ABC's of Automated Notification
What is Automated Emergency Notification?
There are many situations where improving notification improves response, and
improves preparedness. In some cases, mobilizing team members quickly allow an
organization to avoid unnecessary costs or avoid compounding errors. In other
cases, response is less about protecting a bottom line, but about Securing a
vital vulnerability, giving authoritative information to leadership about an
incident’s status, or even protecting lives. A good notification program is
indicative of a well functioning, efficient organization.
Emergency Notification systems:
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Dial telephones to play audio messages and send text
messages and faxes to designated contact lists.
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Accept Incoming phone calls either to initiate a
notification, or to allow the caller retrieve an emergency message.
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Allow the user to manage contact lists and messages, and
activate Scenarios and call outs.
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Provide tools for creating messages in advance of or during
an emergency.
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Allow a person activating Emergency notification systems
can collect responses and display them in a report or on a screen.
Why Automate Emergency Notification?
- 1. Automated notification is advantageous when lists need more than
15-20 calls.
- A delayed response costs money or puts people at risk; the costs of an
automated solution may be justifiable as insurance. Manual call outs can take
as much as 2 minutes per call to relay a message, so even lists of 15 people
can take a half an hour or more.
- 2. Automation forces an organization to adopt a consistent notification
strategy.
- Automation allows an organization to standardize and test notification
strategies suited for the kinds of equipment used, and the working environment
of the users.
- 3. Using a single interface to handle many tasks in a high stress
environment.
- Automation simplifies many different tasks by providing a single interface
that is consistent no matter which process or tool you need to use. This is
particularly valuable if the notification needs to be conducted by people who
are not computer literate, or not very familiar with notification policies and
systems.
- 4. Authoritative and consistent information about notification are a
benefit of an automated approach
- After Incident Reviews often depend on clear documentation. Following the
progress of a call out can be quite difficult if there are many people placing
calls and hastily scribbling notes as they work through a list. Manual Call
trees can miss entire branches. Automated Emergency Notification allows
thorough, and consistent reporting so that decisions are better informed, and
factually based.
- 5. Automation allows for a systematic method for confirming receipt of
an emergency message, without depending on a single network or notification
method.
- Call outs in Emergency or High Consequence contexts puts a primacy on
knowing exactly when someone got a message. Look here to learn how collecting
responses is possible with different notification strategies
- 6. Automated Systems can integrate with existing external systems and
databases so that systems can automatically trigger notification and so
that data can be accurately maintained in one place.
- There are many different options for connecting automated solution to
external database where contact information may be updated so that it can be
imported regularly, either automatically or manually. You can also use
existing software or hardware to automatically trigger notification when an
error is encountered. With an automated system, these notifications can be
elaborate, not depend on one form of notification, and take into account
backup personnel or alternate numbers.
- 7. Notification systems and messages that are suited to the types of
equipment and call outs you need to do.
- Automated notification systems organize messages, and provide tools to
create clear and concise messages suitable for different equipment and
environments. More information on Equipment and methods.
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