Delivering critical emails securely
Many organizations still rely on emails to send important warnings and emergency notifications. But is this really the safest way?
In this article, we compare the most common methods for delivering critical messages – from traditional email to manual phone chains to specialized alerting systems such as safeREACH. Which method is best suited for organizations that need to ensure critical information is reliably delivered?
▶︎ Read more: Automated alerting via email with email2alarm
Test email2alarm in 2 minutes
Test email2alarm for free with just a few clicks. Create a test account, enter your email address & receive an alarm.
Which methods can be used to deliver critical messages?
Organizations use different methods to ensure important warnings reach the right people. The most common methods include:
1. Traditional email notification
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Easy to implement, as email systems are available in every organization | High dependency on individuals checking their inbox |
| Can reach many recipients at once | Risk that important emails are overlooked or blocked by spam filters |
Read more:
▶︎ What AT&T’s email to text shutdown means for alerting systems
▶︎ Safety Moments: Brief instructions with a big impact - Guide for safety experts
2. Phone trees and manual notifications
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Direct, personal contact with the notified individuals | Time-consuming and error prone, especially with large teams or shift structures |
| Effective when many people need to be informed quickly | No automatic escalation if the message is not acknowledged |
▶︎ Read more: Emergency plan defined
3. Messenger services (WhatsApp, Signal, Slack, etc.)
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Fast delivery and high reachability on mobile devices | Data protection and security concerns, as many messenger services are not designed for emergency communication |
| Push notifications can generate quick attention | No guaranteed confirmation that the message was read |
▶︎ Read more: PDCA cycle
4. Automated alerting systems
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Immediate detection of critical messages and automatic forwarding | Requires integration into existing systems |
| Multi-channel delivery (push, SMS, phone) for higher reliability | |
| Escalation mechanisms ensure alerts are not ignored |
▶︎ Read more: Why organizations should rely on automated alerting via email
Test email2alarm in 2 minutes
Test email2alarm for free with just a few clicks. Create a test account, enter your email address & receive an alarm.
The best solution for critical emails and events
While emails, phone trees and messenger services may work for everyday communication, they quickly reach their limits during critical emergencies. Emails are often read too late or overlooked, phone chains are time-consuming and prone to errors, and messenger services do not offer escalation mechanisms or guaranteed reliability.
Automated alerting systems, on the other hand, offer a single reliable solution. They detect critical messages immediately, deliver alerts to multiple recipients across several channels and ensure that critical notifications are not only delivered but also acknowledged. Escalation mechanisms ensure that an alert does not go unnoticed, even if individual recipients are unavailable.
Organizations that want to ensure that no critical information is ignored need an automated alerting solution.
Read more:
▶︎ How safeREACH works
▶︎ Alerting App
▶︎ Integrationen and interfaces
Conclusion: how to deliver critical emails securely
Traditional email is not suitable for delivering alerts during critical events. Critical messages may be read too late, lost in spam folders and lack escalation mechanisms if the recipient does not react. Manual phone chains and messenger services are not reliable alternatives either.
The only effective way to ensure that critical emails are delivered securely is to use automated alerting systems. These solutions convert critical emails into alerts in real time and forward them across multiple channels such as SMS, push notifications and phone calls. With sophisticated escalation mechanisms, they ensure that important information is not only sent but actually acknowledged.
▶︎ Read more: Sending important email as a text message
Test email2alarm in 2 minutes
Test email2alarm for free with just a few clicks. Create a test account, enter your email address & receive an alarm.