We realize that many of you are working diligently to help our community contain the spread of the (COVID-19) Coronavirus and are currently sending COVID-19 text messages to keep the public informed. We’d like you to know that we are up and running and committed to providing you with the services you have come to depend on. We understand that perhaps now, more than ever, maintaining established lines of communication with patients and customers is vital.
We are monitoring the situation in real time while focusing on the following priorities:
1. Keeping our employees and their families safe.
2. Providing exceptional service to our customers.
3. Supporting local efforts to flatten the curve of the spread of COVID-19.
What this means for you is that your account and services will continue to function without interruption. We’ve increased our capacity to handle any additional messages, and our multiple, redundant servers will continue to operate as usual. Furthermore, our Technical Support Department is still available via phone, email, and live chat from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time -8 GMT), Monday through Friday.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals and staff who are on the front lines of this unprecedented effort. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to our non-medical customers for your continued support and patronage. We are thinking of all of you during these difficult times.
Let us know if you need further assistance in keeping connected to your patients and customers.
COVID-19 Messages Policy
Although we are dedicated to doing our part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, we must also prevent subscribers from using our technology to send misleading information on the COVID-19 outbreak. Please note the following:
- Messages promoting products or services meant to cure or reduce the severity of COVID-19 are strictly prohibited.
- Customers wanting to send informational messages about COVID-19 must show the source of the information. The only acceptable sources at this time will be the CDC (Center for Disease Control), the WHO (World Health Organization), and state or federal government agencies.
- Guidelines regarding how patients are to receive care from your organization are allowed (for example: “if you have symptoms, please call to make an appointment”, or “we do not test for COVID-19 at this location”).
- In an attempt to prevent spam and misinformation, certain phone carriers are blocking identical text messages sent from one DID—and we are not notified when they do. If you need to send more than 200 identical messages, we recommend using voice calls at this time. Please call (888) 858-6673 ext. 1, or contact support for assistance.
- Sending 1,000 or more calls or text messages concerning COVID-19 requires pre-approval. Please contact support for assistance.
- Due to TCPA regulations, non-medical entities still need to gather opt-ins (i.e. customer permissions) to send COVID-19 alerts or closure alerts to any cell phone. Please call (888) 858-6673 ext. 1, or contact support for assistance.
- Emergency alerts (i.e. time-sensitive alerts) are NOT allowed on the the platform as delivery times may vary, please refer to our Terms of Service.
Federal Communications Commission Clarification, 03/20/2020
On March 20, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) issued a ruling clarifying the scope of the exemption for calls made for “emergency purposes” in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. Calls made for “emergency purposes” can legally use an automatic telephone dialing system (“ATDS”) without the prior express consent of the called party. In order to qualify, the caller must be from a hospital or be a health care provider, state or local health official, or other government officials, or an organization acting on its behalf and the content of the call must be solely informational, made necessary because of the COVID-19 outbreak, and directly related to the imminent health or safety risk arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak.
