MessageMyWay just got a lot more powerful. You used to be able to send an alert as either normal or urgent priority, but we've added a third level - CRITICAL. Let's find out what this means and how this gives you better control over your alerts.
Previously MessageMyWay allowed two priorities: normal and urgent. Normal alerts usually went to emails (and any apps the recipient had registered), and urgent alerts generally went to SMS texts or phone calls. However, the situation was muddied because recipients could change how they wanted to be contacted.
This proved to be a bad idea. The vast majority of recipients didn't change their preferences, but those who did were often confused by the options and set up inappropriate configurations. All in all, you never really knew how your alerts were being delivered to each person.
To fix this, we've done two things: added critical priority; and removed recipient's ability to change how they are contacted.
So now when you send an alert, you will see the following options:
The other half of the equation is that people can no longer change how they get each type of alert delivered. As well as making the preferences page much simpler, this means you know that critical alerts will be delivered by a voice call to everyone.
This is important because voice calls are much more reliable than other delivery methods - SMS included. When we analysed all deliveries across MessageMyWay, we were shocked to find that only 87% were delivered - 1 in 8 SMS texts fail. And to add salt to the wound, the delivery rate was even lower during widespread emergencies, because telcos prioritise voice over SMS when their networks get congested. SMS is not as bullet-proof as we all thought.
In contrast, voice calls far more reliable - 97% get through. So when it's critical your alert gets through, use CRITICAL priority!
Last updated Tue 22 Oct 2019 by MessageMyWay Support.