Article
'Snowmageddon' Draws Importance to Employee Communication at Northwest FCU
This article was featured in CU Management.
April 5, 2010
For the staff at $1.8 billion/100,000-member Northwest Federal Credit Union, Herndon, Va., February's "Snowmageddon" provided a valuable opportunity to assess its emergency communication plan. Among the points that emerged: Early and ongoing communication with employees is critical-and Northwest FCU has a good system in place. Another issue: Employee education is needed to make communication most effective-and the credit union needs more of this.
According to CUES member Bill Cook, Northwest FCU's SVP/planning and member services, employee communication is among the top priorities during emergencies. "Everyone needs to know the decisions regarding operations, hours, expectations … and it's vital to have a method in place to reach everyone with this information."
So, as the region dealt with community-wide closings, public transportation shutdowns and up to 54 inches of snow, Cook oversaw communications with the credit union's 330 employees. Working with digital communication firm DigitalMailer, Herndon, Va., the credit union launched Exigent911, DigitalMailer's emergency notification system.
"In the past, we used a traditional calling tree that took several hours and lots of manpower to reach everyone and receive confirmation," says Cook. "With Exigent911, within seconds of hitting the 'send' button, I was receiving confirmation calls and e-mails. It worked very well."
For Ron Daly, president/CEO of DigitalMailer, a CUES Supplier member, that's affirmation of the program's value. "Exigent911 is designed to be quick and easy–two important elements when communicating during emergencies. And it includes multiple messaging options, as well as tracking capabilities," he says. "During unplanned events, a lot of things need immediate attention and resources are stretched thin. Having a reliable communication system in place means there's more time to focus on other critical needs."
Northwest FCU sent employees five messages during the snow event, alerting them to branch closures, modified hours and back-to-normal operations. (To keep members updated with similar information, the credit union communicated using DigitalMailer's eLert program.) All three phases of the Exigent911 system were implemented-SMS text messaging, work and personal e-mail messages, and calls to home and cell phones. And, says Cook, the notification system reached nearly 100 percent of all employees. Nearly.
"As with any communication plan, your system is only as reliable as the contact information in it … and we didn't have updates for some employees," says Cook. "Building and keeping e-mail and mobile-phone lists current is not always easy, especially with a staff of 330. Our employees update their contacts themselves-and this event highlighted our need to provide more reminders and education."
Exigent911 also requires some staff education on how to respond to emergency messages. "The system does a great job of confirming that the message was delivered and received, but to actually confirm a staff person heard the message, as opposed to a family member, we need a response," says Cook. "It's easy to do, but not everyone understood that. Now, armed with this information, we are going out to all employees with additional training."
While Northwest FCU has a strong disaster and emergency communications plan in place and tests it yearly, Cook knows real events, such as the 2010 blizzard, provide valuable lessons. "It not only emphasized the importance of keeping emergency contacts updated and staff trained on procedures, it reiterated the importance of communication," he says.
For Press and General Inquiries:
Ron Daly
President/CEO
DigitalMailer, Inc.
(703) 733-0339 ext 102
Email: rdaly@digitalmailer.comFor more information, contact DigitalMailer at (866) 994-4900, or visit www.exigent911.com