The increasing use of smartphones and electronic communication in today’s world has led to not only users but businesses and other organizations to interact and communicate through SMS. SMS communication is now used by establishments for various purposes such as advertising, sending reminders, updates, polling, surveys, and feedback and so on. However, text messages do not only serve a purpose to the business community, but they can also be used for the good of people.
Emergency text alerts is a concept that refers to the use of SMS by organizations to send out a mass text to a group of people or community in an emergency situation to warn them of the threat at hand. As the most widely used form of communication, emergency text alerts are the fastest and most effective way to reach people. With an 83% open rate within the first 90 seconds only, SMS alerts have proven to be extremely useful in crisis situations.
Many countries, as well as states in the US, have set up emergency management systems. These send out emergency text alerts to the people within a society that could be facing a potential threat. For example, if terrorists have entered into a state near a border then the government sends out alerts to areas that are on high alert. This way, for their own safety, people remain inside their homes and avoid going out until the threat has cleared. Text alerts can also be sent for less dire situations such as to inform people if, for example, the main highway is blocked due to construction or an accident, to avoid traffic jams for the convenience of people.
Businesses use emergency text alerts to warn their employees in three kinds of situations; a potential threat, informing them throughout the duration of an emergency situation and sending an all-clear text when an emergency situation is over (Rave Mobile Safety). In addition to emergency situations, businesses can also send out text alerts to warn employees if there is an office closure due to power failure, notify employees in case of a job vacancy or act as a news channel to inform employees about corporate events and achievements. Many HR departments within corporations invest in web-based SMS platforms to send out texts to all their employees in an emergency situation within seconds. These are affordable, easy to use and instant. Alert Media, along with several other platforms, allows businesses to track their progress with reports and insights. It also provides multi-channel delivery which means emergency alerts via email, voice calls, and audios etc. as emergency situations require users to receive the message immediately.
People within a community can opt-in to receive text message alerts just by making sure if their phone is on the list of capable phones and keeping their operating system software updates. This is because it is the responsibility of every government to warn citizens in dangerous situations. Similarly, users can opt out of receiving emergency text alerts if they wish to do so. When it comes to businesses, it is also their duty to keep their employees up to date on any situation. Employees can also opt out of text alerts if they do not feel the need to receive such messages.