Whether it’s for a medical emergency, fire, or safety problem, you only call 911 when there’s a problem, and people are stressed.
In these moments, it’s crucial to communicate with your county’s central dispatch clearly, but time is also of the essence.
Additionally, there are a few steps when calling 911 for a business emergency rather than a residence.
Here are a few examples:
- Make sure you’ve met your local E911 requirements to direct to an accurate location
- Let the appropriate internal personnel know about the emergency
- And if necessary, send out mass notifications on how employees should proceed
For customers concerned about the above emergency processes or could benefit from having triggered alerts in place, The KR Group recommends InformaCast’s CallAware feature.
It’s available with Fusion or Advanced licenses, and with a bit of extra configuration, we’ve seen it impact how businesses communicate during an emergency.
What is CallAware?
CallAware is a feature of InformaCast that allows you to monitor calls. (When integrated with Cisco phones, it routes through Communications Manager.)
You can use CallAware with various phone numbers, but one of its most useful functions is to monitor, record, and trigger notifications when someone in your organization call 911 from your phone system.
When there’s an emergency, time is of the essence, and the faster you can get people the correct information, the better the outcome.
For example, if you’re a manufacturing plant, OSHA requires you to have a safety plan for various emergencies, including who needs to be aware and how.
What Can CallAware Do?
CallAware allows you to alleviate some of the stress of an emergency by automating different necessary components.
Instead of requiring a person to take additional steps after calling 911, CallAware handles these responsibilities for you.
CallAware provides automation in the following ways:
1. Alerting
When an employee, or even you, calls 911, first responders need to know what’s going on, which is why you’re making the phone call.
However, you must also inform the appropriate internal people of the emergency.
Suppose you dial 911, and you’re on the third floor. Someone on the first floor near your business’s entrance should know what’s happening when first responders walk through the door.
With CallAware, you inform a receptionist on where to direct emergency personnel, or if you have an internal security team, alert them of the situation.
You can also trigger alerts broadcast overhead or inform a group or all employees via text message. Many organizations find it useful for fire evacuations or active shooter situations.
2. Contact Closure
 CallAware also helps close the loop on contact related to the 911 call.
You can configure it so that when someone pulls a fire alarm, it automatically calls 911 and informs the correct people within your organization.
This does require some extra configuration, but once completed, the triggered event calls the InformaCast server, which reaches 911 (and makes any other appropriate notifications) on your behalf.
3. Tracking
Another crucial piece of CallAware is that it gives you the ability to track your 911 calls.
You can collect data on how often employees make calls and if it’s purposeful or accidental. As a result, you can better track your progress toward safety goals or see trends about recurring issues within your environment.
4. Call Recording
Finally, CallAware gives you the option to record emergency calls.
While you’re typically able to make FOIA requests for 911 calls, having this feature natively available simplifies the process. Depending on your organization, you may want to use this for recordkeeping or training purposes.
Call recording laws vary from state to state, so before you implement and use this feature, check with your IT consultant for information specific to your area.
Why Should You Use CallAware?
If you’re already an InformaCast customer, implementing CallAware is a no-brainer. You’re already paying for the service, and with a bit of extra configuration, you can help your employees when it’s most crucial.
Alerting, contact closure, tracking, and call recording ensure the appropriate internal employees are notified of emergencies and have the pertinent information once the situation has been addressed.
So, any organization looking to bring visibility and better communication to your emergency procedures should consider how CallAware can help accomplish that goal.
This will look different among organizations. If you’re interested in how CallAware and other InformaCast features would apply to your business, you can sign up for a free, personalized demo and price quote.