How to use
Bulk SMS to communicate during a crisis
Everything
from a cyber attack, to something as seemingly simple as an office power cut,
is a potential threat and crisis situation to a business. Clearly, it isn’t
possible to prepare for every eventuality. But whatever type of crisis or
emergency you are facing, there is no doubt that with the right tools, you can
position your business for effective disaster recovery. As time is often
precious in these situations, it is necessary to choose simple but powerful
tools and this is where an MySmsMantra can be really useful. MySmsMantra are
simple mobile landing pages, which are both easy and quick to create. Once
created they can be sent to all relevant parties via Bulk SMS.
Internal
communication during a crisis via Bulk Sms
During a
crisis it is crucial that you communicate with your employees, to ensure
everyone is updated as the situation unfolds. You can send an email, but it may
go unread for hours or even days, especially if sent outside normal working
hours. With SMS, your message is sent via a channel in which 90% of all
messages read within just 3 minutes. But in some situations, it may be
difficult to convey the information within the SMS character limitations and
your message may require imagery to better illustrate points or even calls to
action employees must follow. It is in these situations that an BULK SMS can be
particularly effective. Your landing page can be used in the following ways:
ü To communicate the crisis and provide
explanation
ü To notify individuals of changes in
working hours and methods
ü To share rules of conduct
ü Keep employees updated as a situation
unfolds
ü To request information from
employees, for example, ask them to fill in an emergency form.
External
communication during a crisis via Bulk Sms
Just as it
is crucial to update staff, it is also vital to update customers during a
crisis. You must notify your customers of any actions your business is taking
and how this may impact them in both the short and long term. SMS facilitates
rapid communication and when combined with a landing page, allows you to give
all the necessary information in a clear format. In particular, it allows you
to advise of:
ü Sudden closings or different opening
times
ü New services active in emergency
situations
ü Scheduled event cancellations
ü Price policies, active behavior in
emergency situations
ü Collect the data of those who want to
use a remote service because they are unable to move.
The
importance of communicating well in a crisis
The reality
is, all businesses need to communicate well in a crisis; but especially those
within the healthcare, education and the public sectors, as individuals will be
turning to these organizations for immediate guidance. During these times it is
necessary to communicate in a timely and complete manner and just a few
examples of these comms are as follows:
Healthcare
Can use Bulk
SMS to communicate the hygiene rules to be followed if a health-related
emergency is underway, or they can activate online counseling services and use
the landing pages to collect the contacts of those who want to activate this
service remotely.
Public
sector
Could send
instructions to citizens regarding the most up-to-date rules of conduct and ask
to share the link to the landing page, so it reaches as many people as
possible.
Education
Additionally,
organisations in the education sector, will likely need to communicate with
parents and teachers, to advise on potential lesson suspensions and provide
details of an online lesson calendar, if this service is provided.
