June 25, 2014 Posted by Pocketstop in Pockestop News, Mass Notification Social Share
Disasters and calamities are inevitable; they cannot be done away with. But what organizations can control is how to respond in such a situation and prepare for them so that the damage can be controlled and minimized. Disaster preparedness is an ongoing process that calls for constant monitoring so that everything is kept updated.
Many organizations make use of emergency notification systems for crisis communication. Following are few pointers that will help you ensure that the notification system in your organization is disaster-ready.
- First, it is important to update the stakeholder data. There are a number of ways through which you can do this. For users who are new to your system, make sure they provide you with updated contact information when they come onboard. You can send out reminder emails to the existing users reminding them to update their profiles and other information.
- Many emergency notification systems are multi-channel. It is crucial to have stakeholder information that corresponds with each channel you plan to use for communication during an emergency. For example, if your system sends voice and text messages, ensure that the phone number field is populated in all stakeholder profiles within your notification system. If your system can also send e-mails, ensure each stakeholder’s e-mail address is properly recorded in your system.
- It also helps to integrate your emergency notification system with the central enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that your organization uses. As an ERP system has the most up-to-date information about an organization’s employees, any changes in the system will directly get reflected onto your emergency notification system. This is a great way of keeping the stakeholder information updated.
- During an emergency, group communication is important because roles and responsibilities are assigned to specific groups. For example, one group could be dealing with medical care, while another could be dealing with informing families or concerned personnel about the disaster. Therefore, group notifications should be in order so that the right message is reaching out to the right sets of people.
- Having templates handy really help speed up the process of sending out messages. You should update and review templates for a variety of situations; add any new information that is important, and delete the irrelevant or obsolete templates.
- Regular testing of your emergency notification system is very important. This will help you look out for problems if any, so that they can be rectified on time. It will also give an indication if the systems are working fine or if there is any need for improvements.
For effective communication during an emergency, mass notification systems are indispensable. You can get one installed in your organization today by getting in touch with RedFlag. Our emergency notification system comes with an assortment of features which take care of all your crisis communication needs. Call us today at 877-840-2444 for a demo and quote.
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