,130 StoryConnect, helping communicators discover ideas to shape their stories and connect with their customers. 3 00:00:16,580 --> 00:00:20,000 Megan McKoy-Noe: How do you weave compelling narratives into your marketing strategy? 4 00:00:20,900 --> 00:00:25,190 That's what we'll be talking about on this episode of The StoryConnect Podcast. 5 00:00:25,220 --> 00:00:32,480 Hi, I'm your host, Megan McKoy-Noe, one of the storytellers at Pioneer Utility Resources, and I am joined by Wendy Crenner. 6 00:00:32,510 --> 00:00:36,500 She's the director of marketing and brand awareness, which nice title. 7 00:00:37,010 --> 00:00:37,520 Wendy Crenner: Thank you. 8 00:00:37,550 --> 00:00:44,180 Megan McKoy-Noe: I have to say, at SC Telecom in Kansas, and we are podcasting from the Calix ConneXions Conference. 9 00:00:44,180 --> 00:00:50,630 So we'd like to say that any background noise that you might notice, it's ambiance to set the mood for inspiration. 10 00:00:50,660 --> 00:00:51,830 Are you feeling inspired? 11 00:00:51,860 --> 00:00:53,840 Wendy Crenner: I like it. I am very much, yes. 12 00:00:53,870 --> 00:00:59,870 Megan McKoy-Noe: Oh, it's wonderful. And we even have, this is amazing, I love Calix where folks just things, connections just happen. 13 00:00:59,900 --> 00:01:05,630 It's a beautiful thing. So Justin Bell from Kanokla, which is close to you, I believe. 14 00:01:05,660 --> 00:01:06,530 Wendy Crenner: Yes. Very close. 15 00:01:06,530 --> 00:01:14,360 Megan McKoy-Noe: So he is here, and he's actually taking some video from the side to help us get a really beautiful view of what it's like 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:15,980 to hear ideas from you, Wendy. 17 00:01:16,010 --> 00:01:17,540 So no pressure at all. 18 00:01:17,540 --> 00:01:17,900 Wendy Crenner: No pressure. Nope. 19 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:23,510 Megan McKoy-Noe: No, no. But we thank you, Justin, for just adding another angle to storytelling. 20 00:01:23,510 --> 00:01:24,770 That's what we're all about, right? 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:25,520 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. 22 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,340 Megan McKoy-Noe: So Wendy, thank you so much for joining us. 23 00:01:28,340 --> 00:01:33,710 And I have to say before we even dive into this, congratulations, right? 24 00:01:33,890 --> 00:01:39,950 SC Telecom won a 2024 Smart Rural Community Showcase award, which is huge. 25 00:01:39,980 --> 00:01:46,610 I mean, it's amazing for developing a community-wide Wi-Fi coverage program to make sure that folks can connect to first 26 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,520 responders anywhere in the community. 27 00:01:49,550 --> 00:01:51,650 Is that a good way to describe it? 28 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:53,120 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely, yes. 29 00:01:53,150 --> 00:02:01,010 We have some access points in public spaces and in a lot of our communities, they had little to 30 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:02,450 no cellular coverage. 31 00:02:02,450 --> 00:02:07,100 So obviously that posed a very high safety security risk. 32 00:02:07,130 --> 00:02:09,890 So yeah, they are thrilled with the solution. 33 00:02:09,920 --> 00:02:16,910 Megan McKoy-Noe: Well, it's such a powerful service and something that I think a lot of folks can say, oh, we should we should check into that. 34 00:02:16,910 --> 00:02:21,530 We should do that. So, thanks for doing that. 35 00:02:21,530 --> 00:02:26,930 I know you're going to be speaking about that in part just for making that kind of an impact in your community. 36 00:02:26,930 --> 00:02:32,360 And I think it goes back to what SC Telecom is and how much you believe in the power of community. 37 00:02:32,390 --> 00:02:35,750 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. It definitely falls in line with one of our brand values. 38 00:02:36,410 --> 00:02:41,360 Invest in our neighbors, and we really, truly believe that and try to live that every day. 39 00:02:41,390 --> 00:02:49,370 Megan McKoy-Noe: I can tell. Well, you spoke on a panel about how SC Telecom harnesses the power of community and compelling narratives 40 00:02:49,370 --> 00:02:54,890 that you're telling about your community and in your community, and you harness all that into your marketing strategy. 41 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:58,560 Can you share the top ways that your team does this? 42 00:02:58,590 --> 00:02:59,820 Wendy Crenner: Yes, absolutely. 43 00:02:59,820 --> 00:03:03,240 I think there's many, many ways to approach that. 44 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,990 But I think the first one for us is to get involved in your communities. 45 00:03:08,070 --> 00:03:15,900 You know, SC Telecom supports our communities financially, obviously, but we really strongly encourage our employees 46 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:17,550 to dedicate their time. 47 00:03:17,580 --> 00:03:24,900 You know, if they have something that they're passionate about within those communities, SC Telecom supports those. 48 00:03:24,930 --> 00:03:28,770 We also like to do in person events in our different communities. 49 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,050 That's a great way to interact. 50 00:03:31,290 --> 00:03:35,760 We participate in, you know, the local parades and the local 4-H celebrations. 51 00:03:36,570 --> 00:03:43,620 And to me, that's really showing our communities that we care, and we're building that trust with them. 52 00:03:43,620 --> 00:03:44,760 Megan McKoy-Noe: Well, you're present. 53 00:03:44,790 --> 00:03:47,610 You're not just giving them money or whatnot. 54 00:03:47,730 --> 00:03:50,280 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. Which both are important. 55 00:03:50,310 --> 00:03:50,640 Megan McKoy-Noe: They are. 56 00:03:50,670 --> 00:03:58,590 Wendy Crenner: But, you know, sometimes I think organizations forget about the importance of employees' time, and to, 57 00:03:58,620 --> 00:04:02,280 you know, devote time to something they are passionate about. 58 00:04:02,310 --> 00:04:05,970 Megan McKoy-Noe: What are some examples of groups that your employees volunteer in? 59 00:04:06,300 --> 00:04:08,430 Wendy Crenner: So we do blood drives. 60 00:04:09,030 --> 00:04:13,800 We also, we have smaller communities, and they have the 4-H kids. 61 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:20,310 So we have a lot of employees that will volunteer their time to help clean up the grounds prior to the event. 62 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:25,740 And then we also have some employees that have personal, you know, passions. 63 00:04:25,770 --> 00:04:31,650 We have one employee that's very passionate about muscular dystrophy, and so we support him. 64 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:37,080 You know, we allow him to take time to do what he needs to do to raise money for that. 65 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:44,010 So I think all of those are really important, you know, to provide for your employees and your communities. 66 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:51,990 Megan McKoy-Noe: Sure. So you are identifying the passions of your staff and finding ways to align those with community 67 00:04:51,990 --> 00:04:56,130 initiatives and making it possible for them to spend more time in the community. 68 00:04:56,130 --> 00:05:01,440 And I think especially, you know, October is cooperative month, I get giddy about co-ops. 69 00:05:01,740 --> 00:05:04,920 So I think concern for community, we all get. 70 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:11,610 But then how do you take that and turn it into a compelling narrative for marketing? 71 00:05:11,610 --> 00:05:15,930 Because sometimes we don't like to toot our own horn, you know? 72 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:17,910 So how can you make that tie? 73 00:05:17,940 --> 00:05:24,480 Bridge it from "Yes, we do amazing things in our community, and we're seen in the community." But how do we turn that into a good 74 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:25,560 marketing strategy? 75 00:05:25,590 --> 00:05:29,430 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. And I struggle with that a lot. 76 00:05:29,700 --> 00:05:30,240 Megan McKoy-Noe: We all do. 77 00:05:30,270 --> 00:05:33,330 Wendy Crenner: Because, you know, you don't want to feel like you're tooting your own horn. 78 00:05:33,330 --> 00:05:41,250 But I think to take those stories and, like you said, turn them into how are you improving those communities? 79 00:05:41,250 --> 00:05:46,650 And so it's not just about us, you know, we're not just tooting our own horn. 80 00:05:46,650 --> 00:05:52,320 We're promoting something that's valuable within that community as well. 81 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:54,060 So I think there is a fine line. 82 00:05:54,390 --> 00:05:59,160 We also do a lot of employee surveys. 83 00:05:59,310 --> 00:06:03,390 So we take that feedback, and we turn that into a story as well. 84 00:06:03,420 --> 00:06:04,920 Megan McKoy-Noe: How? Wait how do you do that? 85 00:06:05,550 --> 00:06:06,930 We all do those surveys, but – 86 00:06:07,110 --> 00:06:08,130 Wendy Crenner: Yeah, absolutely. 87 00:06:08,130 --> 00:06:15,510 Well, obviously we use the feedback to improve our services, but there's a lot of times we get really great 88 00:06:15,510 --> 00:06:17,970 feedback, and it's a great testimonial. 89 00:06:17,970 --> 00:06:21,450 And we can turn that into, you know, a story on our page. 90 00:06:21,450 --> 00:06:27,780 And sometimes we even reach out to those customers that have provided that feedback and get some more information, see if 91 00:06:27,780 --> 00:06:32,520 they're willing to provide a little bit more meat to the story, I guess. 92 00:06:32,550 --> 00:06:34,980 Megan McKoy-Noe: Can you give me an example of a story that came out of that? 93 00:06:34,980 --> 00:06:42,810 Wendy Crenner: So we recently had a very rural deployment fiber build, and we get tons of stories about 94 00:06:42,810 --> 00:06:48,420 people. They did not think that it was going to be possible for them ever to get fiber internet. 95 00:06:48,420 --> 00:06:52,890 And so when we were able to provide that, and they see the benefits of that. 96 00:06:52,890 --> 00:06:59,910 And so she actually reached out and told, you know, she had a long thank you to us and our team. 97 00:06:59,910 --> 00:07:06,510 And so those are just really great, great stories, and you know, you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. 98 00:07:06,540 --> 00:07:08,130 Megan McKoy-Noe: Well, it's like a before and after shot. 99 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,660 You know how you see the before and after for bathrooms or kitchens or whatever folks are redoing. 100 00:07:12,690 --> 00:07:18,120 It's giving folks a before and after shot of fiber and broadband access, which is kind of fun visually. 101 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,030 That leaves a lot of interesting ideas in my head. 102 00:07:21,180 --> 00:07:23,040 Wendy Crenner: And how it can improve their lives. 103 00:07:23,070 --> 00:07:28,500 You know, if you're someone that's always had that, you don't see – 104 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:28,980 Megan McKoy-Noe: You don't get it. 105 00:07:28,980 --> 00:07:30,690 Wendy Crenner: Yeah, you don't get it until you don't. 106 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,410 Megan McKoy-Noe: And now these folks got it. 107 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,050 I'm telling you, Wendy, we could have fun. 108 00:07:37,050 --> 00:07:38,250 We could brainstorm. 109 00:07:38,250 --> 00:07:42,720 I know the listeners are like, "All right, Megan, calm down," but I get excited about that. 110 00:07:42,750 --> 00:07:50,260 Well, and your campaign tagline, because I, you know, I get really excited, and I tend to spend a lot of time on folks' 111 00:07:50,260 --> 00:07:52,180 websites and just see what they're up to. 112 00:07:52,210 --> 00:07:56,380 And I got to tell you, it's connecting deeper, which I thought was really nice. 113 00:07:56,380 --> 00:08:03,400 And then one of your messages says "Connecting people is your passion." I'm not sure if that is one of your taglines or just a 114 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:05,380 focus for that area. 115 00:08:05,410 --> 00:08:11,050 Another said you're not just making internet better; you're making neighborhoods better. 116 00:08:11,050 --> 00:08:12,820 Which I think is a really nice spin. 117 00:08:12,850 --> 00:08:19,120 So often we forget, right, that the focus isn't on the wires. 118 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:26,980 It's not on the, you know, I'm trying to think of random Wi-Fi words and broadband access words, and they're not 119 00:08:26,980 --> 00:08:28,030 coming to mind. But you know what I mean? 120 00:08:28,180 --> 00:08:28,750 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. 121 00:08:28,780 --> 00:08:30,760 Megan McKoy-Noe: It's not the gadgets, right? 122 00:08:30,790 --> 00:08:33,850 It's the people, and what you're making possible. 123 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:34,690 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. 124 00:08:34,690 --> 00:08:40,300 Megan McKoy-Noe: So I love that you are weaving that into your marketing messages. 125 00:08:40,540 --> 00:08:46,570 Why does SC Telecom focus on community strength in so much of your advertising? 126 00:08:46,690 --> 00:08:52,930 Wendy Crenner: So you know, like I talked about, we really have a genuine commitment to our local communities. 127 00:08:52,930 --> 00:08:56,860 We live, work and play, you know, in these communities. 128 00:08:57,010 --> 00:08:59,950 Our kids attend the schools, in the communities. 129 00:08:59,950 --> 00:09:05,740 We run into our neighbor at church or at the grocery store. 130 00:09:05,770 --> 00:09:07,150 Megan McKoy-Noe: And they hand you their bill to pay. 131 00:09:07,180 --> 00:09:09,190 Wendy Crenner: Yes. And they have all these questions. 132 00:09:09,340 --> 00:09:10,150 Megan McKoy-Noe: So many questions. 133 00:09:10,150 --> 00:09:15,580 Wendy Crenner: So many questions. But so we truly want our communities to view us as a partner. 134 00:09:15,730 --> 00:09:20,110 It is a partnership, and we want what is best for our communities. 135 00:09:20,860 --> 00:09:28,150 And we know that by providing that connection, is the only way for our 136 00:09:28,180 --> 00:09:31,810 communities to continue to thrive and to continue to grow. 137 00:09:31,810 --> 00:09:35,020 And so that's just really, really important to SC Telecom. 138 00:09:35,050 --> 00:09:40,930 Megan McKoy-Noe: Yeah. Well, and I think you take it a step further, and we touched on this a bit with the way that you talk about your 139 00:09:40,930 --> 00:09:42,550 programs like on your website. 140 00:09:42,550 --> 00:09:50,380 But also you do that when you're talking about how folks can sign up for service, which I really 141 00:09:50,380 --> 00:09:51,880 wish more people would do. 142 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,750 And your broadband packages, they don't focus on gigs. 143 00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:58,810 And I was talking to someone a couple of weeks ago and they're like, "What is a gig? 144 00:09:58,810 --> 00:10:02,200 Who even cares?" It's not about the gig. 145 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:07,210 And I think in our industry we get excited because gig is a really fun word. 146 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,070 It rhymes with things. 147 00:10:09,100 --> 00:10:11,950 It's short, so you can make it really big on a billboard. 148 00:10:11,950 --> 00:10:14,620 But at the end of the day, it's not telling me anything. 149 00:10:14,950 --> 00:10:22,240 So I just want folks to know your broadband packages, they don't even talk really about speeds at all. 150 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,220 Instead, they highlight experiences. 151 00:10:24,220 --> 00:10:31,240 So they have the connected family, high techies, home tech starter 152 00:10:32,020 --> 00:10:38,200 level. And I think my favorite might be the package for a simple and secure experience. 153 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:42,670 I would like my life to have a simple, secure experience. 154 00:10:42,700 --> 00:10:43,270 Wendy Crenner: We all would. Yes. 155 00:10:44,110 --> 00:10:47,860 Megan McKoy-Noe: Why does it matter what you call your packages? 156 00:10:47,860 --> 00:10:50,080 Have you had some debates on this internally? 157 00:10:50,110 --> 00:10:52,450 You know, how did they evolve into that? 158 00:10:52,450 --> 00:10:59,800 And how have your members, your subscribers, responded to this shift, and how you talk about it? 159 00:10:59,830 --> 00:11:07,750 Wendy Crenner: Sure. So a lot of the feedback and the way we decided to move towards the persona-based 160 00:11:07,750 --> 00:11:15,520 offerings is because of the feedback that, you know, the customer service reps and the technicians that are out there 161 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,070 talking to the customers every day. 162 00:11:18,070 --> 00:11:22,120 You know, again, like you stated, speeds don't mean anything. 163 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:29,710 If someone had one gig or 100 mbps, they may choose 100 mbps just because it's a bigger number. 164 00:11:29,710 --> 00:11:32,110 So we know that that doesn't work. 165 00:11:32,530 --> 00:11:37,060 And to the few that maybe do get it, that speed isn't enough. 166 00:11:37,090 --> 00:11:38,980 It's about the experience. 167 00:11:39,550 --> 00:11:47,270 You know, when we get feedback, testimonials, they're not saying "Thank you for my gig service." They're saying "Thank you for 168 00:11:47,270 --> 00:11:54,140 allowing me to work from home." Or "Thank you for allowing my kids to be able to do their homework from home without 169 00:11:54,140 --> 00:11:58,130 buffering." And so we feel like it's just speaking their language. 170 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:02,180 We're making the experience a more personalized experience for them. 171 00:12:02,660 --> 00:12:06,230 Megan McKoy-Noe: Wait, so you're saying that we shouldn't talk industry speak and jargon? 172 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:09,710 Wendy Crenner: Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. 173 00:12:10,490 --> 00:12:12,710 Megan McKoy-Noe: But we don't even realize we're doing it sometimes. 174 00:12:12,710 --> 00:12:13,820 Wendy Crenner: No, we don't. 175 00:12:13,850 --> 00:12:20,840 And I think, you know, it's just always been focus on speed and price, speed and price. 176 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,930 And so, we did make this adjustment. 177 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,380 We were going on about three months now, and it's been really successful. 178 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:36,560 I feel like it's an easier – we don't like to use the term sell – but it's easier for our 179 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:39,740 customer experience specialist to visit with potential customers. 180 00:12:40,310 --> 00:12:48,110 Because they can take a look at the package name and maybe the imagery that we put along with it, 181 00:12:48,110 --> 00:12:50,600 and they can identify with one of those. 182 00:12:50,630 --> 00:12:55,970 Megan McKoy-Noe: I have to first point out that you said your folks are visiting with the customers. 183 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:57,800 I think that's huge. 184 00:12:57,890 --> 00:12:59,600 That's the way that y'all talk about it. 185 00:12:59,630 --> 00:13:00,200 Wendy Crenner: Yes. 186 00:13:00,230 --> 00:13:02,540 Megan McKoy-Noe: And, you know, getting to know them. 187 00:13:02,570 --> 00:13:09,650 You know, I was just in a session with Alex Carter, and she was talking about questions to ask 188 00:13:09,650 --> 00:13:15,170 and how really good communication helps you. 189 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:19,010 She was speaking on negotiating, but really it's about connecting with folks. 190 00:13:19,010 --> 00:13:26,240 And one of the questions she said was, "What is your problem?" Like what problem are you trying to solve? 191 00:13:26,270 --> 00:13:29,930 And then "How can I help?" And that's what you're setting folks up to do. 192 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:34,250 You're asking them what kind of a solution, what's your challenge? 193 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:39,200 And then which one of these lifestyle kits can meet that challenge. 194 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:41,210 Wendy Crenner: Can fix that solution for you. 195 00:13:41,210 --> 00:13:43,280 Absolutely. And it really is. 196 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:49,910 It's just having a conversation with that potential customer, just as you and I are sitting here talking. 197 00:13:50,090 --> 00:13:53,060 Do you have children in the home, like you said? 198 00:13:53,090 --> 00:13:55,820 What's your biggest struggle right now with your current service? 199 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:04,550 Just very basic questions that, but you can also gain a lot of information if they come in, if they walk in. 200 00:14:04,580 --> 00:14:11,690 You know, there's a lot of cues that you can take to kind of start personalizing that conversation you have. 201 00:14:11,690 --> 00:14:18,020 Megan McKoy-Noe: So I've got to ask, you said you made this shift in your narratives with your packages about three months ago. 202 00:14:18,050 --> 00:14:25,760 What kind of training did you give your CSRs to make sure they understood the 203 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:26,780 different levels? 204 00:14:26,780 --> 00:14:28,220 Wendy Crenner: I love that question. 205 00:14:28,220 --> 00:14:30,560 We actually just did a really fun. 206 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:38,510 So, of course, we've had handouts and gone through the whole "these are some great questions to ask" that type of training. 207 00:14:38,540 --> 00:14:39,770 Megan McKoy-Noe: PowerPoints. Yay! 208 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,410 Wendy Crenner: Yeah. Everybody loves a good PowerPoint. 209 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:44,360 Megan McKoy-Noe: Mhm. We'll talk about that later. 210 00:14:44,390 --> 00:14:44,630 Wendy Crenner: Right. 211 00:14:44,660 --> 00:14:46,040 Megan McKoy-Noe: So yes. So y'all did that. 212 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:50,450 Wendy Crenner: So we had an all employee meeting, and we did some role playing. 213 00:14:50,450 --> 00:14:52,760 And it was super, super fun. 214 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,060 We had some employees dress up as a different persona. 215 00:14:56,060 --> 00:15:04,040 So you know, I may be a college kid or a young couple that is just starting out, those 216 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,950 types of – and it was so much fun. 217 00:15:06,980 --> 00:15:13,190 You know, we had one employee that had a really good time with this and, yeah, it was fun. 218 00:15:13,190 --> 00:15:19,580 But it was an interactive way, and we feel like doing it that way, they're going to remember. 219 00:15:19,610 --> 00:15:20,900 They're going to remember those questions. 220 00:15:20,900 --> 00:15:23,390 Well what questions did I ask at that time? 221 00:15:23,420 --> 00:15:25,130 Megan McKoy-Noe: Did you give them cue cards or anything? 222 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,270 Wendy Crenner: No, no cue cards. 223 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:27,350 Megan McKoy-Noe: You just threw them in there. Good luck. 224 00:15:27,380 --> 00:15:28,520 Wendy Crenner: Just threw em in there. 225 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:29,930 Yes, absolutely. 226 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,830 Megan McKoy-Noe: You're Calix panel also tackled offers to attract new subscribers. 227 00:15:34,850 --> 00:15:36,410 And offers are a weird thing. 228 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,280 Like, should we offer something like give them a discount when they're starting or not? 229 00:15:40,310 --> 00:15:42,230 What's going to convince folks to do this? 230 00:15:42,230 --> 00:15:46,490 So what kind of values based offers seem to work well for you all? 231 00:15:47,210 --> 00:15:52,370 Wendy Crenner: So over the last year, like we've talked about, we deployed that public Wi-Fi smart town. 232 00:15:52,370 --> 00:15:54,980 And that is a true value based. 233 00:15:54,980 --> 00:15:58,700 It is, if you're a subscriber, you get to join that. 234 00:15:58,970 --> 00:16:01,160 There's no extra charge for that. 235 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:08,360 We also make that available to guests as they come in, you know, if they're going to visit and attend a football game or a 236 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,320 baseball game. So that's available for guests as well. 237 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:17,720 But that value base, we have gotten great, great feedback from our subscribers. 238 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:23,930 They love to be able, you know, we look at it as we want them to be connected no matter where they're at. 239 00:16:23,930 --> 00:16:27,170 So in their home, obviously, we have that. 240 00:16:27,170 --> 00:16:31,580 But then as they, you know, move through their neighborhoods and in their downtowns. 241 00:16:31,580 --> 00:16:38,850 And so we think that that value based offer really sets us apart from the competition. 242 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:45,780 We also feel like as an internet provider, your subscribers just expect you to keep them safe online. 243 00:16:45,780 --> 00:16:48,450 It's just, you know, it just goes hand-in-hand. 244 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,980 They just, they feel like you need to take charge there, and so we do. 245 00:16:52,980 --> 00:16:57,030 So our security protection comes with all of our packages as well. 246 00:16:57,900 --> 00:17:01,050 You know, there's a lot of times they don't know how to go about doing it. 247 00:17:01,050 --> 00:17:03,090 They don't know how to protect themselves. 248 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:04,200 Megan McKoy-Noe: You just do it for them. 249 00:17:04,230 --> 00:17:05,040 Wendy Crenner: Yeah, absolutely. 250 00:17:05,070 --> 00:17:07,260 Megan McKoy-Noe: And then you tell them, "We've got your back." 251 00:17:07,290 --> 00:17:09,450 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. Build that trust. 252 00:17:09,750 --> 00:17:10,950 Build brand loyalty. 253 00:17:10,980 --> 00:17:14,160 Megan McKoy-Noe: What? It all falls into place. 254 00:17:14,670 --> 00:17:17,400 All right, one last question before I let you go. 255 00:17:17,430 --> 00:17:18,150 Wendy Crenner: Absolutely. 256 00:17:18,180 --> 00:17:19,950 Megan McKoy-Noe: Because I could talk to you all day, Wendy. 257 00:17:20,340 --> 00:17:21,600 I get excited, I tell you. 258 00:17:21,810 --> 00:17:29,550 But what advice would you give a utility pioneer who is looking for ways to strengthen their community storytelling? 259 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:32,190 Wendy Crenner: So I would say keep it real. 260 00:17:32,190 --> 00:17:35,070 Use real people, tell real stories. 261 00:17:35,910 --> 00:17:43,530 For us, when we use real people in our 262 00:17:43,530 --> 00:17:47,850 stories, those are our best engaged social media posts, organic posts. 263 00:17:48,570 --> 00:17:49,680 All the time. 264 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,220 Your employees as well, use your employees in those. 265 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:58,320 But I think just to keep it real and tell your story. 266 00:17:58,710 --> 00:18:00,570 Megan McKoy-Noe: I love that so much, Wendy. 267 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:04,590 Well, thank you for sharing your story with utility pioneers. 268 00:18:04,590 --> 00:18:10,440 She is Wendy Crenner from SC Telecom, and I'm your host Megan McKoy-Noe at Pioneer Utility Resources. 269 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,620 And until we talk again, keep telling your story. 270 00:18:14,220 --> 00:18:22,110 Outro: StoryConnect is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources, a communications cooperative that is built to share your story.