Written by Anneri Fourie | Crises Control Executive
Picture this: It’s 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Your team is spread across three different office locations, five consultants are at client sites, and another dozen are working remotely across four countries. Then the fire alarm goes off in your main office.
Who do you call first? How do you reach everyone at once? How do you know if the consultants at external sites have heard about the situation? Who confirms that remote staff don’t need to dial into that 3pm meeting because half the team is standing in a car park?
This isn’t a hypothetical problem. Strategy firms face this reality regularly, and most discover their communication gaps at the worst possible moment: during an actual emergency.
The issue isn’t that people don’t know what to do during a fire or lockdown. The real challenge is making sure everyone knows what’s happening at the same time, with the same information, through whatever device they happen to have in their hand right then.
That’s where proper emergency communication solutions can help. Not as another piece of software to manage, but as the framework that keeps your team connected when normal channels break down.
Why Strategy Firms Get Caught Out
Strategy consultancies aren’t like traditional offices. Your people move constantly. They’re in client boardrooms, airport lounges, home offices, and co-working spaces. Some are in different time zones. Many work flexible hours. A few might be offline for chunks of the day during deep work sessions or workshops.
Research from SafetyCulture found that over 40% of businesses experience delays in emergency response because their communication systems weren’t built for speed or reach. For firms managing sensitive client work and tight deadlines, even a 20-minute delay in getting everyone on the same page creates problems that ripple outward.
When communication fails during an incident, you typically see:
- Delayed responses because messages take too long to reach the right people, or don’t reach them at all.
- Conflicting information when different managers send different instructions, creating confusion instead of clarity.
- Compliance failures if you can’t prove that safety protocols were followed or that staff were properly notified.
- Operational disruption when teams don’t know whether to evacuate, shelter in place, or carry on working.
The common thread? All of these problems stem from relying on tools that were never designed for emergencies. Email is great for project updates. Slack works well for daily coordination. But neither was built to guarantee that a message reaches every single person on your team within 60 seconds, regardless of where they are or what device they’re using.
What Actually Works During an Emergency
When something goes wrong, two things matter most: speed and certainty. You need to reach everyone instantly, and you need to know that the message got through.
A proper emergency communication system isn’t complicated, but it does need specific features that everyday tools simply don’t have:
Reaching People Where They Are
During a crisis, you can’t assume everyone will see an email or check their phone. Messages need to go out through multiple channels at once: SMS, voice calls, push notifications, desktop alerts, emails. If someone’s phone is on silent, the desktop alert catches them. If they’re away from their computer, the text message gets through. This redundancy is what guarantees delivery.
Knowing Who’s Safe
Sending a message is only half the job. You need to know who received it, who read it, and who confirmed they’re okay. This visibility helps managers make decisions quickly and gives you the documentation needed for safety audits and compliance reviews.
Two-Way Updates
Communication can’t be one-directional. Your team needs a way to respond, confirm their safety, or report problems like blocked exits or equipment failures. This feedback loop keeps information accurate and helps managers adapt their response as situations develop.
Removing Manual Work
When an alarm goes off, nobody has time to copy-paste messages into different systems or manually tick names off a spreadsheet. Automation handles message delivery, tracks responses, and logs everything without anyone needing to think about it. This removes human error and saves crucial time.
Working With Your Existing Systems
Most teams already live in platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack. Rather than forcing people to check yet another app, proper emergency systems integrate with the tools people already use. Alerts appear where your team already works, making adoption effortless.
Crises Control brings all of these pieces together in one system. Instead of juggling multiple tools or building processes from scratch, firms get a complete solution that handles communication, tracking, and documentation automatically.
How This Works in Real Situations
Let’s walk through what happens when a fire alarm sounds or a lockdown is declared, using a structured system instead of improvised phone calls and group chats.
Alert Triggered Instantly
A designated manager opens the Crises Control app on their phone or laptop and selects a pre-written template for the situation: building evacuation, shelter in place, or external threat. One click sends the alert immediately. No typing, no second-guessing the wording, no delay.
Everyone Receives the Message Simultaneously
The system pushes the alert through every available channel at once. Staff get an SMS, an email, a push notification, and a desktop alert. Whether they’re in the office, at home, or sitting in a client’s conference room, the message reaches them within seconds through whichever method they’ll notice first.
Responses Get Tracked Automatically
As people acknowledge the message, the system records each response in real time. Managers see a live dashboard showing who’s confirmed they’re safe, who hasn’t responded yet, and where people are located. This creates a clear audit trail for compliance purposes while giving leadership the visibility they need to act.
Two-Way Communication Stays Open
Staff can reply directly through the system to report their status or flag problems. If someone notices a fire door is jammed or a colleague needs assistance, that information flows back to managers instantly. This keeps everyone connected and helps leadership adjust instructions as the situation evolves.
This structured approach means everyone gets consistent, verified information at the same time, and leaders stay informed throughout the incident without chasing updates through five different channels.
Building Your Communication Framework
Technology solves the delivery problem, but you still need a plan that defines how the system gets used and who does what. Think of it as the script your team follows when something goes wrong.
Your framework should cover:
- Clear Roles: Who triggers alerts? Who monitors responses? Who communicates with emergency services or updates clients? Defining this beforehand prevents confusion when pressure is high.
- Channel Strategy: Which communication methods get used for which situations? An office fire might need every channel activated. A localised IT outage might only require email and Teams notifications.
- Pre-Written Templates: Draft messages in advance for likely scenarios: evacuations, lockdowns, severe weather, IT failures, security incidents. When you’re dealing with an actual emergency, the last thing you want is someone staring at a blank message box trying to find the right words.
- Staff Training: People need to understand how alerts work and what they’re expected to do when they receive one. A five-minute briefing during onboarding prevents confusion later.
- Regular Testing: Run drills at least twice a year. Test the technology, yes, but also test whether your team knows what to do. Use the results to refine your templates and processes.
Crises Control makes this easier by automating test schedules, tracking participation rates, and providing data on how quickly people responded. This turns emergency preparedness from a one-off project into an ongoing practice that actually stays current.
Why Normal Tools Don’t Cut It
Most firms already use email, Teams, or Slack for daily communication. These tools work brilliantly for their intended purpose, but they weren’t designed for emergencies. Here’s where they fall short:
| Problem | What It Causes | How Proper Systems Fix It |
| Messages arrive slowly or get missed | Delayed responses, people don’t know what’s happening | Multi-channel delivery ensures everyone gets the alert immediately |
| No way to confirm receipt | Managers don’t know who’s safe or who needs help | Real-time acknowledgment tracking shows exactly who has responded |
| Everything requires manual coordination | Time wasted, information gets outdated or contradictory | Automated workflows handle alerts, tasks, and logging instantly |
| Teams working in different systems miss updates | Mixed messages, confusion about what’s actually happening | Integration with Microsoft Teams keeps everyone aligned |
| No practice runs | Staff are unprepared when real incidents occur | Scheduled simulations keep response skills sharp |
The difference between improvised communication and a structured system isn’t just about convenience. It’s about having confidence that your process will work when it needs to.
What Makes an Alert System Reliable
A strong employee alert system does more than broadcast messages. It gives leaders confidence that communication is happening correctly, that people are safe, and that the response process is being followed.
Here’s what reliable looks like:
- Consistent information reaches everyone, whether they’re in the building or halfway around the world.
- Minimal manual effort because automation handles message delivery, acknowledgment tracking, and documentation.
- Clear visibility through analytics and audit logs that show who was notified, when they responded, and what actions were taken.
- Simple to use, even when stress levels are high and time is short.
The PING feature in Crises Control automates message delivery and verification, helping firms stay connected and accountable during incidents. The analytics dashboard gives teams insight into response times, participation rates, and areas that need improvement, turning each drill or real event into a learning opportunity.
What You Gain Beyond Compliance
Yes, having documented emergency communication helps with ISO 22301 compliance, GDPR requirements, and safety audits. But the benefits go further than ticking regulatory boxes.
- Faster response times because alerts and workflows trigger automatically, without anyone needing to remember what comes next.
- Consistent messaging so everyone receives the same verified information, reducing confusion and preventing conflicting instructions.
- Complete records that document who was notified, when, and how they responded, satisfying audit requirements without extra work.
- Team confidence because staff know they’ll be informed clearly and quickly if something goes wrong.
- Business continuity by reducing downtime and confusion, helping the firm return to normal operations faster.
Clients notice this level of preparedness too. When a firm can demonstrate that they have structured systems for handling disruption, it reinforces confidence that they’re reliable partners who think ahead.
Choosing the Right Partner
When evaluating emergency communication platforms, look for providers that understand professional services, not just technology. The system needs to be secure enough for strategy firms handling confidential client data, flexible enough to adapt to different office setups and working patterns, and simple enough that managers can use it confidently under pressure.
Crises Control was built with these requirements in mind. The platform delivers multi-channel alerts, real-time feedback, workflow automation, and complete audit trails, helping firms manage any situation with clarity and control. Organisations across industries use it to protect staff and maintain continuity when incidents occur.
Preparedness Creates Calm
Emergencies are unpredictable. Your communication doesn’t have to be.
For strategy firms, preparedness means being able to reach the right people with the right information quickly and reliably. It means having confidence that your system will work when you need it, and having documentation to prove it afterwards.
By combining structured planning, modern tools, and regular testing, firms build a communication process that functions properly when it matters most. Crises Control provides the systems and support to make that happen, helping your teams stay connected, compliant, and calm during any incident.
Ready to Strengthen Your Emergency Communication Strategy?
Crises Control helps strategy firms simplify emergency communication with automation, real-time tracking, and multi-channel delivery. Contact us today to arrange a free demo and see how our solutions can help your firm stay prepared, connected, and compliant in any situation.
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