Thunderstorms, severe snowfalls, floods, industrial or traffic accidents, public utility breakdowns and many more situations require a quick response which depends on notifying several dozens or even hundreds of people simultaneously, within the shortest possible time. A notification can only be really accurate if the messages are customised to specific situations and can be confirmed by recipients.

Using the 3A System the duty officer of government agencies, local authorities, public utility providers, power plants, mines, schools and universities, hospitals, public transport companies etc. can quickly, automatically and simultaneously notify groups of people who are “on call”, i.e. who need to appear at their place of work or any other place or to perform a specific job. 

The notification process

The 3A System automatically dials the pre-defined phone numbers of people in a group from a call list tailored to the particular emergency and plays back the relevant voice message. The persons called can confirm receipt of the message by pressing a pre-defined button on their handset. The confirmation is reconfirmed by a voice message and the system hangs up the call. Failed call attempts and/or confirmations are managed as described below.

In case of SMS notifications pre-defined or ad-hoc messages can be sent to the selected call log. The simultaneous use of phone and SMS ensures prompt communication.

System structure

The 3A System is an application running in a server environment and is accessed by users (dispatchers, supervisors and administrators) via a web browser. The server can connect directly to SIP trunks of IP PBX units or service providers. If there are no SIP trunks installed, BRI (ISDN2) or PRI (ISDN30) connections through IP-ISDN gateways can also be used.

Preparations

Careful preparation is the key to successful and efficient notifications. The more accurate the database, the more precisely tailored the notifications, and the more attention devoted to continuous data maintenance, the more successful the management of emergencies can be.

Within the 3A System you can pre-assemble and continuously update and edit an On-Call Database, i.e. you can compile a phone book featuring all the persons whom you plan to alert in an emergency using the 3A System. All entries can have a name, a position, an organisational unit, an organisation, three notification phone numbers, and a priority code. The On-Call Database can be imported from a suitably compiled CSV file, i.e. you can upload your existing data to the 3A System.

Notifications

Notifications can be instantaneous (ad-hoc) or scheduled. The former can be used in emergencies, while messages scheduled for future dates and times can be used to convey information, warn on-call personnel etc.

The Monitoring Module

The Monitoring Module supports the user’s work by providing a status overview of the notification process in progress. 

The Call Log Module

The Call Log Module stores the results of all the alert notification calls (call events). This module can only be accessed by operators with supervisor or administrator rights.

SMS Module

In addition to voice messages, the system can also send SMS messages. When sending an SMS pre-written, previously saved and prompt messages can be used. Recipients can be those in one/more call list(s) or one/more person(s).