Creating Panic Button - Emergency Alerts

OVERVIEW

The Panic Button feature allows the publishing of messages directly from the SnapComms App onto employees' PCs or mobile devices. This can be used in urgent situations where you need to notify employees quickly of unexpected occurrences such as emergencies. When this feature is activated for a user, the Panic Button can be found on the top right corner of the user's SnapComms App.

PREREQUISITES

Effective April 19,2022 the Emergency Alert and Panic Button functionality will be included in the SnapComms Inform and Engage Packages.

 

To effectively use this feature, these components need to be created together:

• Emergency Alert Folder: this will contain the Emergency Alerts that can be quickly published when the Panic Button is triggered

• Panic Button: this is required for this feature to be used from the employees' App.

• Panic Button List: this is configured inside the Panic Button and will display the list of alerts within the same folder

• Emergency Alerts: these are messages available to be sent to your users when the Panic Button is initiated

 

HOW TO CREATE AN EMERGENCY ALERT FOLDER

• In your SnapComms Content Manager, create a new folder called “Emergency Alerts”:

HOW TO CREATE YOUR PANIC BUTTON

• Go to Create Content > Start from Template

• Locate Emergency within the Template library

• Select Panic Button

• Choose a Theme for the new Panic Button

• Name the content, e.g. “Panic List”

• Select the folder created in the previous section to save the new Panic Button in

 

EDITING/CONFIGURING YOUR PANIC LIST

In the Panic Button body, write clear instructions to the employees who will need to use the Panic Button in case of an emergency situation:

Then, click into the Content List container (as seen in the screenshot above), select your newly created Emergency Alerts folder and click 'Apply'. This step configures the Panic Button List.

Note: it is recommended to provide initial and regular training on how to use the Panic Button to all recipients of the Panic Button as part of your Health & Safety initiatives.
 

Note: no content will appear at first; you will need to create the emergency alerts, as detailed further in this article unless you have previously created Emergency Alerts in the folder you have selected.

You also need to review the configuration of Targets, Dates, Delivery and Notification Settings within your Panic Button:

• Under Targets, select any users that will need the Panic Button on their App; this is likely to be the key frontline staff who will be using the Panic Button if required

• Set the Dates to be Immediate; the end date by default is set to 1 year. This will set how long the Panic Button is available within the SnapComms App

• The Delivery mode should be to SnapComms Apps

• The Notification method should be "Silent Publish”

Once you have configured the Panic Button, you should now publish it to make it available to all of your targeted users.

Users with the published Panic Button enabled on their App will see the list of alerts contained within the Emergency Alert folder created during the setup. In case of emergency, they will be able to select the appropriate alert to publish to its targets (pre-set within the Emergency Alert).

 

HOW TO CREATE EMERGENCY ALERTS

• Within your newly created Emergency Alerts folder, use the Emergency Code Creator template or one of the ready-to-use templates located under Start from Template > Emergency. You can also create your own from Build your Own > Desktop Alerts by setting them up as Emergency Alerts under the Notification settings.

• For each of the Emergency Alerts, set the targeting appropriately for the message. Under Date & Time set it to "immediately", for 1 day. Note: Templates under Emergency are already pre-set. This is an important step, without Targets the Alert will not be ready for use via the Panic Button.

• ⚠️ Do not publish those Emergency Alerts - they will be published when and if the Panic Button is used in case of a real emergency. If testing is required, duplicate the alert first and change the target to yourself only before publishing the Alert.

For information on how to create Desktop Alerts, please view our knowledge article here.

 

PUBLISHING AN EMERGENCY ALERT VIA THE PANIC BUTTON

• Open the SnapComms App on a Desktop or Mobile.

• Click the Panic Button icon as pictured below

• Select the appropriate message by clicking Publish next to the message:

Only Alerts that have been set up with Targets will be marked as (Ready) and can be published. If there are no set targets for an Alert, it is not ready for use and will show (Invalid) Warning: No Target Users have been set up!

When setting up the Panic button and Emergency alerts, it is important to ensure that all alerts have a set target. Without it, the alerts will not be available for use when they are most needed.
 

• Confirm you wish to publish by clicking OK:

Note: 

• While an emergency alert is active (published), it cannot be published again via a Panic Button.
• The alert cannot be disabled (unpublished) from the Message History list; disabling an Emergency Alert can be done via the Content Manager - refer to the next section of this article.
• Once disabled, or when the Alert expires the emergency alert is available via the Panic Button once again.

DISABLING PUBLISHED EMERGENCY ALERTS

The Emergency Alert published via the Panic Button will remain active as per the Date & Time set within the Content Manager for this Content (e.g. End date set to Publish for 1 day). If you need to disable the Alert prior to its expiry date/time log in to the Content Manager and navigate to your Emergency Alerts folder where your Alert is stored.

Click on the menu button on the right-hand side of the alert you wish to disable.

Select Disable from the drop-down menu.

The message will now be available again for publishing via the Panic Button.

Note: This can also be done from the Dashboard under the Recently Published tab.

     

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