The wider considerations for emergency communications

How are emergency messages actually delivered and trusted?

Emergency comms is so much more than triggering mass comms.

If you are currently reviewing, or perhaps at ASIS Europe - From Risk to Resilience this week and thinking about your workplace or travel risk management technology solutions ... communicating with your workforce is an important part of that whole capability. But, most risk technologies are designed heavily on 'alerts' and 'emergency' messaging ... which is fine, but that is only part of the story.

I call this a story ... there is more to engagement with your workforce than hitting them with messages out of the blue during a crisis. And I use the word engagement, it is both how you communicate but also having that trusted relationship so individuals take both the messages and advice seriously. Consider the following ...

• How are you engaging with your workforce, day 1 of their employment through to their last day about risks at work and whilst on travel?

• What expectations do you have on their understandings and interaction with your tools and services used during emergencies?

• Are you including messaging during exercises and tests to make sure your workforce have correct profile and contact details?

• If you are asking a question within the messaging, is there a clear what and how the individuals need to respond? This can differ whether you message within a risk app, through social chat or through SMS.

• Do you have a clear picture on message delivery? If there are issues with connectivity, what alternatives can you drop back to?

• During an incident, what control do you have on how people are contacted, whether those messages were delivered and read, how clear are the instructions on how and what their response should be?

• If an individual requires assistance, have they been trained in the correct tool(s) to reach out ... how do they know how that request is being handled?

• Does you technology help you manage the transition from a mass alert to managing an individual's current and ongoing needs?

• What are the alternatives? (Handset not connected, no battery, not on person, stolen etc.). Can you continue to use this alternative throughout an incident?

• Are you sure the content in your messages is correct, applicable and clear to each individual and what to do next? Does your technology help you with preparing or verifying content?

• Is there anything in your message content that could create panic, confusion, could be blocked by a region's network etc.?

Contact Evo if you want to talk further on this subject, mass comms is not as straight forward as most people think or assume.