Sending emergency alerts via SMS text messages to cell phones has gained a lot of traction on campuses this past year. Sixty-nine percent of respondents to the CS Mass Notification Study indicate they are currently using some form of text messaging to notify campus constituents of an emergency. Fifty-seven percent say they will soon be deploying this type of system.
And why shouldn’t they? The value of text messaging emergency alerts cannot be understated. Because of the popularity of text messaging among young adults, if students are sent an alert via this modality, they are more likely to heed its warning.
Additionally, text messages can travel far beyond campus boundaries. “It is important to remember that communication with off-campus students, faculty and staff is just as important as the on-campus community,” says 3n’s Director of Marketing Linda Souza. “If a dangerous event occurs on campus, many lives can be saved by preventing people from literally walking into harm’s way.”
On the K-12 side, text messages (as well as voice messages and E-mails) can be sent to parents automatically regarding attendance, outreach and other non-emergencies (e.g. back-to-school night announcements). Some solutions offer a portal that allows campuses/districts to collect additional contact information they might not already have in their databases.
But hold on… A closer look at these solutions has revealed not only the opportunities they provide, but some challenges that must be addressed. Just like other mass notification methods, text messaging shouldn’t be relied on as the only way a campus meets its emergency notification needs. This solution, although valuable, has its limitations too.
