We exist in a world of digital information and media content that is becoming, at times, overwhelming. Technology allows us to send and receive information from anyone, anywhere, anytime, and on any device.
The “secret” to effective dissemination of information (aka communication) is to know who to send information to and, most importantly, what information to send them. This is because unmanaged information becomes data overload or data noise that can cause the recipient to miss the point of the message entirely.
This is why we developed the L Squared Hub. Our aim is to help our customers simplify their communication objectives and content management processes so that their needs are met at the right time, at the right place, and with the right people.
The Role of an Effective Notification Framework
At the heart of a digital communication network is an effective notification
framework. It is helpful to think of notifications in terms of “signal strength” while creating an effective notification system.
For example, interactions that may potentially be destructive need “louder” notifications, and non-destructive interactions need “quieter” ones.” In other words, messages need attenuation (think in audio terms of loud, medium, and soft) relative to the objectives as desired by the sender.
Designing an Effective Notification Framework
Up front, it is imperative to decide on a recipient and outcome strategy, and then design a notification process to fit. Everyone at stake needs to be in sync on the rationale for their use case: what will the notification be, where will the notification go, and how will the notification be sent.
The goal is to inform and, in some cases, encourage a response to a call to action. At the same time, it is crucial not to overwhelm or obstruct recipients from performing their assigned tasks at hand.
Note: The best practice for notifications is to ensure they are clear, concise, and useful.
The Goldilocks Situation with Notifications
Sending just the right number of notifications is a Goldilocks situation – not too much, not too little, but just right. Overdoing it is fraught with peril, i.e., negative feedback or, worse, alienating recipients.
A well-designed notification system is crafted with accessibility in mind (think CMS) and has the flexibility to accommodate different applications. The most effective way to communicate with recipients will vary depending on several overarching factors:
- The type of information
- The urgency of the information
- Whether user action is required
The key is to send messages that are thought out in the notification strategy with a well-defined purpose. Again, this is where a robust CMS comes into play. It is also a good idea to give recipients the flexibility to turn off all or some notifications that do not pertain to them. These settings should be customizable to specific needs as one size does not fit all.
Creating Notification Levels
Now, the network administrator should create levels of what is called “notification levels of importance”; these boil down to 3 major categories. These categories will reside in the CMS as the architecture of what follows.
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High degree of attention: These are high-priority and require immediate attention.
- Emergency alerts
- Error alerts if something didn’t work
- Confirmations required on potentially destructive actions
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Medium degree of attention: These require no immediate action.
- Warnings
- Acknowledgments and feedback
- Success messages
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Low degree of attention: These are low priority notifications with no urgency.
- Informational messages
- Icons, signifying something new
- Status indicators and feedback
Designing Effective Notification Strategies
The next step of notification design and implementation is categorizing the notifications based on the application of the recipients, with the desired attention level and attributes. This begs the question of what would trigger the notification, where and how would the notification appear, and which notification would require immediate interaction. This is all about intent and desired outcomes, and this is where a robust CMS can help.
Tailoring Your Notifications
Channel-Specific
The fact is that each one of your employees likely has their own preferred
communication channels. Communication preferences can vary significantly from department to department and generation to generation, depending on the makeup of your organization.
If your alert notification system targets only one or two channels, you may miss a significant number of employees who may be in harm’s way. Therefore, it is critical to find CMS software such as L Squared that will enable you to select multiple communication channels to include in your notifications.
It’s important to be able to tailor your messaging to fit the channel(s) you are sending them through. Look for templates to help guide you, pre-built messages for the fastest creation, and customization abilities when the situation requires a more personal approach. In addition, your CMS software should allow you to decipher which message goes with which channel easily, so you’re not wasting any time during an actual emergency or important notification.
Location-Specific
If your company has a dispersed workforce, multiple/changing locations, or remote workers, you will need a notification system that will allow you to segment your target population.
For example, your messages and alerts may not need to be sent to every employee—especially if the critical event is regional or only impacting a subset of your workforce. To ensure only the right people receive the right messaging, you want the ability to group your audience based on attributes such as location, role, and department.
Audience-Specific
Audience grouping ensures the right audience receives the message and
eliminates unnecessary messages being sent across the system. The more irrelevant messages people receive, the more they tend to ignore them, and the system becomes less powerful.
Any time an organization needs to reach a group or segment of its workforce rapidly and reliably, there are significant benefits when using a system designed to ensure messages reach their intended audience instead of relying on just email or phone.
A mass communication system (think unified communication and collaboration) is ideal for any instance where internal and increasingly external communications are beneficial or required to a target set of recipients. In a recent article, it was noted that “By providing a mechanism to disseminate messages en masse and collect feedback from employees across multiple communication channels, organizations can ensure no critical information or context is missed. As a result, employees and leaders alike can rest easy knowing everyone is on the same page and that they will receive the information they need, when they need it, on the channels they use most.”
Now, let’s dive into emergency notifications as these are unlike any other form of business communication.
Emergency Notifications and their Use Case
Today’s emergency notification systems aren’t just for governments — every organization needs the ability to initiate a fast and effective emergency communication strategy during critical events. Research shows that more than 50% of organizations use some form of emergency management software to reach their employees during a crisis.
During an emergency, the speed and accuracy of critical information getting to those in harm’s way can have a life-altering impact on public safety. One subject matter expert says it best:
“Whether alerting employees about an emerging threat—such as a hurricane, active shooter scenario, or natural disaster—or rapidly connecting stakeholders to discuss some other critical event with the potential to disrupt operations, it’s vital that organizations have a reliable, secure, and efficient way to reach employees wherever they are, share information about what’s happening, and ensure those in need can request assistance.” |
Emergency notification systems have rapidly become a mainstay at organizations large and small. Whether you work for a Fortune 500 business, a branch of government, a small business, a school, or some other organization, sending warnings and/or instructions to those impacted by an emergency requires a strategic approach to communication. Stating the obvious, information is only useful if it reaches the right people at the right time.
An emergency notification system is designed to help reach a targeted audience —of any size—across all available communication channels as quickly as possible (often using pre-built templates). These channels are continually expanding to include modern modes of communication and to decrease reliance on a single channel, such as an email or phone call, which employees may not have access to during a crisis.
Adapting Notifications for a Remote Workforce
The challenge now is adapting to the new norm of a geographically dispersed workforce as workers begin to work more remotely. Spurred by the 2019 pandemic and shifting cultural trends, remote work is now more popular than ever. Research by Owl Labs shows that approximately 16% of companies are now 100 percent remote, and more than 60% of employees ages 22-65 say they now work remotely at least occasionally.
A modern emergency alert system helps an organization communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world, by leveraging a multi-channel approach spanning landline and cell phones, SMS text messaging, social media, desktop alerts, mobile app notifications, and more.
Striking the Right Balance
A properly designed and deployed notifications strategy (high, medium, and low degree of attention) should contribute to an experience but never diminish it.
Notifications should be designed proactively so that the reaction to events is done seamlessly. Notifications should be treated like any other digital content, realizing that they can be a positive part of your overall communications approach or negative when executed poorly and run the risk of becoming an annoyance.
Striking the right balance is key. Start by creating a notification strategy and design early, not as an afterthought. Classify notifications by the three attention levels. Often, it can help to color-code, assign icons, and determine placements of notifications. Also, categorize them by type: persistent or non-persistent, pop-up, banner, dialog, etc. Words to the wise and best practice tell us to incorporate notifications into a full system design.
