Suspected Act of Terrorism Puts Mutare Text to the Test
A harrowing incident in a retail center reveals just how valuable Mutare Text can be when employee safety is at stake.
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL., December 16, 2019 – Interactive Health, a Schaumburg, Illinois-based provider of personalized workplace health management programs and services, began using Mutare Text in early 2019 to support communications to and from management members.
Notes Chief Technology Officer, Mike Sorensen, having tools in place that leverage cellular networks for swift and effective communications is essential, particularly for organizations with a workforce as large and mobile as Interactive Health’s. “The business world has moved beyond email and call chains for critical group messaging,” he says. “We recognized the clear advantages of emerging digital communication technology and sought a solution that could deliver those tools in a quick and cost-effective manner.”
Interactive Health found the capabilities they were seeking in Mutare Text, a comprehensive enterprise messaging platform with the ability to deliver rapid broadcast notifications through multiple channels to targeted groups. “We primarily used it to keep management members informed of news and events that might impact business operations,” says Sorensen. “But we also knew it could serve as an effective emergency notification system if needed.”
That assumption was tested in a dramatic way on September 23, 2019, when a mentally unstable driver drove his SUV through a crowded indoor mall next to the company’s headquarters.
“We were watching it all unfold from our windows,” says Sorensen, who witnessed the sights and sounds of shoppers fleeing the building while a fleet of fire and police vehicles surrounded the area. “Initial reports said it appeared to be a terrorist act with potential for gun violence. All the businesses and public buildings in the area were told to go into lock-down immediately. It was important that we get that information, as quickly as possible, to all of our team leaders and then keep them informed in real time as reports were continually updated.”
Using Mutare Text, designated broadcasters at Interactive Health were able to quickly send out an emergency message through simultaneous text, email and phone calls alerting their executive team of the situation so they, in turn, could inform employees to remain in place until further notice. Monitoring ongoing news and police reports, broadcasters were able to provide updates throughout the afternoon, concluding with an “all clear” when police reported the situation was under control, the driver arrested, and the danger contained.
“The beauty of this application is how fast and reliable it is,” says Sorensen. “Within seconds our entire executive team had the emergency alert and could relay back their acknowledgment. The system allows administrators to track in real time all messaging activity so we could be sure all the key people had seen and responded.”
Sorensen says his company is now revising emergency response procedures with a new protocol that uses Mutare Text alerts to executive team leaders as a foundation but extended to include an “I am safe” accounting for all employees.
While impressed with the application’s performance, Sorensen also notes the value of its deployment as a Mutare hosted solution. “Not only does that mean we do not have to deal with system upgrades and maintenance, but we also do not have to worry about losing our communication capabilities due to outages.” This is particularly important in a disaster recovery scenario, he adds. “Even if all of our internal systems are down, Mutare Text services will continue to work, allowing administrators to take control of the situation and keep message flowing from the Mutare Text application on their cellular devices. It’s pretty much fail-safe.”
Beyond its advanced group messaging capabilities, Mutare Text supports an integrated suite of other mobile messaging solutions that address a wide range of business communication needs. For instance, when using the Mutare Text/Alert secure messaging module, team members can securely share and collaborate on protected information from their PCs or mobile devices without risk of regulatory breach. With the Mutare Text/Engage module, employee agents and agent teams can safely engage in two-way text conversations with customers using and Engage-enabled phone number and pivot to secure mode when protected information is involved. And with the Mutare Text/Reach module, organizations can enhance customer relationships and service delivery through text-based appointment reminders, surveys, instructions, or other forms of outreach.
“That’s a lot of power in one package and very cost-effective,” says Sorensen.
In his role as Chief Technology Officer, Sorensen has broad experience choosing and working with technology vendors. “Working with Mutare is great. They are very knowledgeable and responsive, and I have complete trust in the integrity of their applications. Implementation of our Mutare Text system was just a matter of weeks and went without a hitch. I would highly recommend Mutare for any company looking to enhance their communication systems with a highly advanced, simple to operate, and cost-effective solution.”
About Mutare
For three decades, Mutare has been empowering organizations to re-imagine a better way to connect with each other. Through transformative digital voice and text messaging solutions, Mutare makes communications with colleagues, customers and prospects simple, secure and effective.
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