3 Ways Mobile Emergency Management Software Keeps Employees Safe

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From active shooters to severe weather to natural disasters, it seems that potential threats to your business and employees come in all shapes and sizes today. It’s no wonder that a growing number of organizations are looking for new, more effective ways to keep employees safe during an emergency.

For example, today more than 50 percent of organizations from a wide range of industries use some form of emergency management software to reach their employees during a crisis. The number of businesses using emergency software is increasing every year, and with good reason: These platforms have been shown to improve overall crisis response and help keep employees safe.

Mobile technology is a significant component of most of these software solutions. Organizations are leveraging software platforms that distribute crisis plan information via smartphones and tablets, rather than housing this vital information in a hard-copy binder or on a website, which can be difficult to reach during an emergency.


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But does this trend toward mobile software mean that your organization should make its crisis plans digital?

As you weigh your options for updating your emergency management plans, consider these ways in which mobile emergency management software can help keep your employees safe:

1.) Mobile Access to Information

The key benefit of mobile software is the fact that it provides each stakeholder with immediate access to your crisis plan information, from any location and at any time. Emergency plans, contact details, maps and other important data is stored on remote servers and accessible using any mobile device. This means that employees have full access to your crisis plans in the palm of their hands. They can view emergency data from any location, even if they are away from their desks, working remotely or out in the field.

Importantly, employees can even access plan information when cell service and internet connection is unavailable. This is particularly useful for enabling effective response even during the most severe emergencies, when cell towers are damaged or networks are overwhelmed.

The improved level of access provided by mobile technology also helps to optimize coordination among employees, the crisis response team and other stakeholders. Chaos is the enemy of any emergency response, and mobile software is extremely valuable in ensuring that each employee knows his or her role, is well-informed and is working together. Since mobile crisis plans can be easily updated for all stakeholders, you can rest assured that they always have access to the most up-to-date information, which empowers them to act quickly and decisively, even during hectic moments.

2.) Real-Time Updates and Alerts

Consider whether your current emergency protocol enables you to provide updates or alerts to your employees during the actual crisis. For example, if they were initially told to shelter in place, but now you need to evacuate the building, how would they know that the plan had changed?

As an emergency unfolds or the threat evolves, mobile software enables you to quickly and easily update all employees through push notifications and alerts. This helps to keep them apprised of the situation and out of harm’s way, which can prevent injuries and death. Real-time updates also help to streamline incident response, which can safeguard your company’s reputation and encourage a more efficient return to normalcy.

3.) Multiple Paths of Communication

If your organization uses only one path of emergency communication—such as a manual call tree or website announcement—it is likely not achieving a very high rate of delivery success. Research has found that multiple paths of communication ensure a delivery success rate up to 80 percent higher than single paths.

Mobile software provides several highly effective paths of communication, including app-based push notifications and alerts, phone calls and emails. By leveraging several of these paths—and using smartphones and tablets, devices that employees almost always have with them—you will ensure a much greater chance of successfully communicating with all stakeholders, at every stage of an emergency.

Is your current emergency plan effectively keeping your employees safe? Have you considered implementing mobile emergency management software as a way to improve it?

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