Other features include new API, multi-headed RSS engine, tighter security, and more.
A groundbreaking new feature enables schools to automatically enroll their entire campus community into the emergency notification system and manage the process from beginning to end. Another innovative new feature is a bidirectional SMS text message function that lets students and others reply to text alerts for polling, feedback, or requests for assistance. Other new features include an expanded user management API, a new multi-headed RSS engine, greater security features, faster speeds, and more. The 4.0 release will be available later this fall.
“Critical to the success of an emergency notification system is making sure everyone gets the alert,” said Omnilert’s CEO, Ara Bagdasarian. “We understand some schools have had challenges to get everyone to opt-in for alerts. In fact, the state of Texas made ‘opt-out’ a requirement for higher education institutions that goes into effect in January 2012. If your school has a requirement for opt-out emergency notifications, then no other solution will be easier to implement than e2Campus. The Opt-Out Manager will dramatically help schools go from low percentage participation to as high as 100 percent participation in the campus alert system.”
Bagdasarian continued, “Once a student or employee of the school gets an alert, they have the ability to reply to voice and now text alerts. This can prove to be invaluable during an emergency. Best of all, to make these new technology advancements without raising the price is a true testament to how committed we are to campus safety.”
The Opt-Out Manager offers a simple, streamlined process within the e2Campus console to enable 100 percent participation in the emergency alerting system. It walks an administrator through the steps to import the recipient data, send a registration alert, collect opt-out users, list bad data for resolution, and store the information for reporting later as required by law in the state of Texas. The new optional setting can switch the system into Opt-Out mode, which bypasses validation and instead sends a “You have been registered...” text with an option to opt-out.
The e2Campus service has always had a way to collect responses to voice calls for polling and other needs. Now the SMS Reply feature makes it easy for students, faculty and staff to respond to mass alerts via bidirectional text messaging. The SMS Reply feature can be used to give feedback, vote on issues, request help, ask questions, accept assignments, and more. Responses appear in the message delivery details and are exportable.
The innovative User Management API (Application Programming Interface) has continued to grow with new and improved API calls that allow schools to develop their own custom software and/or interface to manage users in the e2Campus system. This makes developing a custom solution even easier for clients.
e2Campus 4.0 now offers a multi-headed RSS engine, called MultiFeed, that allows more than one RSS feed. This is valuable for schools with different RSS feeds for different campuses, multiple feeds for multiple devices, etc.
Other new features include new “My e2Campus” pages for faster load times and greater access control levels for tighter security. Client administrators can now rename their services (e.g. change “Web Widget” to “Homepage”), hide the wireless carrier list on registration forms, and resend validation codes during tech support calls.
