In a crisis or emergency, you have various means of communication to reach your employees, visitors, or even entire populations. But what is the fastest way to reach a group of people when every second counts?
Spread the word
If you want to reach many people quickly at the same time, social media offers many possibilities. Thanks to the user-friendly aspect and the large-scale use, you can spread your message easily and quickly. The users quickly share important warnings. You can also ask people to share relevant information about their own situation. Consider, for example, a fire or an attack. Reports and footage from people in the affected area can help to get the situation under control as quickly as possible.
Social media are a very effective tool to warn people in case of need. Yet, it may be that organizations, depending on the situation, do not want a report about an (internal) crisis to be made known worldwide. With crisis communication via social media, you can quickly lose control over how the message is shared, interpreted, and responded to. This is not desirable when your message is addressed to a selected group of employees.
The targeted range for internal warnings
In case of an internal emergency, you usually have the contact details of all employees who need to be informed. These data, preferably segmented on location and other relevant criteria, allow you to send an SMS to the affected persons. By sending a very fast and cost-effective SMS via our platform, you can inform your employees about a power failure, security breach, or any other situation that requires immediate attention.
If your target audience may not have an internet connection, social media and e-mail will not be sufficient. In that case, SMS is the most reliable option. "In the year 2018, SMS forms the basis for database communication via telephones. And because every system supports SMS, you can always rely on it for crisis communication. "If you need to reach people in areas with limited Internet access, if the internet connection is possible, or if your receiver does not have a smartphone, text messaging offers a solution. Like with social media, you can also ask for a response to SMS if you enable 'replies.'
Tips for crisis communication
Depending on your company and responsibilities, you must choose the means of communication that best suits the possible target groups you want to reach. This means that you have to anticipate every possible crisis that can occur, including situations that are unlikely to occur. Also, make sure that you have saved the contact details in your CRM so that you can alert anyone at the touch of a button.
Whether you choose SMS, e-mail, social media, ... the basic principles are always the same:
- Be short and to the point
- Send a text about the situation
- Explain which steps have to be taken
- Refer them to the right source for more information
- Keep your recipients informed of the situation
Many organizations already use our platform for warnings and crisis communication. We like to use our experience to set up an effective crisis communication strategy with the right tools for your target group and risks.
The power of SMS in crisis communication
