Jun 21, 2012
On Sunday, July 1st, ASD will administer the quarterly test of our Crisis Notification System. This security measure provides you with a timely and reliable notification in the event of a serious loss of capacity at ASD. Although ASD has not experienced an interruption of service since employing the Crisis Notification System in 2009, the quarterly test is part of our initiative to prepare in advance for any unfortunate event. Understanding the potential value of your calls, we launched the Emergency Response Plan to alert you in a timely manner if there is ever a service outage at ASD.
As part of this test, we ask that you take a moment to review the contact information ASD has listed for your funeral home. Visit myASD.com and click on the ‘Crisis Notify’ tab. Every season, we will transmit a quarterly message to test the functionality of the broadcast system and to verify that your emergency contact preferences are up-to-date. The test notification will be made to each phone number, fax number, and email address listed on your accounts Crisis Contact page. We will also post an alert message on myASD.com.
- In addition to the above measures, you can also receive alerts via text. Federal regulations require that you opt into the text notification. You must complete these steps to receive ASD text alerts:
- • Your cell phone number must be listed on the Crisis Contact Information
- • Once your cell phone is added, text the word ‘ALERT’ to 22300. You will receive a reply.
ASD will conduct Crisis Notification tests on a Sunday in the beginning of each quarter at 4 p.m. EST. Reminders will be sent the week prior. In addition to these precautions, ASD’s building is equipped with a powerful generator, fully integrated with a back up battery system, which is tested weekly to prepare for local power failures. Our systems were designed to utilize multiple long distance providers simultaneously, so a disruption of service on any carrier’s network will not disable ASD’s operations. In the event of an outage, ASD can reroute all calls to a working network.
Our newly constructed, solid brick building houses countless fiber optic cables reaching multiple carriers, ensuring that an outage of one provider will not shut down ASD’s operations. The onsite backup power generating station is powerful enough to supply all energy needs until local electricity is restored. The building is not located near any flood plains and is equipped with a full alarm monitoring system to regulate any abnormalities that might affect the safety of their employees.
No matter the situation, funeral professionals can rest assured that their calls are ASD’s top priority. With stand by support and back up security measures, ASD offers protection still unsurpassed among answering services.
To learn more, call 800-868-9950 or visit www.myASD.com to check your funeral home’s Crisis Contact information.
About The Author
Jess Farren (Fowler)
Jess Farren (Fowler) is a Public Relations Specialist and Staff Writer who has been a part of the ASD team since 2003. Jess manages ASD’s company blog and has been published in several funeral trade magazines. She has written articles on a variety of subjects including communication, business planning, technology, marketing and funeral trends. You can contact Jess directly at Jess@myASD.com
