SAINT PAUL, Minn., July 31, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GovDelivery, the leading provider of cloud-based public sector digital communications solutions, announced today the release of a new infographic and its most recent white paper, identifying emergency notification trends, based on a survey of nearly 250 state and local government agencies. Titled "The Most Important Message You'll Send: Emergency Notification Trends," the white paper examines common challenges many organizations face in communicating with constituents during emergencies, and offers important suggestions in selecting an emergency notification system (ENS).
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=20171
While the number of emergencies appear to be on the rise, 92% of the government agencies surveyed reported they would benefit from upgrading their ENS. One of the biggest challenges these organizations are facing is their dependency on land-based phone lines for their 911 solutions, while landlines are rapidly becoming obsolete. Seventy-eight percent of respondents report that to effectively notify their constituents, they want the ability to communicate through a single platform system that integrates email, voice, SMS/text messaging and social media. Furthermore, organizations need to have the ability to establish and manage a contact list that allows for geographic segmentation, as well as to bolster their reach by collaborating with other state and federal agencies.
"Government organizations need the ability to connect and alert residents, communities and other stakeholders quickly and efficiently," said Scott Burns, CEO at GovDelivery. "Our research demonstrates that while many organizations still rely on e911 tools for landline notification, that method is no longer sufficient. These agencies need to adopt a system that can deliver messages via multiple channels. Clearly there are challenges in improving emergency notifications, from selecting the right system to finding budget. We are pleased to leverage our capabilities to provide this critical research and analysis on effective emergency notification systems, as this is a critical issue facing most state and local governments today."
GovDelivery can help government organizations immediately reach more people in more ways, in any situation. The GovDelivery Emergency Notification System (ENS) is built upon GovDelivery's proven, massive and scalable communications platform, which strengthens the way public sector organizations, of all sizes, attract, inform, and engage stakeholders. GovDelivery ENS focuses on the needs of the emergency communicator, with an easy-to-use interface and provides the capabilities to build a comprehensive audience prior to an emergency.
Joe Bloom, ENS product manager for GovDelivery, recently joined Government Technology's GovGirl for a video interview discussing the challenges faced by government agencies in times of crises, as well as best practices for preparing any organization for an emergency. The video can be viewed at http://www.govtech.com/govgirl/Be-Ready-When-Mayhem-Strikes-Government-Emergency-Communications.html.
To view the white paper, visit http://direct.govdelivery.com/enstrends-wp-july2013-pr. To view GovDelivery's new infographic on trends in emergency notification, visit http://bit.ly/ENS-infograph. For more information on GovDelivery's Emergency Notification Solution (ENS), please visit http://www.govdelivery.com/emergency.
About GovDelivery
GovDelivery, the leading provider of public sector cloud-based communication solutions, provides a massively scalable communications ecosystem that transforms the way public sector organisations, of all sizes, attract, inform, and engage stakeholders. More than 1,000 government entities, including more than half of major U.S. federal agencies, as well as state, county, and city governments in the U.S., and local authorities and central government agencies in the United Kingdom, use GovDelivery solutions to optimise their effectiveness, efficiency, and engagement in communications with the public. GovDelivery is an ICG (Nasdaq:ICGE) company. For more information, visit www.govdelivery.com.
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.