PROBLEM: TEXT MESSAGE SYSTEM ENROLLMENT
Try This:
Use other methods of communication:
The most obvious way to overcome the enrollment obstacle is to deploy other emergency alert systems, such as call boxes, digital displays, E-mails, intercoms, loudspeakers, phone trees/telephony, pop-up computer messages, posters, radio announcements, sirens, strobes, TV announcements, voice evacuation, weather radios, hotlines, Web site and social networking site announcements. Also, using multiple modes will help to ensure the strengths of one solution compensate for the weaknesses of others.
Make the sign-up process easy, especially for new hires and new students:It is important to capture the information of students and employees during their first entrance into the organization, such as during new student or new hire orientations. Many colleges now allow students to sign up for the emergency text messaging system while they are registering for classes or parking permits.
Some campuses prompt employees to sign up for text messaging once or twice a year when they are renewing their retirement and health insurance benefits. The process can also take place during the payroll process if employees must view their paychecks online. Be certain to also have a method in place that will reach employees who don’t use computers, such as custodians and physical plant staff.
Use the opt-out approach:
Many of the experts interviewed by CS for this article recommend this approach. It should be noted that campus culture can be a deciding factor as to whether or not this is adopted.
At Florida State University (FSU), when a student registers for class, he or she is shown a screen that asks for the student’s cell number and explains how it will be used. There is a disclaimer, and the student must check a box to opt out, otherwise he or she can’t register for class. If false information is provided by the student, the incorrect number will be discovered when FSU cross references it with the cell carriers.
Don’t allow individuals to opt-out:
The University of California, Davis takes this approach. “We download our campus databases into the system, so anything that is in the campus database gets downloaded, so they don’t have a choice,” says UC Davis Emergency and Business Continuity Manager Valerie Lucus. This method is useful for employees, as well as for campus-issued E-mails. An institution’s culture, however, might not make this method practical.
Use the system often:
Although it is important not to overuse the system, which can threaten its credibility with message recipients, a certain amount of usage, especially for campus-wide closures due to severe weather, can be an effective way of encouraging employees and students to sign up. “Whenever a message goes out, we see a small or sometimes very large spike in enrollment,” says Rick Tiene, Cooper Notification’s vice president of homeland security solutions.
