Talk When You Can, Text When You Can’t: The Power of Instant Messaging In Emergency Response.

Guest blog written by
Nitin Kartik, Director of Product Marketing | Carbyne

While most of us use our phones on a daily basis, it appears that the percentage of time we spend actually talking on the phone seems to be going down month-over-month and year-over-year. In fact, according to The Local Project, 33% of Americans prefer texts to all other forms of communication, and text is the most used form of communication for American adults under 50 years of age.

Regardless of age, one factor we all experience when we have to make that fateful 9-1-1 call is anxiety. Sometimes this anxiety is an involuntary biological response, and at other times this anxiety is because the caller doesn't want to be heard aloud when talking with the authorities. Perhaps there is a burglar in the house or perhaps the caller is being held captive against their will, or perhaps the caller is hearing or speech impaired.

When the caller is unable or unwilling to speak aloud to emergency responders, how can effective emergency response be delivered? The answer is through texting, either in the form of Text-to-911, or through modern instant messaging. The majority of the nation does not have Text-to-911 infrastructure deployed yet, and as a result more universal solutions such as instant messaging are likely to better address the needs of the caller.

When using instant messaging to communicate with emergency services, callers can type in their concerns via their smartphones for the call-takers to read, thereby reducing opportunities for misinterpretation and miscommunication. Any such miscommunication is further amplified through the chain since call-takers have to relay this information to dispatchers, police officers, firefighters, and/ or paramedics. Instant messaging has been successfully used by Carbyne clients time and again to get callers the help they need when they are unable or unwilling to speak aloud.

Whether you are a caller experiencing an emergency, a call-taker, dispatcher, police officer, firefighter, or paramedic, Carbyne is committed to providing you with the latest in modern technology so you can do what you do best, because every person counts.

About Carbyne -

Carbyne (Headquartered in New York, NY) is a leading global provider of cloud-native mission-critical contact center solutions. Carbyne is one of the largest rich-data providers for emergency response centers, delivering over 250M data points per year all in a unified platform. Our technologies enable emergency contact centers and select enterprises to connect with callers as well as connected devices via highly secure communication channels without needing to download a consumer app. With a mission to redefine emergency collaboration and connect the dots between people, enterprises and governments, Carbyne provides a unified cloud native solution that provides live actionable data that can lead to more efficient and transparent operations and ultimately save lives. With Carbyne, every person counts. To schedule a free Carbyne demo, please visit https://carbyne.com/wtt.