Crises arise when they’re least expected. Schools, government agencies, and businesses must follow the proper emergency communications protocols to reduce panic and keep employees, students, customers, and the public safe.
Prompt, efficient communication systems are essential to quickly alert individuals about natural disasters, security threats, fires, and other emergencies. Timely communication promotes public safety, minimizes damage, and even saves lives. It’s also beneficial for organizations, bolstering their reputation and fortifying trust.
But with so many people to notify in such a short amount of time, how can organizations rise to the occasion? The answer is with optimized communication-platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) solutions.
The power of CPaaS for emergency communications
Emergency communications must be swift, secure, unequivocal, and reliably transmitted. CPaaS solutions allow organizations to reach individuals in real-time at scale via SMS and chat apps.
With 60% of customers reading texts within the first five minutes of receiving them, SMS is an effective way to keep the public updated with critical alerts and timely notifications. WhatsApp and rich communication services (RCS) are also great options for sharing longer text messages, media, and PDFs with detailed safety and evacuation instructions.
Organizations can use CPaaS to send individuals messages via both SMS and chat apps. It’s the most powerful communication tool for emergencies because it:
- Provides real-time information and updates
- Streamlines operations, boosting efficiency by as much as 25%
- Delivers unrivaled reachability and accessibility by allowing organizations to communicate with users across multiple digital channels
- Enables two-way conversations, allowing recipients to ask questions, request assistance, and submit feedback
- Offers superior automation capabilities, handling massive volumes of data and tasks without the risk of human error
The reliability and speed of CPaaS ensure the public is immediately informed about emergencies and updated with timely notifications. This eliminates guesswork, maintains compliance, reduces confusion, mitigates risks, and increases the safety and well-being of communities.
Best practices for leveraging CPaaS for real-time crisis communications
Creating clear, concise protocols and optimizing CPaaS for emergency communications allow organizations to deliver accurate, timely messages without confusion.
Use these best practices to develop an effective crisis communications strategy with CPaaS:
Use Standardized Templates: Develop standardized templates for disaster communications before a crisis arises. Create templates for every scenario imaginable, including announcements, updates, essential need-to-know information, and instructions. Use clear, understandable language, provide specific instructions, and avoid jargon.
Assemble a Team, Assign Responsibilities, and Identify a Spokesperson: For your communication strategy to run smoothly, everybody involved needs to know who is responsible for doing what. Assemble a team to oversee your organization’s communication plan and assign specific roles and responsibilities to each person, including monitoring messages and fact-checking. You should also identify a spokesperson who will handle media and PR affairs.
Take a Collaborative Approach: Emergency communications teams often collaborate with local authorities and first responders. Your crisis communication plan should include pre-established protocols and processes for these parties. This helps to create a unified front against the disaster and minimizes confusion.
Personalize Your Communications: A one-size-fits-all approach is unsuitable in times of crisis. Your messaging should be adapted to different audiences, such as:
- News and media outlets
- Disaster survivors
- Neighboring communities
- Government officials
- Local businesses
Remember, communities consist of diverse populations. Your emergency communications strategy should be accessible to and easily interpreted by all of these different demographics, including:
- People with disabilities
- Children and older adults
- Homeowners and renters
- Individuals who do not speak English as a first language
Send Regular Updates: Individuals and families deserve fast, accurate information during emergencies. Organizations must ensure that their communication efforts are timely and reliable to help the public make informed, confident decisions.
Get Social: About half of Americans get their news from social media. In addition to text messages, organizations must incorporate social media into their emergency communication plan. They must also counter any misinformation and answer all inquiries promptly.
Overcome crises with CPaaS
Mitto’s best-in-class CPaaS solutions allow organizations to provide fast, dependable emergency communications across SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Viber. Create templates, personalize messages, and send information and communications in real-time.
Contact us today for more information.
