In countries such as South Korea, people are receiving ‘emergency text messages’ from mass notification systems that government officials are pumping out nearly three to five times a day. On February 25th, one district sent out a message detailing a person’s movements four days previously, right down to the specific hours that they were at an elementary school, town center, and then grocery store.
From the Central Disaster Relief Headquarters, another on March 26th gave what has now become an almost daily instruction on social distancing, coughing etiquette, hand washing, and how to care for seniors…
What Can Mass Emergency Notification Systems Do For Your Business?
When it comes to responding to the coronavirus pandemic, mass emergency notifications can be used to alert individuals that may have been around someone that has tested positive for the virus. Alerts can be sent to employees that were within a building or area where an individual has been contract traced. Early identification, notification, and taking proper quarantine precautions as a result can reduce the spread of the virus. Minimizing the rate of infections will help protect your business’ productivity, efficiency, and safety.
Emergency notification systems are essential for businesses, schools, healthcare facilities, and any organization that requires a unified communication platform. Mass Emergency notification plans should include every staff member, employee, and student. Threats vary based on location. However, the most common threats can impact everyone. Mass emergency notification systems are very flexible and can be used for more than only emergencies. A mass emergency notification system is a perfect tool for fast and efficient internal communications.
What is a Mass Emergency Notification System?
A mass emergency notification system is an automated way of contacting a large group of people within an organization and giving out important information amidst a crisis. After an incident occurs, a business has to figure out what its severity is and its potential impact and then communicate with employees, staff, management, and everyone within the organization. Mass emergency notification systems communicate corporate communications through phone messages, texts, and emails in real-time. Any size business is able to implement an emergency communications plan. It is vital if there are multiple locations, and if the business manufactures any hazardous materials or uses systems that could destroy or harm any employees or communities. The database of a mass emergency notification system contains a database of names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. Systems can be programmed in-house devices or managed services in which users can access the system through a phone or the internet, launch the notification process, and remotely manage successive activities.
Businesses are able to send secure notifications and manage workflows. Notifications include:
Natural disasters, Security threats, Gunshot and Active shooting, Open doors, Employee Scheduling, Input from panic buttons, IT outages, Tornado or Severe Weather-Related Information, Suspicious person alerts, cybersecurity breaches, facility lockdowns, fire emergencies, hazardous materials events
Modern Alert System Necessity
Mass emergency notification systems are not just for government this day in age. All businesses have the need to communicate effectively and quickly when something critical occurs. According to the Business Continuity Institute, more than 50 percent of organizaitons use a form of emergency management software to reach their employees during times of crisis. Although this has not always been easy, especially as people are working at home during the COVID-19 crisis. Businesses and organizations noticed the need to reach many more people and understood that relying on mobile technology meant going mobile or excluding a significant portion of the audience. Several businesses have highly mobile employees who rarely, if ever, sit all day at a desk. Instead, people are more on the go, traveling, working remotely, and often working from a mobile device.
Key Feature Considerations for COVID-19 Mass Emergency Notification Systems
There are very many features that should be considered when evaluating the potential effectiveness of a mass notification system for the COVID-19 crisis.
- Speed – How fast can you relay a message?
- Multi-Channel Notification Delivery – Can you send the notification through multiple systems (SMS, Email, Push Notifications, etc.)?
- Message Customization – Can you customize the message based on the delivery channel?
- Audience Grouping – How customizable is the system for creating custom groups or audiences?
- Ease of Use – Is it simple to use?
- Audience Response Capabilities – Will you need your audience to respond or confirm the receipt of a message or is your communication one-way
- Reporting and Analytics – Do you need to track the data of your emergency response rate?
In conclusion, for those receiving ‘mass emergency notifications’ from government officials or your work, try to think of it as a very effective way to reach out to large groups of people during the coronavirus crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic is an unexpected and unprecedented event for our country and throughout the world. Thankfully, tools like mass emergency notification systems can be used to quickly send messages to large groups of people.