When an emergency occurs, organizations need to get information in front of their people as quickly as possible. The best way to do that is by sending messages to the tools and devices they are using on a regular basis, so they seem alerts quickly and take action.
Too often, organizations use specific tools that are only used during emergencies, but tools that are used on rare occasions run the risk of people being unfamiliar with using it. That could lead to confusion and people not receiving messages when it matters most. Organizations should look for solutions that provide the best possible reach for their messages.
As the way organizations operate changes, collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and Webex are becoming popular methods for daily communications. Being able to leverage these kind of tools as additional endpoints of a mass notification system, increases the chances people see messages as soon as they are sent out so they can get out of harm’s way.
Add Value to Existing Investments
Collaboration tools and mass notification systems require significant investments from organization leaders. Connecting these two solutions adds more value to each. Mass notification systems offer a wide range of integrations with devices and systems, and collaboration tools offer another way to extend the reach of emergency messages. When time is off the essence, messages need to be sent where people are most likely to see it so they can heed the safety instructions that are being shared. The more channels an organization can leverage, the less likely it is that someone misses a message. Adding collaboration tools as an endpoint provides a better chance of an emergency message appearing in a prominent location.
Trigger Notifications Easily
Of course, it’s not just about getting messages in front of people. Connecting mass notification systems and collaboration tools also offers more options for triggering messages. This can cut down on the time it takes to get messages out because people can initiate alerts from within an application they are already using. Simply by typing in a preconfigured command, users can trigger messages from within a collaboration tool. The advantage is that messages triggered from within a collaboration tool can still reach other devices and systems. While people see messages within their own applications, they can also see and hear messages via desk phones, IP speakers, digital signage and mobile devices.
Manage Incidents from Collaboration Tools
Once people have been alerted about an event, the next step is to begin working to resolve the incident. Unifying mass notification systems and collaboration tools offers organizations a quick and easy way to gather key stakeholders in virtual spaces to assess situations and deploy a response. Following an alert distribution, an organization’s emergency response team can receive an automatic invitation to join a virtual collaboration space. This offers a more efficient means of bringing people together to execute a successful plan during a crisis.
When combined with a mass notification system, collaboration tools can become an important piece of an organization’s emergency communication plan. Working in conjunction with other devices and systems, organizations can improve their speed and reach to get messages out as fast as possible to avoid disaster.
To see how this set up can work in your organization, watch this video.
