Critical Components of Emergency Communication
The world has never experienced an event like the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. No country, business, or person is unaffected. In these stressful and uncertain times, maintaining regular communication with your stakeholders and community, whether those are employees, students, or the public, is critical. Below are the three critical components of emergency communication during a pandemic and how a multi-layered, unified mass notification system can help your organization stay connected and productive during any crisis.
Timely
Active and timely communications are critical to keeping your community up to speed with current status, conditions, and actions your organization is taking. Reduce anxieties, false information, and confusion by communicating regularly. Schedule daily communications or send updates on the fly using the Alertus Console.
Situational
Communications must be situational to ensure clear, concise, and accurate information to your stakeholders and communities. Customize your communications to align with your emergency response plan to ensure everyone gets the right message when they need it.
Redundant
Never rely on a single communication channel during an emergency. The most popular options can also often be the most vulnerable and unreliable. Sending the same message through different communication platforms can help reduce communication failure while heightening awareness and urgency.
Alertus System: Pandemic Response
For emergencies and internal communications, dispatchers can use a comprehensive and reliable MNS like the Alertus System to send an instant, single-point of activation alert to every available communication channel within the organization such as digital signage, fire alarm panels, speakers, or VoIP phones.
And, while this is helpful for essential employees still at the office, the advances in MNS technology also allow employees who are working remotely to receive unified communications through desktop alerts, mobile app notifications, VoIP phones, and integrated third-party text and email systems.
coronavirus resources
Alertus Desktop Notification
Quickly notify all or select personnel in the event of an emergency, or for non-emergency communications like COVID-19 prevention tips, using full-screen or partial-screen computer desktop pop-ups.
Schedule routine communications for reminders, updates, and company-wide announcements to maintain a sense of community and care
Run ticker mode 24/7 to keep essential employees, such as healthcare workers, constantly updated on the current situational status
Acknowledge function provides real-time response rates to ensure alert delivery
Alertus Chromebook Notification
For users without the Alertus Desktop Client installed (employees using personal computers, etc.) Alertus Chromebook tool allows users to instantly receive quarter-screen pop-up notifications on their Chromebook and Firefox browsers.
ALERTUS RECIPIENT APP
Mobile app push notifications can help to ensure that you’re keeping everyone informed and up to date with relevant cautions, emergency procedures, office closures, work from home policies and protocols, and more.
Reach students while they’re away from campus
Report Incident feature enables employees or students to report if they’re sick or need help
Target groups to ensure the right people get the right message
Text-to-Speech capability increases access to important messages
Multiple language options: English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese
THREATWATCHER MOBILE - PANDEMIC ALERTS
New feature: Track your movements for 15 days to easily trace your steps and monitor your risk of exposure to COVID-19 hot spots. Learn more.
Alertus Activator App
Take the Alertus Mass Notification System with you wherever you go. System dispatchers can activate pre-set alerts directory from their mobile devices. This means dispatchers and other system users don’t have to be on-site to activate the Alertus System, reducing their risk of exposure while still maintaining active communication.
Essential Workplaces and Employees
Not everyone is working from home, and there are many people still coming to the office, hospital, grocery store, or other essential workplaces every day.
Keep employees informed of office closure changes, reported cases at the workplace, preventative actions, or critical status updates
Use existing infrastructure to communicate to employees and between employees on-site to enable social distancing
Target on-site vs. off-site employees with tailored communications to ensure the right information reaches those who need it the most
