May 4, 2022 by Samantha Hoppe

 Using SMS Alerts for Mass Notification

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Topics: Community Engagement

SMS alerts are one of the most widely used notification systems because they provide quick and efficient communications. Used by many organizations such as retailers, political parties, schools, and churches, text message opt-in services can be used for emergency and non-emergency situations alike.

In some cases, an SMS recipient may not be required to opt-in to receive alerts. The Wireless Emergency Alert system used by public safety officials allows those in the area to receive targeted emergency notifications for public emergencies, such as natural disasters, without ever having to “subscribe.”

This helps keep people safe and in the loop, no matter the situation.

What is an SMS Mass Notification Systems?

SMS mass alerts are notifications sent by text message to a large number of people. While extremely useful for emergencies, they’re also a popular tool for keeping interested parties informed about events and promotions that may be of interest to them.

Many different groups can sign up for alerts by simply texting either a keyword or short code to receive alerts. Alerts can be used for specific timeframes, and once expired, those who have opted-in will no longer receive notifications. For example, temporary visitors, such as tourists, concert-goers, and conference attendees, can receive important information about attractions, facilities, and event updates.

Users do not have to be permanently added to your database to receive notifications. However, if they are, it can provide your organization a centralized database to quickly and efficiently streamline communication. Some industries that particularly benefit from a database of SMS contacts include local municipalities, state governmentshospitals, corporations and businesses, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and more.

The Rave Alert Mass Notification System allows short-form and long-form alerts for better messaging. There may be times when character counts are limited, cutting off important details. Through an SMS alert system, you could include tiny URLs to take subscribers to web pages with more information.

When choosing a mass notification system, it is also important to ensure everyone can be reached. Rave Alert allows for multilingual communications, giving people the opportunity to receive notifications in the language they prefer. This makes a difference in the efficacy of your alerts. Multilingual capabilities on SMS opt-ins are key components of successful alert systems.

How SMS Alerts Can Help Communities at the State and Local Levels

A mass notification service that enables SMS opt-ins would allow citizens to be better connected and better protected. Rave’s software allows a text message alert add-on feature to provide an easy way for residents, commuters, or visitors to sign up for longer-term or temporary alerts.

Some of the many situations where this service would prove useful are:

  • Severe weather alerts for those in the area to receive timely weather notifications
  • Event attendees to receive updates or notification in the event of a cancellation
  • Targeted messaging for those who need specific information and updates
  • Tourists or other visitors can receive local updates during their stay

Those who have elected to receive notifications via SMS messaging will first receive alerts by texting a keyword unique to your organization. Each event can use its own keyword or have multiple keywords.

How SMS Alerts Can Keep Employees Safe

Businesses can enhance emergency communications with their employees by using an SMS opt-in system. Rave makes it easy for employees, contractors, and visitors to sign up for temporary and/or long-term communications.

Businesses can find such a system to be useful in:

  • Alerting a wider audience
  • Alerting families and emergency contacts with important updates
  • Sending up-to-date information for conferences to all attendees and staff
  • Keeping business groups connected with targeted messaging and member-only access

Employees, contractors, and visitors would only need to send a unique keyword by text message. One keyword may be used for the entire organization, or multiple keywords can be used during events to send targeted messages to minimize confusion.

How SMS Alerts Can be Used at K-12 Schools and Higher Education Institutions

Large campuses require multiple people to work together to keep everyone safe and informed. Administrators at both K-12 schools and higher education institutions can streamline their alert systems by enabling SMS opt-in features for staff, students, and parents.

The Rave Mobile Safety Suite can help keep your campus informed with information such as:

  • Emergency procedures
  • Contingency plans
  • Traffic management
  • Parking maps
  • Safety/Health check routines
  • Event schedules
  • Evacuation routes

You can send vital information with keyword opt-in features for emergency and non-emergency situations. Visitors can also elect to receive temporary notifications.

By incorporating a mass notification system with an SMS opt-in feature into your communications plan, you better prepare your campuses for all situations.

How Hospitals Can Use SMS Alerts

There are many different types of safety incidents that can happen in healthcare environments. Each incident must have a streamlined, easy-to-use notification system to keep patients and staff safe during emergencies. By accelerating response times and automating tasks, hospitals are better prepared to handle a variety of situations.

Visitors may also opt-in to hospital notification systems for a temporary period of time.

The Rave Mobile Safety Suite can keep hospitals connected during events such as:

  • Shelter-in-place orders
  • Fires
  • Active assailants
  • Medical emergencies
  • Hazardous material spills or releases
  • During other hospital codes

Automated responses save valuable time in these situations. Keep everyone on the premises informed at a moment’s notice to protect the safety and care of patients.

Reach Your Community With Just Three Clicks

Rave Alert is the leading FedRAMP-authorized mass notification system trusted by thousands of government officials, organizations, businesses, schools, universities, and hospitals to send crucial information quickly and reliably.

Through automated updates, easy-to-use interfaces, and scalable communication available in over 60 languages, your residents, staff, students, and employees can be notified with just three clicks.

Rave Alert is backed by public safety grade infrastructure and sends more than 1.2 billion notifications annually, with an average of 4,000 SMS alerts per second.

To learn more about how you can enable Rave Alert into your mass notification alert system, book a free demo.

Contact us to find out more about our solutions and services.

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