Public Alerting Software that Reaches People Beyond Your Organisation

Public Alerting Software is a system that sends large-scale emergency SMS alerts to people outside your organisation, such as customers, residents, visitors and contractors. Crises Control Public Alerting delivers those alerts without requiring recipients to be permanent system users, so you can reach an affected audience immediately. Every campaign creates a communication record you can review afterwards. Our guide to emergency response management software explains how it fits a wider response plan.

An internal mass notification system alerts staff who are already registered users, while Public Alerting Software reaches external audiences who are not. The key difference is that public alerting sends emergency SMS alerts to uploaded recipient lists without creating permanent accounts for them. Internal systems focus on responder coordination and duty of care; public alerting focuses on informing communities, customers and visitors. Many organisations run both together.

Authorised users upload recipient details, write the emergency message, send the SMS alert and then review delivery information from one platform. The alert is dispatched to the whole recipient list at once and delivery activity is tracked as it happens. There is no requirement to onboard recipients beforehand, which is what makes it suitable for fast-moving public events. Read how this supports public safety and crisis communication.

Yes. Organisations can send emergency SMS alerts to members of the public using uploaded contact lists, provided they have a lawful basis for contacting those recipients. Public Alerting supports large recipient volumes so a single campaign can reach an entire affected community. Typical uses include severe weather warnings, service disruptions and site evacuations.

Any external group whose contact details you hold can receive a public alert, including customers, residents, visitors, contractors, subscribers and temporary workers. Recipients do not need a Crises Control account or the mobile app to receive an SMS alert. This makes public alerting effective for audiences you cannot realistically onboard in advance.

Yes. Recipient data is handled under the platform security and data protection controls that apply across Crises Control, and every alert is logged for accountability. Each campaign produces a timestamped communication record that supports audit, governance and post-event review. Organisations remain the data controller for the recipient lists they upload, so a lawful basis for contacting recipients is still required. The ITU guidance on emergency telecommunications sets out wider good practice.

Pricing depends on the size of your recipient audience and the alert volume you need, rather than a fixed per-user licence. Because external recipients are not permanent system users, you are not paying to maintain accounts for people you may alert only once. Costs are usually structured around message volume and the platform tier you need. Book a demo and we will scope indicative pricing against your own use cases.

Public Alerting is used by organisations that need to inform people beyond their own workforce, including transport operators, utilities, healthcare providers, local authorities, education and large venues. Any organisation with a duty to warn customers, residents or visitors during a disruption is a candidate. See how a global organisation applied this thinking in our crisis communication case study.