Making Emergency Alerts Work for Your Organization

Today, organizations are at a higher risk for disasters and crises than they were ten years ago. This increased susceptibility stems from increasing worldwide violence and aggressiveness as well as more frequent natural catastrophes. Although we cannot pinpoint the specific factors that increase the vulnerability of your company to such calamities and therefore prevent them from happening, we can help by presenting a solution that will help you manage disruptions that can adversely affect your operations: emergency alerts.

Why You Need Emergency Alerts

Some organizations, especially small ones, operate in the belief that since they are small, they will not be the subject of malicious attacks and therefore have no need for emergency alerts. However, disaster – man-made or natural – spares no one. This is why all organizations need them. Here are some specific reasons you need emergency alerts for your organization, no matter its size:

1. Responsiveness. An emergency notification system enables you to quickly inform your employees about the disaster at hand and what they can do to get themselves out of danger.

2. Business Stability. An effective crisis notification system forms part of the business continuity plan of your company. Through such system, you will be able to deal properly with unforeseen yet possible disruptions to your operations.

3. Disaster Management. Situations before, during and after a disaster should be managed properly. Therefore, you must provide all the necessary information for your people: the nature of the disaster, evacuation routes and instructions post-crisis. With an effective emergency alert system like DeskAlerts, you would be able to do this and notify all of your employees about what they need to do during times of crisis. 

Making Disaster Alerts Effective

Aside from realizing the importance of disaster notifications, you also need to know how to make them effective. Alas, not everyone heeds emergency alerts simply because they do not recognize the alert: what it is for and how they are supposed to respond.

The responsibility of addressing this challenge, therefore, lies on you. You must know how to create the right kind of message to send to people in times of disaster: the kind that would give them enough information and drive them to take action. To do this, you must focus your attention not just on the tools you will use, but on the message you are sending as well. You must make sure that your disaster alerts would grab the attention of your intended recipients through the following:

1. Clear and simple instructions. Simplicity is key to effective communication, especially in times of disaster, when no one can afford to weigh alternatives. So you must broadcast alert messages that are compact and straight to the point.

2. Receipt confirmation. Emergency notifications aren’t just a set of directions. You must also be able to track down and monitor which of your intended recipients have read the alert, so you can send more persistent notifications to those who have not.

3. Multi-channel solutions. Your employees are situated in different locations, so you cannot rely on just one type of alert. By making use of various communication channels such as desktop alerts, SMS notifications, digital signage screens and audio alerts, you increase the likelihood of the message being read and followed.

Similarly, people respond differently to various types of alerts. By diversifying your notifications, you reach more people who will respond by taking action.

4. Human intervention. Emergency alerts should not be limited to devices and gadgets. Implementing disaster alert solutions could also benefit with the assistance of people who engage in peer-to-peer communication. Through the help of a few individuals and your other alerting channels, you can get people to safety in a faster and more orderly manner.