Is any special equipment needed to offer and use Alertify?
No. Announcements are made from any standard telephone.

Our budget is always tight. How much does Alertify cost?
The price for Alertify is a low, fixed monthly charge. There are no hardware or software costs, set up fees, or other charges.      A representative of Alertify will be pleased to provide a price quote for your school or school district.

How often can schools use the service?
Schools are in control of when and why messages are delivered to parents.  

When can the service be used?
Alertify is available for use 24/7. We recommend that emergency messages be sent as soon as information is available. For non-emergency reminders, messages can be recorded at your convenience and scheduled for delivery at any time. Most schools deliver non-emergency messages in the evening when families are most likely to be at home.

How do school announcements reach parents?
After the school official records and sends the Alertify announcement, parents' primary phone numbers are immediately called with the recorded voice message. The message is recorded on voice mail or an answering machine if there is no answer.

In emergency situations, messages are sent to a "Family Emergency Contact List" consisting of up to 3 phone number and/or 3 email addresses.

What if no one is home to receive the school announcement?
If there is no answer, the school announcement will be left on voice mail or an answering machine.  

Can Alertify be used in addition to other means now being used to communicate with families?
Yes. Schools are encouraged to continue using other traditional means to reach families including radio and television broadcasts. Alertify is a valuable complement to existing methods as it can reach families more quickly and in more ways.

If a family's phone number is protected by a privacy manager program (call blocking service) will school announcements get through?
Yes. On Caller ID, Alertify calls display with the school's name and phone number.

Can we assure parents that their account information, phone numbers and email addresses will be secure and that confidential information will not be shared with third parties?
Yes. We have a strict privacy policy. Schools and families can be assured that personal information is secure and, under no circumstances, will phone numbers or email addresses be shared with third parties. Please see our Privacy & Security Policy for details.

How are family and staff contact data set up?
One primary phone number for each family and staff is extracted electronically from the school database. Multiple options are available for data setup and transfer. Families have the option to have up to 3 phone numbers and/or 3 email addresses to receive emergency announcements.

Can we select which families are contacted when we send a message?
Yes. Schools can send a message to all school families, to all families within a specific grade, or another created list. The created lists are set up by the school for groups including athletic teams, clubs, daily absentee calls -- any situation where families need information from the school.

Each morning, our school calls the parents of any child who does not report to school. Can Alertify be used to make these calls?
Yes. The school office can quickly select all absent students each morning and send a message to those families.

What are the system requirements for my administrator/user?
You can use any Internet-connected computer or phone. Your administrator sends messages online or places a call, records the message and then selects which list to send the message to.

Do message recipients need any special hardware or software?
None. Alertify sends your messages to standard phones, cell phones, Internet-connected PCs, fax machines, wireless PDA's and digital pagers.

How do I register contact information for those on my notification database ?
The participant database uses contact information gathered from building occupants, employees, school families and community agencies. Your Alertify Account Executive will manage the upload of your database using standard data formats.

How does Alertify provide data privacy and security?
All personal data and Alertify operations are held under the highest security standard in existence.

How do I make changes to my database and contact information?
Individuals or your administrators can update contact list and address information with password protection either online or telephone.

How can I receive a needs analysis and cost quote?
Simply Contact Us .

Who can use Alertify?
Anyone who must contact thousands of people virtually simultaneously. These include:
- Building Managers
- School Principals and Administrators
- Government Officials
- Utility Companies