Customer Success: The Most Crucial Element to an Emergency Notification System

You’ve just invested in an emergency notification system. You’re eager to get the software up and running to keep your people safe, informed, and connected at all times — no matter the situation. But you hit a brick wall: you’re told the training will take two weeks, support is already unresponsive and costs extra, and integrating employee data? A complete debacle.

In the world of emergency communication software, a provider’s customer success capability has powerful implications. Quick setup is essential when you’ve got people and assets to safeguard.

We have had a fantastic experience with the entire AlertMedia team. Having a go-to contact that knows our company, understands our goals, and is invested in our success has made for a powerful partnership beyond that of a typical vendor.” — Jennifer Saylor, Manager of Customer Operations at Greyhound

Common Onboarding Pain Points

Unfortunately, organizations often face onboarding hurdles when they purchase emergency communication software. In part, this can be attributed to outdated software and a cumbersome user experience that doesn’t facilitate an easy setup process. Oftentimes, however, a lack of dedicated support adds undue burden to new buyers. Here are some common pain points organizations face when interacting with a poor support model:

Long implementation timelines

Every organization deals with the threat of critical issues. Getting an alerting system up and running should be a quick, painless process, so they can address those issues with timely communication.

Additionally, people are busy—too busy to take on long deployment projects. Poorly designed products, coupled with poor customer success, can mean weeks of setup and admin training. This is unacceptable. Regardless of employee count, you should expect to have your system operational immediately. After all, a crisis could strike within 24 hours.

“We are in the industry of keeping people safe. We understand that an emergency can happen at any given time. Your Customer Success Manager should facilitate a rapid and seamless implementation to ensure you can communicate immediately with the people who matter the most to you and your business.” – Chelsea, Senior Customer Success Manager, AlertMedia

Complicated data management

A good Customer Success Manager will handle your first people data import. They should be able to organize employee data and help you set up groups in a way that makes sense for your company hierarchy.

If it makes sense for your organization, you should also be presented with an easy-to-use, customized registration process, both online and via text-to-subscribe. This allows your people to opt-in to receive communications or edit their profiles.

Regardless of the location of your contact database—Active Directory, a CSV file, or a payroll or HR system—you should be able to seamlessly and painlessly sync your people data. Maintaining accurate employee contact information is critical to the success of your emergency communication—your provider should be able to populate the system quickly and efficiently through thoughtful integrations and sync utilities.

“There’s no reason your provider should be struggling to import your people. An experienced Customer Success Manager understands your unique needs and is able to handle your data integration without a hitch.” – Melinda, Senior Customer Success Manager, AlertMedia

Extensive training required

In order to gain internal buy-in and adoption of a new system for emergency comms, you need an intuitive platform that requires little to no training. With a straightforward system, you’ll easily navigate any feature without delay.

Sending alerts quickly is the most critical action you’ll take with your new notification system. In the heat of an emergency, you can’t be expected to navigate a complex interface in order to simply send a message. It shouldn’t take more than a few quick steps to notify your people and keep them safe.

“We not only empower our customers to be able to leverage a powerful platform, but show them just how intuitive and easy-to-use AlertMedia is. From the first interaction with our customers, we demonstrate that our role as their Customer Success Manager is to serve as an extension of their team. Our job is to support our customers and their users throughout the lifetime of the product—setting them up for success in any situation.” – Shannon, Senior Customer Success Manager, AlertMedia

Lackluster support

Immediate assistance should be a requirement, not an added bonus. AlertMedia’s technical support is included at no additional cost. Having a reliable support team on call 24/7 provides invaluable peace of mind. Issues can occur any day, at any hour. Your support team should be standing by to field all questions you might have.

“Not being given a direct CSM contact is a major red flag. Nothing is worse than having to jump through hoops to talk to an actual human when you urgently need help. Having a dedicated resource is one of the key differentiators you should look for in a provider.” – Maria, Customer Success Manager, AlertMedia

Poor coaching/expertise

You haven’t just purchased a new mass notification system—you’ve entered into a partnership with your provider.

A quality Customer Success Manager takes time to understand your business and its unique needs to provide personalized support and guidance. They’re focused on your experience, both during setup and after. If they can’t provide personalized coaching, you’re not getting the service you deserve.

“You need to evaluate the provider’s responsiveness, their depth of product knowledge, and their industry expertise. Throughout your interactions, take stock of whether they are engaged, prescriptive, quick to respond, and can answer the majority of your questions.” – Michael, Director, Customer Success, AlertMedia

What Does Dedicated Customer Success Look Like?

AlertMedia knows how important customer experience is when it comes to emergency communication. As a result, our customers benefit right out of the gate.

Our customer-centric delivery model has resulted in an all-time Net Promoter Score of +80 and customer satisfaction of 99%. In fact, AlertMedia has the highest customer satisfaction metrics in the industry.

The AlertMedia Customer Success Model

Here are just a few reasons we lead the industry in customer satisfaction:

• Personalized service: One size doesn’t fit all, so AlertMedia tailors support based on organizational size, complexity, resources, and planned use of the software. With thousands of customers across the globe, we’ve seen it all. And we deliver that expertise in a way that’s specific to each organization.
• Quick onboarding: We’ve designed a pain-free setup process that has many of our customers sending messages the same day they sign up. AlertMedia’s intuitive user screens, simple data management, and hands-on approach to setup minimize the time required of our customers to enjoy a full deployment.
• Always available: Emergencies occur at all hours, so we’re immediately available 24×7 to help our customers successfully communicate as events unfold.
• Named resources: Our customers have a dedicated resource, so you can call a person you know—someone who’s intimately familiar with your business and specific needs.
• Coaching and guidance: We’re communication experts, ready to help you establish communications plans to improve coordination across your teams. We’ll help you think through communication best practices including notification templates, event management, and grouping your people.
• Insights with action: We solve customer challenges with experience, perspective, concern, and follow-through to ensure the best outcome. Realtime, in-app reporting helps you understand how your organization reacts during critical events and helps you better protect your people with improved communications.

Getting the Most Out of Emergency Communication Software

Your mass notification system should be easy to navigate—but so should your experience with a customer success team. Every interaction with your chosen provider—from implementation through the life of your contract—should be simple, painless, and hassle-free.

A provider should have an extensive knowledge base and an expertly trained customer success team just a click or call away that can quickly deliver the answers and guidance you need.

A robust customer success model is essential to the successful implementation and adoption of your emergency communication system.