An emergency is rarely an event that is easy to manage. When things start to go wrong, adapting can feel like an insurmountable task. This is especially true when trying to manually communicate that the plan has changed. Messages can become mixed up or not be delivered at all. Confusion can quickly take over, which is simply not an option with thousands of students and staff on campus at any given time.
A digital solution is the ideal fix here, providing quick preset messages to personal devices without the need for people to remember messages or instructions. Digital solutions are increasingly used to save time and increase accuracy, two things which are highly important during an emergency.
More information about the solution can be found in this blog. Below, we will detail what such a solution would look like from the perspective of anyone who might receive messages from the solution.
The Persona Perspective
SimplyCast anticipated the need for a contingency plan communications solution that can take the pressure off emergency managers and save precious time for everyone involved.
The below example assumes direct communication with students, but these alerts could just as easily be directed to all staff, only teachers, and so on.
Administrator – Step 1
The administrator builds a templated set of messages and instructions for whoever is the coordinator during an emergency. This could be a single emergency coordinator. a team of coordinators, or the administrator themselves depending on the educational institution.
Administrator – Step 2
The administrator (or coordinator) activates the contingency plan system after being alerted that there is a fire, and it is blocking one of the primary exit routes. They trigger a message to alert students that there is an alternate exit nearby and asks that they confirm receipt of the message once they are outside.
Student – Step 1
A student receives the automated message that was triggered and is able to get outside safely. They click a link in the SMS alert they received and it lets the administrator know that this student is safe.
Administrator – Step 3
If the administrator is concerned that not everyone has been able to make it out, they can send a live survey to the students asking them to confirm their status. This tells the administrator nearly instantly after the students respond how many are still inside. This information can be relayed to emergency services.
Administrator – Step 4
The administrator can monitor the dashboard for updates and responses from people they have triggered messages to, as well as how long the alert has been active for. Once the alert is over, they can make use of reports to understand what worked and what did not, so that further emergency alerts can be refined and made more effective.
And that’s a quick, high-level breakdown of how users will interact with the system, and how it might be used in a live situation.
Why SimplyCast?
To put it simply: we have a ready-to go and proven solution for managing contingency plan communications.
The SimplyCast platform is a no-code platform that allows anyone to build and edit their solutions. As a result, this solution is fully customizable - it can be tweaked or altered to meet the exact needs of every institution. 
SimplyCast is an ISO 27001:2013-certified company with data centers in the USA and Canada, meaning that we can assure you that your confidential data is safe on our secure server and the messages you transmit are completely encrypted.
Interested?
Don’t wait! Our experts are ready to give you a one-on-one demo to explain how this solution works.
Simply request a demo by clicking the button below and let us show you how our solution can help you manage your contingency plan communications more efficiently.
